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Echinacea vs. Rudbeckia - battle of the immune-boosting Aster cousins

 
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Echinacea vs. Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)

I am told they are very similar in terms of properties.

What are the major differences?  Can they be used interchangeably without concern?  Some questionable sources claim toxicity in Rudbeckia seeds, but I am skeptical.  
 
Beau M. Davidson
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Was hoping someone would see this and say "hey!  I know all about that . . . " and proceed to enlighten me.

Maybe, instead, this thread is the start of a public exploration of the topic.  
 
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I have never tried echinacea but I have made black eyed susan flower tea and found it helpful… for the moment that is all I have to say.

My echinacea is blossoming soon, for the first time, this year! I have tried a few different kinds many times but none seemed to take, except this one, who  may be E. tennesseensis.
 
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Sorry, Beau. Oddly enough, echinacea and rudbeckia are outside my wheelhouse, so I'm watching this thread, to learn. I know that echinacea is particular about when and how to use it, that I've just never bothered with it, choosing instead, to go with oregano, thyme, and sage.
 
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I had two different ND's suggest echinacea as well as elderberry for immune boosting. Neither of them suggested rudbeckia. I have no idea if this means one was more potent than the other or simply easier to find.
 
Beau M. Davidson
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Thanks for jumping in, y'all.

I will ask my wife for a brief overview of the connection between the two tomorrow, and maybe that will give us some more to go on.  She is the trained herbalist and the one who brought their similar usages to my attention in the first place. We have made extensive use of echinacea, but are interested in branching off into rudbeckia as it grows prolifically here, all over the place.
 
M Ljin
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Matt McSpadden wrote:I had two different ND's suggest echinacea as well as elderberry for immune boosting. Neither of them suggested rudbeckia. I have no idea if this means one was more potent than the other or simply easier to find.



Not hearing about a medicinal plant in my experience doesn’t rule out the possibility of their being effective—some of the ones I have found effective and helpful to me are ones with no recorded uses. Western traditional medicine can sometimes have a tinge of Eurocentrism, and there are a number of plants like Echinacea that break through that. Black eyed Susan, on the other hand, has not.
 
Matt McSpadden
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Maieshe Ljin wrote:Not hearing about a medicinal plant in my experience doesn’t rule out the possibility of their being effective—some of the ones I have found effective and helpful to me are ones with no recorded uses. Western traditional medicine can sometimes have a tinge of Eurocentrism, and there are a number of plants like Echinacea that break through that. Black eyed Susan, on the other hand, has not.



One of the NDs was also a master herbalist. But this does not mean they were not influenced one way or another. Or sometimes people just have favorites :)

I'm going to have an appointment with him in a couple weeks. if I remember to ask, I will let you know what he says.
 
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