Herb module

Zi Zhu Hua

Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)Echinacea purpurea

A bright prairie flower that Zoi uses to clear Heat, purify the Blood, and support the body's protective Wei Qi.

Zi Zhu Hua is echinacea, the purple coneflower many people know from gardens and herbal teas. In Traditional Chinese Medicine terms, it is used to clear Heat and toxins, disperse Wind-Heat, and release the Exterior, the body's outer layer of defense. Zoi includes it in Allergy Relief | Atsáli™ because it supports the Lung and the protective Wei Qi that guards us against outside influences.

Best functions

Traditionally used to clear Heat and resolve toxins
Disperses Wind-Heat and releases the Exterior
Used to purify the Blood
Supports Wei Qi, the body's protective energy
Benefits the stomach

Fascinating facts

The name Echinacea comes from the Greek word for hedgehog or sea urchin, a nod to the spiky, prickly cone at the center of each flower.
The Chinese name paints a simple picture of the plant: Zi Zhu Hua is the purple cone flower, named for its purple petals and the raised cone at its center.
Echinacea is native to North America and grows wild on the prairies and open woodlands of the central and eastern United States. Native American peoples of the Plains used it long before it reached Western herbalism.
Research has looked at how echinacea interacts with mast cells, the immune cells that release histamine, and studies suggest it may help calm their activity.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine

Zi Zhu Hua has a pungent and bitter flavor and enters the Lung and Spleen meridians. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is a Heat-clearing herb.

Go deeperDownload the fact sheet on the Allergy Relief · Atsáli page

Biomedical deep dive

Zi Zhu Hua Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)

From the Zoi Medicinals fact sheets’ Biomedical Details, with lines from Noa’s herb notes marked “Noa’s notes”.

On the fact sheet

Zi Zhu Hua (Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea) enters the LU and SP meridians; purifies Blood, clears toxins, disperses Wind-Heat and releases the Exterior, benefits the stomach. Allergy Relief | Atsáli sheet

Key active constituents

The fact sheets don’t name constituents for this herb.

Pharmacology and mechanisms

Echinacea has activities directly related to the allergic response, according to the Atsáli fact sheet.
Echinacea, like magnolia flower, has antihistamine activity by modulating mast cells (immune cells that release histamine).
Alkylamides (key compounds) bind CB2 cannabinoid receptors on immune cells; immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory. Noa’s notes
Shortened the duration and severity of upper respiratory infections in multiple meta-analyses. Noa’s notes
Stimulates macrophage phagocytosis and NK (natural killer) cell activity. Noa’s notes

What the research says

In an animal model of asthma, echinacea lowered airway resistance and histamine levels (Šutovská et al., J Ethnopharmacol 2015).

Safety, interactions and cautions

Every Zoi fact sheet: do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding unless directed by your health care practitioner.
Avoid in autoimmune conditions; caution with immunosuppressant therapy or in immunosuppressed patients (case-dependent). Noa’s notes
Noa's notes say not to use it continuously for more than 8 weeks. Noa’s notes
Use caution with strong Heat and Yin deficiency (Traditional Chinese Medicine terms). Noa’s notes

In these Zoi formulas

Allergy Relief | Atsáli (#4 on the fact sheet)

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.