Native to North America, this perennial herb has a very distinctive purple coneflower- the etymology of Echinacea is Greek as "echinos," which means hedgehog. Native American tribes used the plant (the root in particular) for all sorts of problems: as antidote for insect and venomous snakebites, infected wounds, toothache, sore throats, arthritis, rheumatism, mumps, measles. They also burned it as a fumigant and headache treatment. European settlers used Echinacea to treat wounds and in the 1800s a few American Eclectic physicians prescribed the plant to treat respiratory infections and skin conditions. In the 1930s, the plant became very popular in Europe, especially Germany. It is primarily prescribed to shorten the duration of common colds and flu, and reduce associated symptoms (cough, fever, and sore throat).