Echinacea is widely used to fight infections, especially the common cold, and the flu. Some people take echinacea at the first sign of a cold, hoping they will be able to keep the cold from developing. Other people take echinacea after cold of flu-like symptoms have started, hoping they can make symptoms less severe or resolve quicker.
Echinacea is also used against other types of infections including urinary tract, ear and throat infections but there is not good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Sometimes people apply echinacea to their skin to treat boils, skin wounds, or burns.
Commercially available echinacea products come in many forms including tablets, juice, and tea.