Who needs Echinacea when you got Cutleaf Coneflower?
Today we saw a plethora of dormilón / cutleaf coneflower / Rudbekia laciniata. It’s pretty common so you’re bound to come across it in the mountains. It’s traditionally used as a remedy for delayed menstruation, birthing contractions, and pelvic inflammatory issues. But also has high value for immune support during cold and flu season.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably well aware of the popularity of Echinacea for immune support. What you might not know is that you can use Rudbekia laciniata in place of Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea. And in a way it’s even better because, unlike Echinacea, it also helps the body to excrete the waste products that are created from those immune supporting actions.
If you forage for your own plant medicines, I encourage people to really consider this plant as a highly valuable alternative to Echinacea. Herbal fads can lead to over-harvesting, like American Ginseng for example. At this point I assume the herbal industry relies on cultivated Echinacea, but with practically my whole life being characterized by spending lots of time in northern New Mexico’s mountains, I’ve never come across Echinacea in all my years hiking/backpacking, foraging, etc. In contrast, Cutleaf Coneflower is reliably abundant in my experience.
NOTE: there are also two other flowers referred to as dormilón: 1) green prairie coneflower (Ratibita tagetes) and 2) blue vervain (Verbena macdougalii).
