Echinacea and Alkylamider Information

(nee echinacea and alkylamides)

Echinacea and alkylamide (misspelled as echinacea and alkylamider) pharmacological actions:

The alkylamide in echinacea has been linked to its immune supporting functions, although originally the polysaccharides were thought to infer this benefit. The alkylamides are found only in extracts such as tinctures, not the fresh juice. High levels tend to be found in the roots, but they are not in the species echinacea pallida.

One site states this about echinacea and alkylamides:

"A recent study by Mediherb laboratories (Mattias et al, 2004) showed that alkylamides are one of the few constituents to cross the intestinal barrier in a model which simulates how absorption occurs in the human gut. The research showed that a combination of E. angustifolia and E. purpurea was beneficial because the alkylamides from one species protected those from the other in terms of how rapidly they were metabolized. Only the alkylamide constituents passed through in any appreciable amounts. Research is underway at the University of Wisconsin to further investigate both the pharmacokinetics and immune effects of a combined Echinacea preparation."

Specifically, echinacea and alkylamides inhibit, with the polysaccharides, cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase. This relates to the inflammatory process. (Source: http://www.uspharmacist.com/oldformat.asp?url=newlook/files/Alte/ACF2F73.cfm&pub_id=8&article_id=72)

Echinacea and alkylamide (misspelled as echinacea and alkylamider) concentrations:

A study done that tested the concentrations of alkylamide and cichoric acid with variations in drying temperatures of the flower, leaf, stem, and root of echinacea augustifolia, found no differences in alkylamides. The temperatures tested were from 40 to 70 degrees celsius. There were differences however in the concentrations of cichoric acid, and so the conclusion was that this was a more important criteria in determining optimal drying temperatures for echinacea. (Study here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12617592&dopt=Abstract)

For information on echinacea alkylamides during plant growth, see this article.