Phytoconstituents and Pharmacological Profile of Echinacea purpurea

Echinacea purpurea (Asteraceae) is a medicinal herb that has broad spectra of pharmacological properties. It is a perennial herb with immune-stimulant and anti-inflammatory properties. Due to its vast pharmacological properties, this plant has attracted the attention of scientists to evaluate other beneficial biological effects. The plant has shown antidepressant, anxiolytic, anti-mutagenic, cytotoxic, antifungal and antibacterial properties. The objective of this review is to highlight the importance of Echinacea purpurea. Different databases were used to search literature in the English language. Clinical studies are still not found due to its adverse effects. But some plant studies have shown the best biological responses, with no serious side effects, while some studies have reported severe adverse effects on the skin such as rashes, urticaria and itching, abdominal cramps, pain, nausea and labored breathing. Cichoric acid and alkamides analysis have been developed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) by using different detectors, for example, coulometric detectors, ionization mass spray detectors and Uv-vis detectors. Instead of controversial results of different studies on this plant, some activities show the best results, But some questions are still there. Echinacea purpurea plant has a lot of work that needs to be done in the future by considering the mechanism of action.