Echinacea tea is the simplest way to use this North American herb: a caffeine-free, earthy-floral infusion made from the flowers, leaves or root of the purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea. The cup you get depends more on which part of the plant you use than on anything else. At La Ferme À Ciel Sur Mer we grow echinacea as a certified Organic crop in Charlevoix, Québec, and sell the dried flower, leaf and root separately, so that question comes up daily. This guide covers how to make echinacea tea, which part to use and why, what it tastes like, what it is traditionally used for, and who should leave it alone.
Echinacea has a long record in North American herbal tradition and is best known today as the herb people reach for at the first sign of a cold. It also carries more safety notes than most herbal teas, which this guide covers. If you are choosing between the two common species, our guide to echinacea angustifolia vs purpurea explains the difference; for tea, purpurea's dried flowers and leaves are the everyday choice, and that is what our Organic echinacea is.
How to Make Echinacea Tea
Echinacea tea is a hot-water infusion, and the one rule worth following is to keep the cup or pot covered while it steeps. The plant's aromatic compounds leave with the steam, and a lid keeps them in the cup. Use just-boiled water rather than boiling the herb on the stove; root tea is the exception, covered below.
For a standard cup, use about a tablespoon of dried echinacea flowers and leaves, roughly two grams, or two tablespoons of fresh chopped plant, since fresh herb is mostly water. Steep ten to fifteen minutes for flowers and leaves, longer than most herbal teas; echinacea gives up its character slowly, and a five-minute steep tastes of very little. Strain, and add honey or lemon if you like.
Echinacea tea, step by step
- Measure a tablespoon of dried echinacea flowers and leaves, or two tablespoons of fresh chopped plant, per cup.
- Pour over water just off the boil.
- Cover and steep ten to fifteen minutes.
- Strain, and finish with honey, lemon or mint if you like.
You can also blend flower, leaf and a little root in the same pot for a fuller cup; if root is in the mix, give it the full twenty minutes.
Which Part of Echinacea to Use for Tea
All three parts of the plant make tea, and they make three different cups. Because we sell them separately rather than as a blend, the honest answer to which is best is that it depends on what you want from the cup.
Flowers
Dried echinacea flowers make the prettiest and mildest cup: pale gold, gently floral, with the pink of the petals still visible in the jar. This is the everyday tea, the one to drink on its own or to build a blend around; give the dried cone at the centre the full ten to fifteen minutes.
Leaves
Echinacea leaf brews a greener, more herbal cup than the flower, closer to a grassy garden tea. Many people blend leaf and flower half and half for a balanced pot, and leaf is the part most often used for fresh-plant tea in summer, cut straight from the garden.
Root
Root makes the strongest and earthiest cup, and it is the part that gives the tongue the faint tingle echinacea is known for. Root needs a longer, hotter extraction than flowers or leaves, so it is simmered rather than steeped; the method is in the next section. Root is also the part traditionally used for echinacea tincture, which is where most root ends up.
Species matters too. Echinacea purpurea is the one to use for flower and leaf tea, because its aerial parts are the traditional medicinal part. Echinacea angustifolia is a root herb; its leaves and flowers are not the part herbalists use. Our angustifolia vs purpurea guide goes through the full flower-versus-root picture by species.
Echinacea Root Tea
Dried root is dense and woody, and a covered steep in hot water pulls out only a little of it. Instead, simmer it: put a teaspoon or two of cut dried root per cup into cold water, bring it to a gentle simmer with the lid on, and hold it there for fifteen to twenty minutes before straining. Herbalists call this a decoction, and it is the standard method for any root or bark.
The result is darker and more bitter than flower tea, with a noticeable tingling on the tongue. That tingle comes from the root's alkylamides, the compounds echinacea is best known for, and it is a good sign of a well-dried root. Purpurea root is a mass of fibrous roots around a short crown rather than a single taproot, which is why cut root looks like the photo below rather than like a carrot. Root tea is a stronger drink; a cup or two at the start of a cold is the traditional use, not a daily habit.
Lemon Echinacea Tea and Other Ways to Blend It
Echinacea on its own is earthy, and a little brightness improves it. Lemon echinacea tea is the classic pairing: brew the tea as above, then add a squeeze of fresh lemon and a spoon of honey to the cup. The lemon lifts the earthy notes and the honey rounds off any bitterness.
A few other blends work well from the same jar. Fresh mint or a slice of ginger makes a sharper, warming cup; lemon balm or chamomile softens it into an evening tea; elderflower is a traditional partner in cold-season blends. For an iced version, brew it double strength, cool it, and pour it over ice with lemon.
What Echinacea Tea Tastes Like
Expect something earthy and mildly floral, a little like a hay meadow in a cup, with a faint tingle on the tongue. The tingle is stronger in root tea and barely there in flower tea, and it is normal: it comes from the plant's alkylamides. Flower tea is the mildest of the three, leaf tea the greenest, root tea the strongest and most bitter.
Two things people ask about the name. Echinacea tea and coneflower tea are the same drink; coneflower is the plant's common name, from the raised central cone. And the word is pronounced ek-ih-NAY-sha, from the Greek ekhinos, hedgehog or sea urchin, for the spiny cone at the centre of each flower.
Does Echinacea Tea Have Caffeine?
No. Echinacea is not related to the tea plant, and the flowers, leaves and root contain no caffeine at all. You can drink it at any time of day, including in the evening. It is not a sleep herb either, so do not expect it to make you drowsy; for a calming evening cup, blend it with lemon balm or chamomile.
What Echinacea Tea Is Traditionally Used For
Echinacea's reputation rests on cold season. In Canada, Health Canada's monograph for Echinacea purpurea recognises it as traditionally used in Herbal Medicine to help relieve cold symptoms and the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, with the direction to take it at the first sign of infection. The European Medicines Agency's monograph reaches a similar place for the pressed juice of the fresh herb, which it recognises for short-term use in the common cold, for no more than ten days at a time.
It is worth being clear about what that means for a cup of tea. The trials behind those findings used standardised extracts or pressed juice at set doses, not a home infusion, and the United States National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health summarises the evidence as showing echinacea may slightly reduce the chance of catching a cold, while whether it shortens one remains unclear. Tea is the gentlest form of the herb, and the traditional way to use it is a cup or two a day for a few days at the first sign of a cold, not as a year-round daily drink. For the fuller picture of what research has examined, see the benefits section of our echinacea guide.
A Note on Safety
Echinacea is generally well tolerated for short periods, but it carries more cautions than most herbal teas. Because it is a member of the daisy family, anyone allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds or other Asteraceae plants can react to it, and the European monograph lists this allergy as a reason not to use it at all. People with hay fever, asthma or eczema are advised to check with a doctor first, because reactions in that group can be more severe. Stop drinking it if you notice a rash, itching or swelling.
Because echinacea is used to stimulate immune activity, Health Canada's monograph advises asking a health care practitioner before use if you have a progressive systemic disease such as tuberculosis, a collagen disorder, multiple sclerosis or an immune system disorder, or if you take medication that suppresses the immune system. It is a short-term herb: Health Canada advises consulting a practitioner for use beyond eight weeks, and the European monograph sets ten days per course. Pregnant and nursing people should ask their provider first, since safety data is limited. European guidance does not recommend echinacea for children under twelve, while Health Canada's monograph allows lower doses from age two; talk to your child's doctor before offering it. The most common side effects reported are mild digestive upset. This information is educational, not medical advice.
Choosing and Storing Echinacea for Tea
Good echinacea tea starts with well-grown, gently dried herb. Whole dried flowers should still show pink in the petals and dried leaf should be green rather than brown; both should smell fresh and faintly sweet. Cut root should be pale and clean-smelling, and a small piece chewed should tingle. Buy from a grower who can tell you the harvest date, and store the herb in an airtight jar away from light and heat, where flowers and leaves hold their character for about a year and root for longer.
If you grow echinacea and want to dry your own for tea, our guide to growing echinacea from seed covers when to harvest the flowers, leaves and root and how to dry each of them.
From Our Farm
We grow Echinacea purpurea in living soil in Charlevoix, Québec, certified Organic, harvest the flowers and leaves by hand at peak bloom in July and August, and dry them at low temperature to protect colour and scent. The root is lifted in the fall from plants three to four years old, washed, cut and dried slowly. For tea, our dried Organic echinacea flower, leaf and root are sold separately so you can make the cup you want, and we also offer fresh root by pre-order at the fall harvest, within Canada, for those making tinctures.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make echinacea tea?
Use a tablespoon of dried echinacea flowers and leaves, or two tablespoons of fresh chopped plant, per cup of just-boiled water. Cover and steep ten to fifteen minutes, then strain and add honey or lemon to taste. For root, simmer it gently for fifteen to twenty minutes instead.
What part of the echinacea plant is used for tea?
Flowers, leaves and root can all be used. Dried purpurea flowers and leaves make the everyday cup; root makes a stronger, earthier tea and is more often saved for tinctures. Angustifolia is used as a root only.
How long should you steep echinacea tea?
Steep flowers and leaves, covered, for ten to fifteen minutes. Root is simmered for fifteen to twenty minutes as a decoction rather than steeped.
What does echinacea tea taste like?
Earthy and mildly floral, with a faint tingle on the tongue from the plant's alkylamides. Flower tea is the mildest, leaf tea the greenest, and root tea the strongest and most bitter. It pairs well with honey, lemon, mint or ginger.
Does echinacea tea have caffeine?
No. Echinacea tea is naturally caffeine-free and can be drunk at any time of day. It is not a sedative either, so it will not make you sleepy.
Is it okay to drink echinacea tea every day?
Echinacea is traditionally used for short periods, such as a cup or two a day for a few days at the start of a cold, not as a year-round daily tea. Health Canada advises asking a health care practitioner about use beyond eight weeks; European guidance sets ten days per course.
Who should not drink echinacea tea?
Anyone allergic to ragweed or other daisy-family plants; people with progressive systemic diseases such as tuberculosis, collagen disorders or multiple sclerosis, or immune system disorders; and anyone on immune-suppressing medication should ask a doctor first. So should pregnant and nursing people. European guidance does not recommend it for children under twelve.
What is echinacea tea good for?
Health Canada's monograph recognises echinacea as traditionally used in Herbal Medicine to help relieve cold symptoms and the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, taken at the first sign of infection. Research on standardised extracts suggests it may slightly reduce the chance of catching a cold; a home-brewed tea is a gentler preparation than those extracts.
Want to learn more? Explore the rest of our echinacea guides:
- Echinacea Angustifolia vs Purpurea: Which Is Medicinal?
- How to Make an Echinacea Tincture
- Growing Echinacea From Seed
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