Echinacea's most interesting compound targets the endocannabinoid system

Echinacea alkamides (isobutylamides) interact directly with CB2 endocannabinoid receptors. This makes echinacea technically an endocannabinoid system modulator, the same receptor system targeted by CBD. Yet the entire echinacea market is standardized on polysaccharides or chicoric acid, and the alkamide fraction is literally discarded in most extraction processes. The CB2 story could reposition echinacea from "cold remedy" to targeted immunomodulation.Publications of interest:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16142631/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16547349/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8111300/