Plant Comparison
Bistort vs Purple coneflower
A side-by-side comparison of two medicinal plants — every documented constituent, action, use, safety note and cited source, assembled automatically from the Omnia Sana database.
At a glance
Bistort and Purple coneflower: they share 5 indicated uses (arthritis / joint pain, infection (general), inflammation (general), …); 2 pharmacological actions in common.
Evidence face-off — shared uses
| Condition | Bistort | Purple coneflower | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis / joint pain | 1/10 | 1/10 | Comparable evidence |
| Infection (general) | 1/10 | 1/10 | Comparable evidence |
| Inflammation (general) | 1/10 | 1/10 | Comparable evidence |
| Skin irritation | 1/10 | 1/10 | Comparable evidence |
| Wounds | 1/10 | 1/10 | Comparable evidence |
Evidence scores (1–10) are computed from the tier of each cited source. “Comparable” means the two scores are within one point. Follow a score to its detailed sources.
Key Constituents
Very high tannin content is the basis of the strong astringency.
Contribute to antioxidant and antibacterial activity.
Lipophilic alkamides are considered key immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory constituents, particularly concentrated in the root.
Antioxidant phenolic compounds contributing to the plant's immunomodulatory activity.
Water-soluble polysaccharides associated with immune-stimulating activity, particularly from the aerial parts.
Pharmacological Actions
Anti-inflammatory gargle / mouthwash for inflammation of the mouth and throat (sore throat)
Bistorta officinalis (Polygonum bistorta) rhizome extract, rich in gallotannins and phenolic acids, shows cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activity against hepatocellular and other cancer cells (preclinical).
Astringent for mild diarrhoea (tannins tighten the gut lining and reduce excess secretion)
Antibacterial (topical) - GC-MS-characterised extracts showed antibacterial activity
Astringent for mild diarrhoea (tannins tighten the gut lining and reduce excess secretion)
Traditional & Indicated Uses
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
Polygonum bistorta (Bistorta officinalis) methanol-water and aqueous extracts inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma cells via ROS-induced ER stress and apoptosis (delaying xenograft tumour growth), with phenolic constituents driving the cytotoxicity (preclinical).
Astringent for mild diarrhoea (tannins tighten the gut lining and reduce excess secretion)
inferred from styptic action
inferred from antimicrobial action
Anti-inflammatory gargle / mouthwash for inflammation of the mouth and throat (sore throat)
inferred from astringent action
Anti-inflammatory gargle / mouthwash for inflammation of the mouth and throat (sore throat)
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from immunomodulator action
inferred from antimicrobial action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
Safety, Cautions & Contraindications
Very tannin-rich: high or prolonged intake may cause stomach upset or constipation and can reduce the absorption of iron and some medicines taken at the same time.
Traditional use only; diarrhoea persisting beyond a few days, or mouth/throat inflammation that does not settle, needs medical assessment.
Safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established; avoid medicinal doses.
Generally considered safe, but caution advised for those with autoimmune conditions. Not recommended for long-term use (more than 8 weeks continuously).
Duke (2002) rates echinacea as +++ — among the most thoroughly documented herbal immunostimulants. It notes experimental and clinical evidence for immunostimulant, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activities. Multiple species have been studied (E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida), and Duke emphasizes that species identification in commercial products is often unreliable. Commission E approves E. purpurea for supporting immune function during colds and flu. Dose: 900 mg standardized extract daily in acute use; use should be limited to 8 weeks continuous. Contraindicated in autoimmune diseases (MS, lupus, HIV/AIDS), tuberculosis, and with immunosuppressive drugs (cyclosporine) (Duke, 2002).
External Ids
Botanical Description
Perennial herb rising from a thick, twisted, S- or snake-shaped rhizome (giving the names 'bistort' and 'snakeroot'), blackish outside and pink inside. The basal leaves are broadly oval to lance-shaped on long stalks; stem leaves are smaller and stalkless. A single dense, cylindrical spike of small, pale pink flowers is borne atop each unbranched flowering stem.[14]
Robust perennial herb with a basal rosette of coarse, hairy, lance-shaped leaves and tall, sturdy flowering stems. Each stem bears a single large, daisy-like flower head with drooping (reflexed), rose-purple to pink ray florets surrounding a prominent, spiny, orange-brown central cone of disc florets.[4]
Habitat
Grows in damp meadows, pastures, streamsides and mountain grassland on moist, often calcareous soils; native to Europe and temperate Asia, favouring cooler upland regions.[14]
Native to the tallgrass prairies, open woodland and dry meadows of central and eastern North America; widely cultivated worldwide as a garden and medicinal plant.[4]
Harvesting
The rhizome is dug in autumn or early spring, when tannin content is highest, cleaned and dried; aerial parts are gathered in summer while flowering.[14]
The flower heads are picked as they open, in summer; the root is dug in autumn from plants at least two to three years old, when its content of bioactive alkamides and caffeic acid derivatives is highest, then cleaned and dried.[4]
Traditional Uses
Bistort rhizome, one of the most tannin-rich temperate herbs, has a long European folk history as a powerful astringent for mild diarrhoea, as a gargle for sore throat and mouth inflammation, and topically as a vulnerary and styptic for minor wounds and bleeding; young leaves have also traditionally been eaten as a spring pot-herb ('Easter-ledge pudding').[13, 14]
Echinacea root was widely used by Native American peoples as a remedy for infections, wounds, snakebite and toothache, and entered nineteenth-century Eclectic medicine as a broad anti-infective. It remains best known today, in standardised aerial-part or root extracts, as a supportive remedy for preventing and shortening the common cold and supporting immune function.[1, 4]
Preparations
Fresh-pressed juice or standardised extract of the aerial parts or root, taken as tablets, drops or capsules at the first sign of a cold; the best-studied clinical form.
References
Lookalikes Review
Dosage
Not documented
Clinical trials for the common cold commonly use around 300-900 mg of standardised extract daily, started at the first sign of symptoms and continued for up to 7-10 days; continuous use beyond about 8 weeks is not recommended. Educational reference only, not a prescription.
Drug Class Interactions
Not documented
References & Sources
- Pawłowska, K.A., Hałasa, R., Dudek, M.K., Majdan, M. et al (2020) 'Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity of bistort (Bistorta officinalis) aqueous extract and its major components: justification of the usage of the medicinal plant material as a traditional topical agent', Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 260, pp. 113077. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2020.113077 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.113077 - Jovanović, M., Morić, I., Nikolić, B., Pavić, A. et al (2020) 'Anti-Virulence Potential and In Vivo Toxicity of Persicaria maculosa and Bistorta officinalis Extracts', Molecules, 25(8), pp. 1811. doi:10.3390/molecules25081811 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25081811 - Duwiejua, M., Zeitlin, I.J., Waterman, P.G. and Gray, A.I (1994) 'Anti-inflammatory activity of Polygonum bistorta, Guaiacum officinale and Hamamelis virginiana in rats', Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 46(4), pp. 286-290. doi:10.1111/j.2042-7158.1994.tb03795.x Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-7158.1994.tb03795.x - Esmaealzadeh, N., Abdolghaffari, A., Baeeri, M., Hasanpour, M., Iranshahi, M., Santarcangelo, C., Gholami, M. and Bahramsoltani, R (2024) 'Protective effect of freeze-dried extract of Persicaria bistorta Samp. on acetic acid-induced colitis model in rats: involvement of nitric oxide and opioid system', Inflammopharmacology, 32(6), pp. 3845-3861. doi:10.1007/s10787-024-01518-8 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-024-01518-8 - Klimczak, U., Wozniak, M., Tomczyk, M. and Granica, S (2017) 'Chemical composition of edible aerial parts of meadow bistort (Persicaria bistorta (L.) Samp.)', Food Chemistry, 230, pp. 281-290. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.02.128 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.02.128 - Manoharan, K.P., Benny, T.K.H. and Yang, D (2005) 'Cycloartane type triterpenoids from the rhizomes of Polygonum bistorta', Phytochemistry, 66(19), pp. 2304-2308. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2005.07.008 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2005.07.008 - Liu, X., Hua, H., Liu, J., Chen, F. and Wu, L (2006) 'A new tannin-related compound from the rhizome of Polygonum bistorta L', Journal of Asian Natural Products Research, 8(4), pp. 299-302. doi:10.1080/10286020500034956 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1080/10286020500034956 - Yang, W., Qian, Z., Wu, M., Gao, J., Huang, Q., Zou, Y. and Tang, D (2023) 'Online microextraction coupled with HPLC-ABTS for rapid analysis of antioxidants from the root of Polygonum bistorta', Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2023, pp. 7496848. doi:10.1155/2023/7496848 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/7496848 - Bauer, I., Rimbach, G., Nevermann, S., Neuhauser, C., Schwarzinger, B., Schwarzinger, C., Weghuber, J. and Luersen, K (2023) 'In-vitro antidiabetic activity of a Bistorta officinalis Delarbre root extract can not be confirmed in the in-vivo models hen's egg test and Drosophila melanogaster', Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 74(1). doi:10.26402/jpp.2023.1.04 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.26402/jpp.2023.1.04 - Intisar, A., Zhang, L., Luo, H., Kiazolu, J.B., Zhang, R. and Zhang, W (2012) 'Anticancer constituents and cytotoxic activity of methanol-water extract of Polygonum bistorta L', African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, 10(1), pp. 53-59. doi:10.4314/ajtcam.v10i1.9 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.4314/ajtcam.v10i1.9 - Liu, Y., Weng, Y., Lin, H., Tang, S., Chen, C., Liang, C., Ku, C. and Lin, J (2017) 'Aqueous extract of Polygonum bistorta modulates proteostasis by ROS-induced ER stress in human hepatoma cells', Scientific Reports, 7, pp. 41437. doi:10.1038/srep41437 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep41437 - Khan, S., Arshad, S., Masood, I., Arif, A., Abbas, S., Qureshi, A.W., Parveen, A. and Seemab Ameen, Z (2023) 'GC-MS Analysis of Persicaria bistorta: Uncovering the Molecular Basis of Its Traditional Medicinal Use', Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 196(4), pp. 2270--2288. doi:10.1007/s12010-023-04580-0 Traditional / reference
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-023-04580-0 - WebMD (n.d.) 'Bistort: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews'. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-75/bistort Traditional / reference
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-75/bistort - (2020) 'Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity of bistort (Bistorta officinalis) aqueous extract and its major components - justification of the usage of the medicinal plant material as a traditional topical agent', Journal of Ethnopharmacology. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2020.113077 Traditional / reference
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.113077
- Karsch-Völk, M., Barrett, B., Kiefer, D., Bauer, R. et al (2014) 'Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2(2), pp. CD000530. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD000530.pub3 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000530.pub3 - Kamin, W., Seifert, G., Zwiauer, K., Bonhoeffer, J. et al (2025) 'Phytotherapy for acute respiratory tract infections in children: a systematically conducted, comprehensive review', Frontiers in Pediatrics, 13, pp. 1423250. doi:10.3389/fped.2025.1423250 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2025.1423250 - Fashner, J., Ericson, K. and Werner, S (2012) 'Treatment of the common cold in children and adults', American Family Physician, 86(2), pp. 153-159. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22962927/ Traditional / reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22962927/ - Manayi, A., Vazirian, M. and Saeidnia, S (2015) 'Echinacea purpurea: Pharmacology, phytochemistry and analysis methods', Pharmacognosy Reviews, 9(17), pp. 63-72. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.156353 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.156353 - Burlou-Nagy, C., Banica, F., Jurca, T., Vicas, L.G., Marian, E., Muresan, M.E., Bacskay, I., Kiss, R., Feher, P. and Pallag, A (2022) 'Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench: Biological and Pharmacological Properties. A Review', Plants, 11(9), pp. 1244. doi:10.3390/plants11091244 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091244 - Hall, H., Fahlman, M.M. and Engels, H.J (2007) 'Echinacea purpurea and mucosal immunity', International Journal of Sports Medicine, 28(9), pp. 792-797. doi:10.1055/s-2007-964895 Randomized trial
https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2007-964895 - Ross, S.M (2016) 'Echinacea purpurea: A Proprietary Extract of Echinacea purpurea Is Shown to be Safe and Effective in the Prevention of the Common Cold', Holistic Nursing Practice, 30(1), pp. 54-57. doi:10.1097/HNP.0000000000000130 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1097/HNP.0000000000000130 - Hudson, J.B (2011) 'Applications of the phytomedicine Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) in infectious diseases', Journal of Biomedicine & Biotechnology, 2012, pp. 769896. doi:10.1155/2012/769896 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/769896 - Mishima, S., Saito, K., Maruyama, H., Inoue, M., Yamashita, T., Ishida, T. and Gu, Y (2004) 'Antioxidant and immuno-enhancing effects of Echinacea purpurea', Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 27(7), pp. 1004-1009. doi:10.1248/bpb.27.1004 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1248/bpb.27.1004 - Saunders, P.R., Smith, F. and Schusky, R.W (2007) 'Echinacea purpurea L. in children: safety, tolerability, compliance, and clinical effectiveness in upper respiratory tract infections', Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 85(11), pp. 1195-1199. doi:10.1139/Y07-103 Clinical study
https://doi.org/10.1139/Y07-103 - Micheli, L., Maggini, V., Ciampi, C., Gallo, E., Bogani, P., Fani, R., Pistelli, L., Ghelardini, C., Di Cesare Mannelli, L., De Leo, M. and Firenzuoli, F (2022) 'Echinacea purpurea against neuropathic pain: Alkamides versus polyphenols efficacy', Phytotherapy Research, 37(5), pp. 1911-1923. doi:10.1002/ptr.7709 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.7709 - Gholami, M., Amri, J., Pazhoohan, S. and Sadegh, M (2021) 'Anticonvulsive and anti-epileptogenesis effects of Echinacea purpurea root extract, an involvement of CB2 receptor', Journal of Complementary & Integrative Medicine, 19(4), pp. 879-886. doi:10.1515/jcim-2020-0219 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1515/jcim-2020-0219 - Awortwe, C., Bruckmueller, H., Kaehler, M. and Cascorbi, I (2021) 'Interaction of Phytocompounds of Echinacea purpurea with ABCB1 and ABCG2 Efflux Transporters', Molecular Pharmaceutics, 18(4), pp. 1622-1633. doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c01075 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c01075 - Perry, N.B., van Klink, J.W., Burgess, E.J. and Parmenter, G.A (1997) 'Alkamide levels in Echinacea purpurea: a rapid analytical method revealing differences among roots, rhizomes, stems, leaves and flowers', Planta Medica, 63(1), pp. 58-62. doi:10.1055/s-2006-957605 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-957605 - Linde, K., Barrett, B., Wölkart, K., Bauer, R. and Melchart, D (2006) 'Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold'. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Echinacea%20for%20preventing%20and%20treating%20the%20common%20cold - Sharma, M., Schoop, R., Suter, A. and Schoop, W (2010) 'The possibility of prophylactic treatment of streptococcal pharyngotonsillitis with a standardized Echinacea preparation', 29(8), pp. 1025--1035. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=The%20possibility%20of%20prophylactic%20treatment%20of%20streptococcal%20pharyngotonsillitis%20with%20a%20standardized%20Echinacea%20preparation - World Health Organization (1999) 'WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants'. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=WHO%20Monographs%20on%20Selected%20Medicinal%20Plants - Duke, J.A (2002) 'Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, Second Edition'. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Handbook%20of%20Medicinal%20Herbs%2C%20Second%20Edition - Gorski, J.C., Huang, S.M., Pinto, A., Hamman, M.A., Hilligoss, J.K., Zaheer, N.A., Desai, M., Miller, M. and Hall, S.D (2004) 'The effect of echinacea (Echinacea purpurea root) on cytochrome P450 activity in vivo', Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 75(1), pp. 89-100. doi:10.1016/j.clpt.2003.09.013 Clinical study
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clpt.2003.09.013
Generated automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database and its cited sources. For educational purposes only — not medical advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using medicinal plants.