Hope against allergies and cancer – Baikal coneflower

Baikal coneflower has been one of the basic herbs of traditional Chinese medicine for over two thousand years. However, recent research has shown that it can actively influence our genetic information and thus help in the prevention and treatment of many diseases, including the most serious ones.

To be more precise – the Baikal coneflower or any other herb cannot change the genetic information we inherit from our parents. Yet this herb, with the blue flowers and cone-shaped fruit that gave it its name, can turn some important genes on and off, thereby influencing their activity.

The DNA in our cells may have the familiar double-helix shape, but its fibres also have a more complex spatial structure – they are wrapped around proteins called histones like thread around a spool. Certain substances contained in the pineal gland, in particular vogonin or luteolin, can influence these histone “coils” through chemical reactions and thus whether or not a given gene is read.

These reactions can be used to influence, for example, genes that determine immunity to tumours, heart and blood vessel health or susceptibility to allergies or inflammatory processes.

Anti-cancer cops

There are genes in our body that can be described as a kind of anti-cancer police. These genes produce enzymes that inhibit the faulty cellular processes that allow tumours to develop.

Healthy cells have processes that prevent them from “degenerating” into cancer cells. These include proliferation, or rapid uncontrolled division typical of cancer cells, or apoptosis, or programmed cell death – which in the case of a healthy cell occurs, for example, when a serious error occurs during cell division. If the relevant regulatory genes (and, of course, the immune system) are working properly, any cells with the above processes disrupted are destroyed at the outset. However, if they are switched off, nothing prevents the damaged cells from multiplying rapidly.

Baikal coneflower works quite effectively especially in the prevention and treatment of breast and prostate tumours, but its effect has been shown even in the case of very aggressive liver tumours and also leukaemia. And the effects are certainly not small – in one study investigating the effects of using pine cones on animals suffering from prostate cancer, there was a reduction in tumour size of more than 50% after seven weeks!

Suppresses inflammation, protects the heart

Baikal coneflower is also characterized by its pronounced anti-inflammatory effects. Research has shown that it reduces the production of the enzyme COX2 and the factor NF-kB, which are the cause of inflammatory processes. In this respect, it is even similarly effective to aspirin-type drugs, but without the negative side effects.

You will appreciate the anti-inflammatory action of coneflower if, for example, you suffer from joint problems, but it is also used in the prevention of heart and blood vessel diseases (the origins of the process of atherosclerotic plaque formation are due to inflammatory processes) or in the treatment of obesity – obesity is always accompanied by mild inflammation throughout the body, which complicates weight loss and increases the risk of developing civilization diseases. In addition, the scutellarin also directly reduces the formation of fat cells.

In the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, it is also important that the cone reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood and blood pressure – for this purpose it is also used in traditional Chinese medicine.

How to improve immunity

Rosehip is suitable for all those who suffer from recurrent viruses and other manifestations of reduced immunity – studies have clearly shown that it increases the activity of immune cells, especially macrophages. Allergy sufferers will also appreciate it, because similarly to drugs from the category of antihistamines, it limits the release of histamine (but again without negative side effects) and thus reduces the level of allergic manifestations. If you are expecting contact with an allergen (for example, during pollen season), it is sufficient to take rose hips 48 hours beforehand to relieve symptoms.

The pine cone also brings hope to diabetics. It can lower blood glucose levels after just four weeks of treatment, so effectively that people taking antidiabetic drugs or insulin are advised not to consume conkers without a doctor’s supervision – the drop in sugar levels could be too high.

Many phytotherapists also recommend it for a number of hormonal problems – they claim that it acts mainly on the pituitary gland, which regulates the activity of all hormonal glands. However, this effect has not yet been reliably proven scientifically.

Clear mind, good mood

It has a scientifically proven effect on the brain and nervous system. For example, it contains a substance called oroxylin A, which can alleviate memory and other cognitive disorders caused not only by the natural processes of ageing, but even by Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, it improves the resistance of cells to oxygen deprivation, which some studies have shown to mitigate damage to brain cells during stroke.

It has also been shown to have an effect on mood, particularly in reducing anxiety. Here, coneflower has a similar effect to drugs from the category of antixiolytics, which are, however, highly addictive and have many side effects.

How to take Baikal coneflower

The medicinal drug is the root of the Baikal coneflower. The leaf is sometimes used in traditional phytotherapy.

The extract is also a suitable form to take as a dietary supplement – the usual dose is 500 mg per day.
The pine cone is not suitable for long-term use, a four-week cure followed by a one-week break is usually recommended.