Echinacea purpurea L., also known as purple coneflower, has been used extensively in medicinal preparations for the treatments of colds and as an immunostimulant and anti-inflammatory remedy.As with many herbal preparations, characterization of active ingredients and commercial production of Echinacea have been limited by a range of issues including: contamination of the plant, material with insects, fungi and bacteria, the long period of time required for production of a saleable product, plant-to-plant and year-to-year variability in the 'active' components of the plant material, and the lack of pure standardized plant material for biochemical analysis. The establishment of a system for in vitro culture of Echinacea will help to address many of these issues.