10.22376/ijpbs.2019.10.1.p1-12 Volume 2 Issue 4 2011 (October - December) lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea (E.) purpurea lessThan /i greaterThan is a medicinal herb commonly known as the purple coneflower, red sunflower and rudbeckia. lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea purpurea lessThan /i greaterThan , a plant is mostly used to treat respiratory infections. This paper reviews the history, chemistry and pharmacological action of lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea lessThan /i greaterThan species. The lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea lessThan /i greaterThan species, lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea angustifolia lessThan /i greaterThan , lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea pallida lessThan /i greaterThan and lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea purpurea lessThan /i greaterThan have a long history of medicinal use particularly infections, and today lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea lessThan /i greaterThan preparations are the best herbal medicine used in several countries like America, Germany, Australia, Thailand and some other European countries. Mainly lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea lessThan /i greaterThan is focused on its immunomodulatory effects, anti inflammatory and antioxidant effects, anti viral effects, particularly in the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. The chemistry and pharmacology action of lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea lessThan /i greaterThan species is well documented and several groups of bioactive constituents, including alkamides and lipophilic alkamides, water-soluble phenolic compounds (mainly caffeic acid derivatives) and polysaccharides, benzalkonium chloride are considered important for its activity. The efficacy of lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea lessThan /i greaterThan is not yet revealed completely. From the available data it is reported lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea lessThan /i greaterThan appears to be well tolerated. However, further investigation and surveillance are necessary to establish the safety profiles of different lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea lessThan /i greaterThan preparations. Safety issues include the possibility of allergic reaction, dose dependent adverse effects and overdose. In this article we have reviewed the role of bioactive compounds and the pharmacological properties of lessThan i greaterThan Echinacea purpurea. lessThan /i greaterThan K.M.Kumar And Sudha Ramaiah Immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti oxidant, Phenolic compounds and alkamides 308-314