Huh. I just read the entry for echinacea in Richo Cech's
Making Plant Medicine which, while a little on the kooky side, is fairly reliable. It calls
E. angustifolia and other echinaceas 'excitatory' to the immune system as well.
Max Wichtl's
Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals - VERY reliable - states that it has been used locally for 'metabolic disturbances', which is interesting. If you need to mount an immune defense, it looks like it should help:
"Immunomodulatory properties have also been shown for the glycoprotein-polysaccharide fraction of the root. In vitro, this fraction increased the proliferation of mouse spleen cells as well as the production of IgM, and induced cytokine (TNF-a, IL1, IL6) and interferon (IF-N-a, b) formation in various cell cultures. An antiviral effect against herpes simplex can also be shown, in vitro. Induction of TNF- and IL- formation has been observed in vivo... Echaniacoside... possesses a mild inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Antifungal effects (against Candida sp. among others) have also been described..."
...but the increase in inflammatory chemicals would make it a poor choice for anyone with autoimmune issues or someone whose symptoms are primarily as a result of inflammation.
This is my way of saying, "I agree with you, and have located textual support for your hypothesis."
-J