It's not that simple.

1 - you need to have mature plants with fat roots (3rd year perennials or older)
2 - you need to dig them at the right season
3 - you need to clean the small roots off, slice and dry the big ones (or at least chop them finely for brewing)

Then you can make the tea.

If you start now with fall-planted seeds, you can have home-grown echinacea tea in 2017 or so.

As far as #2, some of the herb people I know say the "right time" is when you are there and the plant is there. :)

FataMorgana

So echinacea will grow back from its roots every spring. I think I'm in zone 8 little rock arkansas area. Will it survive winters here.

Any echinacea is likely to be winter-hardy in Arkansas. Although disturbing its roots late in the growing season is not a good idea.

I guess I'll just buy something at the health food store for now. I didn't want to wait that long to harvest it. Thanks for the good info!

And winter sow some echinacea for next year's gardens!

FataMorgana

Could anyone advise as to how much live root is harvested to have enough for a "dose"? Is it difficult to dry without spoilage? Must it be dried with/without applied heat?

I air dry on screens most herbs I harvest but when I have something that is prone to spoilage when using that method, I use a food dehydrator on the lowest setting. I've never had to use a dehydrator for roots except if I want to speed up the process for a particular need.

I have not tried drying echinacea root before. I can't imagine it is that prone to spoilage. I've dried many different roots and as long as you wash well and cut the root before trying to dry it, I've never had spoilage and I live in a generally wet and cold place. Big tip -- before drying, cut to the size you need once dried. Slices, diced, lengthwise, whatever. Not only does it help drying, it helps you to use. Don't chop into teeny, tiny bits. If you need smaller or ground, do that after drying. I wouldn't chop smaller than a dice you would do on an onion. Good luck!

FataMorgana