Building Immune Capacity with Herbs

When we consider the immune system it is important to think of it like a reservoir.  And like any good reservoir, the immune system must have  reserves for lean times and also the capacity for abundant times.  The notion of creating immune competence must include our body’s ability to regulate immunity reserves.

So, let’s first start with immune competence.  In a nutshell, it can be summed up by answering these 3 questions: Is the body able to mount an effective response to an antigen?  Can the body recognize self from not-self? And can both be accomplished before it’s too late?  Whether we are talking about a cell that has lost its ability to stop dividing or a virion that is 100 nm in size, it is the immune system that maintains order.  If this order breaks down, cancer and infection are bound to follow. 

Now the question arises, what builds immunity?  Big Pharma, the CDC, and the NYS DOH would have you believe that immunity can only come from one source — a vaccine.  But this is patently false upon its face. The evidence is that we were able to survive as a species long before we knew what vaccines were.  Every human that lived before vaccines and had offspring also survived infection.  In other words, we are born with everything we need to fight cancer and infection.  It is innate.  The question is how do we preserve and protect our current natural immunity, and also build the capacity we need when future infection risks attempt to invade us?

One way is using herbs and the powerful plant constituents they contain to either ramp up or modulate immunity. Some herbs, like Andrographis Penniculata, give the immune system a kick to activate it and call up immune resources to meet viral and other challenges.  Andrographis should be used as a short-term herb. Other herbs, like Echinacea and mushrooms such as Shitake and Maitake, modulate immunity and prevent immune senescence (deterioration) by giving a little poke to the system.  They act through hormesis (a mild stress to the body system). These are herbs designed to be used long term and at low doses.  This hormetic effect is akin to exercise. Muscles respond, and grow, by the provocation from a physical challenge.  In the case of echinacea, the alkyl amides in the plant provides a necessary nudge to the immune system to strengthen it.   

Although a high percentage of the herb’s beneficial properties ends up in tablets and tinctures – one cannot assume that they are an adequate substitute to using the whole plant.  Be aware of this and try to use the entire plant if possible.   Notice I did not mention capsules!  If the manufacturer is grinding up dried herb and putting it in capsules, the vast majority of the therapeutic volatile compounds are already gone.  If you are looking to support immunity, you must keep in mind that whether you are either buying herbs retail or working with a grower of herbs, process is key! 

Preparing your immune system for bacterial, viral, or other environmental insults involves more than just eating good diet. We’ve been told “let food be thy medicine” but we must keep in mind that food is far more than just carbohydrates, fats, and protein. There is an enormous plant kingdom out there that has been cooking up beneficial compounds for millennia.  And the amazing thing is that we have built-in receptors ready to receive them so to keep us healthy.