Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden

Strengthen Your Immune System With Herbs During Cold and Flu Season

Yikes! There's a shortage of flu shots this year, so what are we supposed to do to help prevent this unpleasant illness from striking our loved ones and ourselves?

Even when you live in Hawai`i, your chances of getting a cold or the flu increase as winter approaches and those germs run rampant. We are most likely to come down with an illness when our immune systems are compromised, rundown, or just need a tune-up. The immune system protects us against disease by killing bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, according to Linda B. White, MD in the December 2004 Herbs for Health magazine. She states that it "hunts for and destroys cancerous cells or those infected with a virus." It does all of this automatically, but we can help our immune systems become stronger and more effective by improving our diet, the amount of sleep and exercise we get, reducing stress, and taking certain herbs and natural supplements, such as vitamins C and E or just a multi-vitamin. Take your vitamins regularly, according to the instructions on the pill bottle, at least once or twice every day.

Herbal Immune Boosters

Echinacea is a classic herb for helping the immune system do its job and is one of the top-selling herbal supplements on the American health scene. Native to the plains and prairies, it was used extensively by the American Indians. Called the purple coneflower, it is very pretty, but the root is what's used in medicines. Start taking it at the first sign of a cold or flu for maximum effectiveness. I've tried growing it in Hawai`i on several occasions, but have not had long-term success. However, it is being grown commercially on Kauai. Echinacea works with the body's own defense systems to help fight illness. It protects cells and prevents their breakdown, while fighting the spread of germs and reducing inflammation. The American Botanical Council (www.herbalgram.org) states that "echinacea may be of value for any infection, chronic or acute, but especially when there is no long-term immune deficiency or dysfunction." So don't expect it to surface as a cure for serious diseases, like AIDS. Be sure to consult with a qualified medical professional if you have a high fever or if your illness lasts longer than one week. It should be easy to find echinacea in capsule form at your local drugstore or natural foods market. Although it seems to lose effectiveness if you take it for more than about two weeks, you can take it on and off during the cold and flu season to keep your immune system strong.

Tinctures are a great way to take herbs, because they stay fresh literally forever, whereas the dried herbs in capsules can get old. It's easy to make your own tinctures and doing so can save you a lot of money. If you start an echinacea tincture now, in one month you'll have a potent medicine in case the flu should visit your home. Buy some chopped echinacea root and fill a jar about 1/3 full with it. Fill to the top with vodka, cover, shake it daily for 30 days, then strain it and bottle it in dark glass. Take it in fairly large doses: about 1 teaspoonful three times a day. No adverse side effects have been reported, and it is safe for children; just reduce the dosage to about half.

Spilanthes (Spilanthes acmella) is an herb that is being touted as the "new echinacea," as it performs much the same functions of that herb. It might be hard to find in the stores, but many people are starting to grow it around Hawai`i. If you can find some fresh spilanthes, make a tincture from the funny little flowers and take it in the same dosage that you would take echinacea.

Many people swear by Goldenseal, but it is not an immune-enhancing herb, says Dr. White. However, it is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and it kills some bacteria, fungi and parasites, so it might be appropriate to take if you do get the flu.

Tonic Herbs Work Wonders

Tonics such as ginseng and astragalus are great for enhancing your immune system on a long-term basis. These herbs are called adaptogens, which means that they "act in nonspecific ways to increase the body's resistance to stress and balance various body systems."

Ginseng can help protect you against respiratory viruses, such as colds, says Dr. White. Research has shown that ginseng "speeds up the development and activity of white blood cells, stimulates natural killer cell activity, and raises the body's production of interferons and interleukins." A 1996 study reported that when combined with a flu shot, ginseng caused a "greater rise in antibody levels and a lower incidence of cold or flu than among those who took a placebo."

Astragalus is a Chinese herb. It is in the pea family and the root is harvested. It is safe and nontoxic. Steven Foster, the author of many herb books, likes to take astragalus tincture for at least one month. He mixes 2 to 4 full droppers with fruit juice three times each day. You can purchase this white root at natural foods stores that have a bulk herb section and make your own tincture much more inexpensively than purchasing ready-made tincture. Break up pieces of the herb and put them into a clean glass jar, about 1/3 full. Fill to the top with vodka, cover, shake it daily for 30 days, then strain it and bottle it in dark glass. Always store tinctures in a cupboard, or somewhere that is not in the sun.

Dr. White concludes her article with some wise advice: "Your immune system has worked diligently and quietly for years. Think of it as a warhorse. Treat it well; armor it for those daily battles against marauding microbes and mutant cells. Eat wisely, exercise regularly, get enough sleep and avoid falling into an anxiety-filled, stressed out lifestyle." Sounds like living in paradise to me!