Your immune system is your first line of defense against invasion and infection by pathogens, and plants can help improve your immune system. Over millennia, plants have developed chemical defenses for their own protection, and those plant chemicals, or phytochemicals, may have a stimulating or modulating effect on human immunity. Although research studies usually focus on a specific chemical's effect on the immune system, it is better to use the whole plant, rather than just isolated chemicals. This will allow you to enjoy the benefits of synergy--the combined effect of every chemical within a plant.
Wild Indigo
Wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) is a perennial herb with small, pod-like yellow flowers that is native to the eastern United States. Traditionally, wild indigo is an "alterative," a plant that enhances the body's ability to function properly. Alteratives can either stimulate or modulate the immune system. Wild indigo is an immune stimulant. In his 2003 book, "Medical Herbalism: the Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine," David Hoffmann states that wild indigo contains glycoproteins, which are an important part of the immune system. Herbalist Christopher Hobbs states that wild indigo can be used in combination with echinacea and thuja to stimulate the immune system against flu and colds.
Codonopsis
Codonopsis (Codonopsis pilosula) is a perennial plant with pale green flowers that is native to Korea, Japan and parts of China. Also known as dang shen and the poor man's ginseng, codonopsis is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat fatigue, improve digestion, correct blood problems and enhance the immune system. Codonopsis contains potent polysaccharides. A study published in the June 2009 issue of "Chemistry and Biodiversity" found that the polysaccharide CPP from codonopsis root stimulates both antibodies, or proteins that attack invading pathogens, and lymphocytes, the white blood cells involved in the immune response.
Astragalus
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) is a perennial herb central to traditional Chinese medicine. Astragalus is also popular in western herbal medicine for its protective effects on the immune system. Herbalist David Hoffmann states that astragalus strengthens many aspects of the immune system, including stimulating the production of interferon, proteins that play an important role in the immune response. A study in the August 2007 issue of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" found that astragalus stimulated the activity of the white blood cells involved in immune responses and restored the immune systems of animals with cancer and those treated with chemotherapy.
Echinacea
Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea), also known as purple coneflower, is a popular herb in western herbal medicine. Echinacea is an immune system stimulant often used during the first signs of colds or flu. Hoffmann states that echinacea enhances the immune system on several levels: it activates macrophages, white blood cells that destroy pathogens and cancer cells; it increases phagocytosis, or the elimination of pathogens by specialized white blood cells; and it affects properdin, a protein involved in the immune response. A study published in the October 2009 issue of "Toxicology" found that echinacea affected the immune system by regulating the signaling molecules, or cytokines, that actually direct the various components involved in the body's immune response.
References
- "Medical Herbalism: the Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine"; David Hoffmann; 2003
- Christopher Hobbs
- "Chemistry and Biodiversity"; Immunological adjuvant effect of a water-soluble polysaccharide, CPP, from the roots of Codonopsis pilosula on the immune responses to ovalbumin in mice; Sun YX; June 2009
- "Journal of Ethnopharmacology"; In vitro and in vivo immunomodulating and immunorestorative effects of Astragalus membranaceus; Cho WC, Leung KN; August 2007
- "Toxicology"; The influence of traditional herbal formulas on cytokine activity; Burns JJ, Zhao L, Taylor EW, Spelman K; October 2009
