White blood cells defend the body against and help the body heal from disease, infection and other damage. Vitamins such as A and C and herbs such as goldenseal and alfalfa may help increase white blood cells. Whether or not organic herbs and vitamins are safer and more effective than conventional herbs and vitamins is a long-standing subject of debate among scientists and nutritionists, and few definitive scientific studies have been done. Only your doctor can tell you whether you have a white blood cell deficiency or imbalance. The FDA does not approve or regulate herbal remedies. Ask your doctor before using any herbs or vitamins to increase white blood cells.
Organic Vitamins
According to the "Nutrition Almanac," the difference between organic vitamins, sometimes called "natural" vitamins, and inorganic, or "synthetic," vitamins is not that the former are processed organically and the latter inorganically, but rather it is simply the presence or absence of carbon. The USDA, says the book's author, John D. Kirschmann, allows synthetic vitamin manufacturers to label their vitamins as "organic" if they contain just one carbon atom. There is insufficient scientific evidence to validate any purported advantage of organic vitamins over synthetic ones.
Vitamins to Increase White Blood Cells
Vitamins A, C and E are all immune-system enhancers. Vitamins A and C help the body produce more white blood cells, and all three all are potent antioxidants that combat the free radicals that can cause cell damage, disease and infection. Providing such immune support helps prevent white blood cell depletion. Vitamin D also helps keep white blood cells from being killed off in the process of replication, leaving behind higher levels of active, healthy white blood cells. This was verified, in part, in a 2007 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," which found that chromosomes of women with high vitamin D levels were better able to protect white blood cells from this type of damage.
Organic Herbs
Organic herbs -- that is, those grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers -- may well be safer, if not healthier, than inorganic herbs. In the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, the Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges extreme health risks, particularly to infants and young children, from many chemicals used in inorganic farming today, while the EPA finds 60 percent of herbicides, 30 percent of insecticides and 90 percent of fungicides to be carcinogenic. A 2001 study published in the "Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine" found a significant nutritional difference between organic and inorganic crops as well, finding more vitamin C and minerals such as iron and magnesium, and fewer nitrates, in organic crops than in conventional crops.
Herbs to Increase White Blood Cells
Alfalfa is high in vitamins A, C, D and E, while comfrey, echinacea, eyebright, goldenseal, kelp and rose hips are all rich sources of at least 3 of these vitamins. Herbs high in the minerals selenium, zinc and copper also help increase white blood cells levels, as validated in such studies as one published in 2001 in "Biological Trace Element Research" that found an increase in a type of white blood cells called lymphocytes in men fed a high-selenium diet. The University of Maryland Medical Center describes low white blood cell levels as one symptom of copper deficiency. Herbs containing these minerals include sheep sorrel for copper and alfalfa, burdock root, cayenne, chamomile, milk thistle, nettle, parsley, rose hips and sarsaparilla for both selenium and zinc. Check with your doctor before self-medicating with herbs or vitamins, especially if you have health problems or are taking other medicines.
References
- New York University Medical Center Health Wise; "Complete Blood Count"; Caroline Rea; September 2008
- "American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition"; Higher Serum Vitamin D Concentrations Are Associated With Longer Leukocyte Telomere Length In Women; J. Brent Richards, et al.; November 2007
- Herbal Remedies Info: "Vitamins And Minerals Found In Common Herbs"
- "Journal Of Alternative And Complimentary Medicine"; Nutritional Quality Of Organic Versus Conventional Fruits, Vegetables And Grains; V. Worthington; April 2001
- "Biological Trace Element Research"; The Effects Of Dietary Selenium On The Immune System In Healthy Men; W.C. Hawkes, et al.; September 2001
- University Of Maryland Medical Center; "Copper"; Steven D. Ehrlich; March 2009
