5 of the best immune boosting herbs for winter

There are so many more that provide great benefit, but at this time, we’re focusing on the big hitters and giving you our top dispensary herbs with anti-viral activity. Here we go:

·         Rhodiola: An incredibly adaptive herb for, well, an adaptive human! In addition to it’s potency as an antioxidant and nervous system tonic, it also acts as an immune tonic herb (toning your immune system).  It has antiviral activity, particularly against influenza due to an enzyme it inhibits called “neuraminidase”.  It also has some anti-bacterial activity against secondary infections.  Very useful when there is fatigue, or long-term illness and infection. 

·         Elderberry: A clinical favourite for us.  The compounds in Elder are active against what is known as “enveloped” viruses, which include influenza, herpes, chicken pox, hepatitis, coronaviruses and retroviruses (e.g. HIV).  Various parts of the plant have been tested against these and have been found active.  We class it as a broad-spectrum anti-viral, of particular interest at this time. It is also one of the more pleasant tasting herbal medicines, so we find it easier to prescribe for children in appropriate doses. 

·         Licorice root (not the lollies!): When prescribing this in our clinic, we use a licorice high in a component called “Glycyrrhizin”.  The higher this is, the more anti-viral the herb will be.  It is regarded as a broad-spectrum antiviral, helping to prevent viral replication across a wide range of viruses.  One of the concerns with coronaviruses is the cytokine “storm”, which can cause a lot of damage in the body.  Licorice has been shown to moderate this effect.  Along with it’s anti-viral effect, is also provides some natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory action.  Could this be the go-to herb for winter? 

·         Chinese Skullcap: Another strong broad spectrum antiviral, inhibiting viral replication and gene expression.  The list of actions of this herb for immunity is very long (too long for this blog – we might do one specifically on it alone in future).  It works very well alongside licorice, and supports the body’s own immune response.  An absolute go-to for flu season.  Remember to get accurate advice re dosing if you plan to have a tonic made up for you for winter ills.  We are ready and happy to help. 

·         Ginger:  food or spice or herb?  All three we think! When it comes to ginger, fresh is best!  Dried powdered ginger just doesn’t cut it unfortunately.  We put ginger into our immune tinctures for it’s own actions, but also to potentise the other herbs, which it does a very good job of.  It has been used widely for a range of viral infections including colds, flus, hepatitis, herpes, measles, chicken pox.  Interestingly, it is more highly effecting against respiratory viruses than others.  It has side benefits of helping with nausea, upset stomachs, diarrhoea and fever. 

 DID YOU KNOW?

We dispense herbal medicines across the country, tailored for your needs?  Let us know if you’d like to talk about getting a herbal first aid kit together for winter. 

DID YOU ALSO KNOW?

That you should always take the advice of someone qualified in dispensing herbal medicines before taking them? There are side-effects, interactions and dose considerations to be aware of, and we can advise for your specific needs.

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