IMMUNITY MEDICINAL PLANTS – Herbal Medicine

INTRODUCTION AND GENERALITIES

Immunity is in its classical definition: the set of mechanisms developed by an organism to maintain good health and ensure its integrity by eliminating foreign substances and infectious agents to which it is exposed.

The body’s immune defenses help to limit bacterial, viral or mycoses infections, to neutralize cells in our own body that have become too old or that have degenerated and are potentially cancerous.

Immunity is provided by cells mainly of blood origin (from the red marrow of long bones); the regulation of immune defense is very complex, made of direct interaction between these cells (e.g. lymphocytes, monocytes, macrophages, killer cells) and with the help of chemical mediators that transmit chemical information locally or throughout the body (e.g. interleukins, bradykinin, histamine, etc.).
We have a natural immunity, an innate natural defense that allows the body to have a first line of defense against « aggressions » from the extracorporeal world and our body acquires throughout our life a more precise and complete knowledge of infectious agents, antigenic substances and thus we improve our defense systems, this is acquired immunity (which can be reinforced by vaccinations).

All living organisms, animal or plant, have a natural defense system and regulation of immunity.

To have good immunity, for our body to defend itself well, the organs responsible for immunity and elimination must function at their best (example: liver, kidney, digestive system).
A healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet are important; medicinal plants, essential oils are also very useful to compensate for an imbalance in the body.

In case of infectious disease or cancer it is important to further strengthen the body’s defenses and here too plants, their extracts, and essential oils are useful and effective.

In this page of phytomania.com:

-we will provide a reminder of what we call « a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet »,
-we will describe several plants or plant extracts that strengthen the immune response,
-and then we will point out the plants or essential oils that can help ensure proper functioning of the main body systems important for immunity (digestion and kidney and liver function).

IMMUNITY, NATURAL DEFENSES ,FOOD AND HYGIENE OF LIFE

First of all, there are concepts known to all but not always easy to follow in everyday life, especially modern life:

sleep well, eat healthy foods in moderation and take your time (without “additives” or industrial fats associated with processed sugars which deceive our glycemic regulation system and our sense of satiety),
avoid chemical pollution, avoid toxic substances from the chemical industry and polluted environments,
avoid excessive and chronic consumption of toxic addictive substances (alcohol, tobacco, addictive drugs).
To maintain a good immune level, we must also promote regular and slightly stressful physical activity (we must feel the effort),
avoid bouts of depression like the plague and seek treatment in this case (the depressive state is accompanied by a dangerous lowering of the immune defenses, promoting infections and the development of degenerative diseases).
Optimism, joy of life, laughter, promote good health linked to a good immune level, hence the interest in comedy films, public entertainers, entertainment in general, exotic trips that break the routine, social and family relationships even when they are accompanied by slight conflicts or « stress » (all these activities are accompanied by a temporary increase in adrenal cortex activity).

DIET AND IMMUNITY

Food is a regulator of immunity because it provides essential elements for the proper functioning of our immune system and our digestive system (particularly the large intestine or colon):

B GROUP VITAMINS:

in particular pyridoxine (B6) present in vegetables or certain fruits (cabbage, spinach, bananas) and in the liver of animals where it is stored, and cobalamins (vitamin B12) only synthesized by bacteria mainly present in foods of animal origin (meat, milk, eggs, crustaceans, shellfish, fish) and which we store in our liver.

VITAMIN C (L-ascorbic acid) is needed to fight bacterial and viral infections and possibly to reduce the risk of developing cancer or delay its progression.

This vitamin, which is very sensitive to oxidation, is present in most fruits (e.g. orange, guava, chilli pepper, peppers) and tubers (e.g. potato) and in green leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach, salads, cabbage, hibiscus manihot, purslane).
Some fruits contain a lot of it: Brazilian cherry, goji berry and in all European hedges, rosehips.
It is also found in all meats but as vitamin C is destroyed by heat, it disappears with prolonged cooking.

FATTY ACIDS ESSENTIAL for the proper functioning of the inflammatory response because they are necessary for the synthesis of important chemical mediators, prostaglandins.

These essential fatty acids (linoleic acid (omega 6) and alpha linolenic acid (omega 3)) are present in vegetable oils, almonds and nuts and in another form in fish, especially those with « fatty » flesh (e.g. sardines, mackerel, herring).

SUBSTANCES KNOWN AS PROBIOTICS which promote the proliferation of « good » microorganisms in the colon or which seed the large intestine with bacteria or saprophytic yeasts or which provide the body with compounds already synthesized by selected microorganisms:

dry yeast or yeast paste (like the British “marmite”), yogurt, kombucha, kefir, fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, breadfruit popoï).
fruits, vegetables and grasses with mainly soluble fibers or containing carbohydrates that are not assimilated but are fermentable in the colon (examples: pears, apples (and apple pectin), figs, dates, apricots, bananas, and also leeks, turnips, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, vegetable leaves, oats, buckwheat, apio, maca and yacon from South America, chicory root extracts).

THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOME.
In recent years, the importance of the large intestine as a « regulator » of immunity has been recognized.
Incompletely digested food in the small intestine serves as a substrate for the development of a very large number of microorganisms that complete the digestion of food, synthesize assimilable vitamins and control the development of pathogenic bacteria through competition, secretion of antibiotic substances and activation of lymphocytes.

A word also on MAGNESIUM, often absent in our modern diet and which seems to strengthen the organic defenses of both humans and domestic animals.
It is present among other things in sea salt, and in whole grain flours, chocolate, legumes (beans) and many almonds or oil nuts (example: para nuts, cashew nuts)
It can be consumed in the form of a food supplement: average dosage: 500mg per day.

DIETETICS AND IMMUNITY, EATING SIMPLE AND NATURAL

EAT JUST WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS : body weight is very precisely regulated, if we eat too much or foods that are too high in calories, the body will not digest the food well, which will end up in the large intestine where it will serve as a substrate for the microorganisms present, with the consequences, if they are too abundant, of production of more or less toxic gases, hypersecretion of mucus, disordered intestinal movements and diarrhea.
In some people, the body will try to conserve this excess food by storing it in the form of fat, which requires energy, leads to the development of specialized cells (adipocytes) and clogs the blood with fats that can « stick » to the walls of blood vessels.

EAT SIMPLE: The digestive system has no difficulty digesting simple foods that do not require a « major chemical effort » to be segmented into assimilable molecules.
But the body adapts and an initially indigestible food may no longer be so after a few days.
Be wary of milk and dairy foods that can become permanently indigestible as you get older and cause chronic digestive problems.

EATING NATURALLY: We have inherited from our hominid ancestors a non-specialized dentition (omnivore: leaves, roots, seeds, fruits, meat in small quantities) and a particular digestive system including a very long intestine and a very developed colon.
Our digestive system is not that of a carnivore, much shorter, all the waste from meat-based foods will therefore remain too long in our intestine while they are toxic substances.
It is therefore better to limit the consumption of red meat even if it is sometimes difficult to resist the smell of grilled meat (another legacy from our ancestors).
Meats cooked in the presence of water and long enough to become « tender » are easier to assimilate because they are partly hydrolyzed.

EXAMPLES OF MEDICINAL PLANTS STIMULATING IMMUNITY (IMMUNOSTIMULANTS)

Traditional Asian medicines have always promoted the prevention of diseases, it is not surprising that their pharmacopoeia is rich in immunostimulant plants or mixtures of plants.

Modern Western medicine is more focused on « curative » than preventive care because we know more about pathogens and we have a powerful and diversified therapeutic arsenal. But this way of treating is reaching its limits and the need for prevention is now well accepted, especially to prevent degenerative diseases including cancers.

Here are some plants and plant extracts known traditionally or following pharmacological trials for their immunostimulant power.
This page is not exhaustive; fortunately, protective plants are very numerous.

Strongly immunostimulant plants should be avoided when suffering from the effects of an autoimmune disease and should be prohibited in the event of an organ transplant or graft.

MUSHROOMS:

Polypore versicolor (Coriolus-Trametes versicolor) Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) Maitake (Grifola frondosa)
These mushrooms, widely used in Asia, are rich in minerals, vitamins and polysaccharides. Some of these polysaccharides (beta glycans) are considered highly immunostimulant.

Coriolus versicolor seems to be the most effective, it can be used to accompany modern anticancer treatment, it reinforces the effect of the treatment, reduces the convalescence time.

Trametes-coriolus PSK (krestin) or PSP extracts are available over the counter in Asia; for dosage, refer to the laboratory instructions.

Example of dosage:
Trametes-Coriolus versicolor powder:
3 to 10 g per day of dehydrated mushroom powder, which corresponds to approximately 10 to 30 g of fresh mushroom (which can be harvested in the wild or cultivated).
This dosage can be increased (doubled for example), and it is obvious that the treatment should be stopped in the event of side effects that indicate intolerance: hives, digestive disorders, migraines, etc.
You can make capsules of dehydrated mushroom powder or consume it as a prolonged infusion, or incorporate it into food.

see the page on Coriolus on phytomania.

Mushrooms can be harvested in the wild but some are very rare (reishi). There are now cultivation techniques for these mushrooms which are mostly wood-eating.

All edible mushrooms, including those that live in symbiosis at the foot of trees, contain polysaccharides that are potentially immunostimulant (reminder: mushrooms must be cooked to avoid bacterial contamination and picked in areas far from industrial sites, especially those linked to the nuclear industry or polluted by « heavy » metals).

ASTRAGALS: Astragalus membranaceus and Hedysarum polybotris

There are many species of astragalus but those known for their medicinal properties come from Asia.
It is the root of 5 to 7 year old plants that is dried and then transformed into thin strips or powder.
They are used in the composition of many traditional Chinese medicine drugs but are also incorporated into food.
Hedysarum polybotris is more often used in Taiwan.
Pharmacological studies have confirmed their ability to protect the liver and stimulate the immune system.

Average dosage: 5 to 10 g of powder per day in 2 doses or 10 to 30 g of stripped root per liter of water (decoction) or soup (1/4 to 1/2 liter per day).

There are many food supplements containing it on the internet, but the risk of adulteration is high.
On Asian markets or on the internet, you can buy the root directly in strips.

GINSENG Panax ginseg, ELEUTHEROCOCCUS Eleutherococcus senticosus

Ginseng and eleutherococcus are best known for their anti-stress, « adaptogenic » power and for improving both physical and mental performance.
But they are also plants that stimulate the immune system, participate in the regulation of inflammatory processes and are tissue protectors.

Ginseng is now cultivated in Asia as well as in North America and it is perfectly possible to grow it in Europe in your own garden or corner of the forest.

It is the root that is medicinal on feet that are at least 3 to 4 years old.
There are many ginseng preparations available, usually in the form of dried root powder packaged in 250-500 mg capsules; an average dosage would be 1 g of ginseng powder per day with the possibility of doubling this amount (2 g per day).

The duration of the treatment will be limited to 3 months at the most because, in the longer term, undesirable side effects such as impregnation by corticosteroids may be observed.

Ginseng extracts are very often combined with other phytomedicines: antiasthenic, antiarteriosclerotic, antisenescence and also with vitamins and trace elements.

Siberian Eleutherococcus is used in the same way.

See the page on ginseng on phytomania

ECHINACEAS

These plants from the great North American plains Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea pallida, but which are cultivated very well in Europe (most often as decorative plants) have been used for a long time, at the instigation of German researchers, to strengthen immunity and better fight against both viral and bacterial infections.

Many clinical studies and meta-analyses seem to support this idea, although with a few caveats: Echinacea extracts (roots or aerial parts depending on the species) strengthen the immunity of people who are moderately immunocompromised but do not significantly increase that of healthy people, and the treatment must be relatively short (a few weeks) otherwise an opposite effect may be observed.

Dosage
It is recommended to take the equivalent of one gram of dry plant 2 to 3 times a day for a few days (loading dose) then only 1g per day but be careful, some people may be allergic to echinacea.

in the form of herbal tea
in the form of powdered plant (in capsules)
in the form of a pharmaceutical preparation sometimes associated with other immunostimulant plants
in the form of alcoholic tincture, concentrated at 1/5, of whole dried plant (E. angustifolia) or root: 30 to 100 drops per day.

LABIATEAE: SAGE, THYME, OREGANO, ROSEMARY, BASIL

These « Mediterranean » plants, but now found all over the world, are useful for preventing viral and bacterial infections.
Their content of phenol acids, phenols and flavonoids seems to be at the origin of this immunostimulant power more than the presence of essential oils.

Recent research shows that CARNOSOL is probably one of the components of these plants that has the most effectiveness on immunity and cancer prevention.
It is particularly present in rosemary and sage leaves.

Dosage

Regular herbal tea once or twice a day of a labiata or a mixture of the flowering aerial parts of several species.
Regular addition of these plants to food (you can use a mixture of organic Provencal herbs)
Alcoholic tincture of these plants in equal mixture 40 drops two to three times a day (you can also add the mother tincture of lavender aspic or officinal)
See the pages on SAGE , THYME , ROSEMARY, BASIL on phytomania

ASHWAGANDHA: Withania somnifera

Ashwagandha is an important plant in traditional Ayurvedic medicine in India.
It is generally combined with other plants to treat joint pain as well as depression, but also as an « adaptogenic » plant like ginseng.
It is said to increase the body’s resistance, and to prevent infections and degenerative diseases.
It is the root of this nightshade that is used, but the French pharmacopoeia does not recommend its use, it is on list B of plants whose potential disadvantages (the presence of toxic alkaloids) outweigh the advantages.

Examples of dosage: decoction (15 min) of 1 to 2 g of dry root in 1/2 liter of water to be consumed during the day as a treatment for 2 to 4 weeks with therapeutic rest of one month.

BURDOCK Arctium lappa

Burdock is a robust plant that can reach 1.5 m, present in Eurasia and North America and which is found almost everywhere in Europe along paths, near illegal dumps, in abandoned land, along dry rivers in summer, etc.

It is biennial, very easy to recognize by its flower heads whose bracts are covered with small hook-shaped appendages, which allow it to cling to animal furs or the clothing of passers-by.

The root (edible and appreciated in Japan) contains, among other things, inulin (depurative diuretic) and immunostimulant carbohydrates.

It can be used directly, well dried and reduced to powder, or in the form of a hydroalcoholic extract (alcoholic tincture, more concentrated alcoholic tincture= fluid extract).

Dosage examples:

Burdock root powder: 30 g of powder in 1 liter of water, decoction over low heat for about ten minutes. Filter, 1/2 liter per day in 3 or 4 times. It can also be incorporated into food (soup),
alcoholic tincture (fresh plant): 100 drops per day, taken twice a day.

LICORICE

It is an Old World plant, of which several species and varieties are known.
The most commonly used are: Glycyrrhiza glabra in Europe and the Middle East, Glycyrrhiza uralensis in China (the complicated spelling of this plant genus is directly borrowed from ancient Greek).
Licorice is found in the wild and is now also cultivated in the Near East, China, Russia, Pakistan, the USA and Spain.

The dried root and stolons make up licorice itself and are the medicinal parts.

Licorice extracts and the glycyrrhetic acid they contain are weakly antibacterial, antiviral, healing and immunostimulant, apparently without toxic or mutagenic effects except for metabolic disorders (hypertension and hypokalemia) when the dose is exceeded (150 mg of glycyrrhizin per day) and in the event of prolonged use.

Antiviral activity is known from in vitro studies and from clinical results on herpetic lesions, particularly of the mouth.

The scientific literature also suggests the possibility of action against the highly pathogenic viruses of AIDS, SARS, influenza A or hepatitis, but this remains to be confirmed.

See the page on LICORICE on phytomania.com

ALOE

The common or Barbados aloe is native to the southern Mediterranean basin.
It forms tight tufts of thick greenish leaves with irregular whitish spots, with flexible thorns on their margins.
It is a very drought-resistant plant, cultivated as a decorative plant in hot and subtropical countries but which can adapt to temperate countries with mild winters.

There are other species of aloe with similar properties.

Aloe gel, the central part of the leaves, contains carbohydrates, mannose polymers (glucomannan and acemannan), which are immunostimulants, skin protectors, and healing agents.

To strengthen your immune system, take an aloe cure: 1 to 2 glasses of pure gel per day for a few days; avoid contaminating the gel with the bitter and laxative juice by peeling the leaves.

Pure acemannan in synergy with other antivirals helps fight the AIDS virus, rather than using the plant we use pure acemannan 1000 to 1500 mg/day (the equivalent of 1 liter of juice).

See the page on ALOES on phytomania.com

OTHER POTENTIALLY IMMUNOMODULATORY PLANTS

We select some plants that are less well documented at the pharmacological level but which have been used for a long time to stay healthy or prevent infections and degenerative diseases.

CLERODENDRUM SPLENDENS: it is a shrubby and climbing plant with very decorative red flowers whose leaves, bark, or roots have been used for a long time in West Africa, especially in Ivory Coast.
The polysaccharides of the leaves activate the immune system (monocytes-macrophages) but prolonged use tends to reduce the immune response (immunosuppressive action).

LYCIUM BARBARUM: The fruits (or goji berries) of this solanaceae native to Asia, the Chinese wolfberry, have been among the protective and rebalancing plants in traditional Chinese medicine for a very long time.

See this plant on phytomania

ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA
This plant originating from Asia (and now cultivated) is very commonly used in India, South East Asia and China.
Often considered a panacea, it is especially interesting for preventing respiratory infections of viral origin and as an adjuvant treatment for viral and bacterial respiratory infections as well as urinary tract infections.

Dosage

Dried plant powder 1 to 2 g per day.
Standardized extract in andrographolide (30 to 40%) 150-200 mg per day.
There are also ready-made preparations of Andrographis with other plants for antibacterial-antiviral purposes.
You can also use herbal tea made from fresh or dried plants.

See ANDROGRAPHIS on phytomania

Let us also mention Zanthoxylum schinifolium, Tripterygium wilfordii, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Morinda citrifolia (the NONI)

EXAMPLES OF BALANCING AND PROTECTIVE PLANTS AND ESSENTIAL OILS

The liver, kidneys, and digestive system are part of the « emunctories, » that is, organs that neutralize toxic substances in the body and eliminate waste. We can help these organs function better.

PLANTS PROTECTING THE LIVER AND ACTIVATING THE SECRETION AND EXCRETION OF BILE

Dandelion root and leaves,
artichoke leaves,
rosemary leaves and flowers,
sylibum marianum (milk thistle) seeds .

DIURETIC AND URINARY ANTISEPTIC PLANTS

Phyllanthus niruri.
Flowering branches of heather.
Cranberry.
Orthosiphon.
Meadowsweet.
Elderflowers.

PLANTS THAT FACILITATE THE PROPER FUNCTIONING OF THE INTESTINE

Psyllium seeds , flax seeds , mallow root.

See also the page on plants to treat irritable bowel syndrome and mucous colitis

SOOTHING AND IMMUNITY-BOOSTING PLANT

St. John’s wort, see the page dedicated to this plant on phytomania.com

PLANTS THAT PROTECT THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Onion and garlic,
turmeric

SOME IMMUNOSTIMULATING, ANTIVIRAL, ANTIBACTERIAL ESSENTIAL OILS