Human immunity is the interface or dance between the individual and their world.  What foods are eaten?  Who are the people around the person? What do they work at, and how do they play? Is their home life harmonious? All will affect the functioning of the immune system as well as ones' mental patterns, emotional well-being, and whatever their spiritual beliefs are.

On a physical level, the first line of defence is the healthy terrain of our skin, mucus, tears, saliva and stomach, whose function is to stop the germs entrance into the body. Even with all of these defences sometimes the pathogens get in anyway. This is when herbs can have a powerful and beneficial effect on the immune system by assisting the body's internal response to eliminate or suppress the unwanted pathogenic germs. Echinacea, garlic, and oregano are just a few to mention that work in this way.

Your immune system will kick in during all of this as it perceives a foreign energy entering its sphere. It will flood the wound area to wash out any nasties and quickly send out a clean- up crew to kill everything that is not recognized. This is happening throughout your entire body. If the immune system has not encountered a specific virus, it will tirelessly work to understand the key to invade the invaders and kill them off. That is why sometimes it takes a few days to feel better as the immune goes into overdrive to fix the problem.

This article is written in the years of Covid 19.  At this time there is no natural immunity as this is a novel virus which no human has encountered and our immune systems do not hold the keys. We are all waiting for the immunization shots as we speak.   

Just as s a note of interest, most bacteria are friendly, not all, of course, whereas all viruses are usually a problem. Viruses need a cell host to replicate themselves and can be viewed as parasitic. When your immune system figures out how to invade them, the game is over.

It would make sense to keep that fantastic immune system you have been blessed with, strong and healthy. Keeping your stress levels down is a good start as stress takes it out of the immune system. Exercise, good food, having fun with friends and family all support the immune system. However, there are times when a little help may be needed. This is a useful application for herbs called adaptogens, which increase the body’s ability to resist the damaging effects of stress on the immune system.  Astragalus, Reishi mushroom, America Ginseng, Ashwagandha and Licorice are some common adaptogenic herbs.

If you are experiencing a lot of stress and keep getting every cold or flu that goes by or your allergies are driving you crazy, this may be a time to consult with a herbalist or natural practitioner. These herbs all have a personality profile, and one will be a better match than another.

Okay, so lets say you took care of yourself but you got a nasty virus anyway.  There are some obvious things you can do, take vitamin C, drink lots of water, and rest.  However there is more that can be done.  Depending on the serevity of the virus there are herbs for each symptoms.  Certain herbs can pack a punch.

Herbs can have a powerful and beneficial effect on the immune system by assisting the body‘s internal response to help eliminate or suppress the unwanted pathogenic germs. Echinacea, garlic, and oregano are just a few to mention that work in this way. Elder is used to stop the virus from replicating so is a fabulous herb to have in your apothecary.

Sometimes a powerful cocktail of herbs can be very effective in dealing with viruses.