Herbs for Boosting Immune Function

As summer begins to wind down, and autumn approaches with the cooler months, we may want to start thinking about taking some steps to stay well during cold and flu season. As an herbalist, I have my favorite herbal allies for prevention, but it is also important to remember the diet and lifestyle factors important to a strong immune system. 

Staying well when illness is going around means making sure our body has what it needs to keep the defenses up. This includes proper sleep, nourishing foods, movement every day, and managing stress. And don't forget... laughter and joy are important too.

Once the foundations are covered, we can bring in some herbs for additional support. Here are my 3 favorite herbs for cold and flu prevention.

Echinacea

Echinacea is a wildflower native to North America. It has become popular as an herb that boosts immune function, which it absolutely does. However, echinacea is also antiseptic. It weakens pathogens that it comes into direct contact with, as well as inhibits their ability to spread deeper into tissues. Taking echinacea early and often at the first sign of a cold or flu can help us recover faster. But we can also start taking echinacea preventively when we know something is going around, or we know we will be in an environment where infection is possible.

While the roots are the strongest medicine, the flowers and leaves can also be used as medicine. If you have echinacea growing in the garden and don't want to dig up your plants to get at the roots, you can harvest some leaves and flowers to make an immune-boosting tea. Just add a handful of leaves and flowers to 2 cups of hot water and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Then strain and drink throughout the day. If you don't like the taste of echinacea (it is a bit medicinal tasting), you can blend it with herbs you do like (spearmint or lemon balm for example), or just use it as a tincture. A prevention dose of the tincture would be 1 to 2 dropperfuls once or twice a day for adults.

Astragalus

Astragalus is a low-growing plant it the legume family that has been used for thousands of years in herbal medicine. As an adaptogen, it helps reduce stress. But it also has the potential to increase energy and boost immune function. Astragalus is especially helpful for folks with weakened immune function to help strengthen and rebuild the system. We use the root as medicine.

Since astragalus root is practically tasteless, it is easy to incorporate into the daily diet to give our immune system some help and keep us well. My favorite way to use astragalus is in soups and stews. You can purchase the dried root slices at your local health food store or herb supplier and add 2 or 3 slices to any soup or stew while it is simmering. It won't change the flavor, but will infuse the meal with immune-boosting medicine. What an easy way to get the whole family to take preventative medicine!

You can also use astragalus as a tea or tincture. For a tea, simmer a few root slices in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes, then strain and drink. Tincture dosage for adults would be 1 to 2 droppefuls once or twice a day for prevention.

Astragalus may still be used during illness, but it is advised to discontinue if a fever develops.

Elderberry

Elderberries have become very popular for use in recovery from colds and flu, and for good reason. The dark berries from both European and North American Elder species are antiviral and have been shown to be effective against the types of viruses that cause colds and flu (and not just the dominant strains either). But we can also use elderberries as preventive medicine.

It is important to know that elderberries can be slightly toxic. Heating changes this, so it is not advised to eat fresh elderberries or to use them as medicine unless they are heated. For this reason, elderberries have traditionally been used as jams, pies, or other cooked desserts. This is also why elderberry syrup is so popular. Making a syrup allows the medicine to be concentrated, while heating enough to make it safe, and adding some sweetener to make the tart berries palatable. Children often love the taste of elderberry syrup, which certainly helps.

When my kids were little, I would give them a teaspoon of elderberry syrup every morning during the colder months of the year. And if they started to come down with something, they got several teaspoons a day. I still make this syrup when the elderberries are ripe in the fall, and always have some in the refrigerator ready to go.

Staying well during cold and flu season is often a matter of planning ahead, taking the time to care for ourselves before we get sick, and bringing in the right herbs when we need some extra support.

Our “Immune Plus” Tincture is available for purchase at Wholistic Therapeutics Co, and is formulated powerful immune boosting herbs, which includes echinacea and astragalus.

-April Coburn, Certified Clinical Herbalist