Do You Need Immune Boosting Herbs?

Immune boosting herbs are popular, and it’s not hard to see why. Everyone wants to avoid getting sick! It makes intuitive sense to a lot of folks that if you amp up your immunity, you’ll be more resilient in the face of germs – or I guess, more resilient to germs in your face!  But hang on. What does “immune boosting” even mean? Is immunity really a singular ‘thing’ that can be stimulated, like sliding a dimmer switch upwards? Is it all just a matter of stimulating white blood cell activity? As is always the case in biology and medicine, the truth is more complicated than that. This is particularly relevant in the context of autoimmunity, where some of the so-called “immune boosting herbs” can actually have adverse effects. If you overstimulate an immune system that’s attacking your own body, you just intensify the attack. So the question arises: what can a person with an autoimmune condition do to keep their defenses up? If we can’t stimulate immunity, what can we do? The answer is: a lot. And it’s all stuff that anyone can do, whether autoimmune or not. In our experience, it’s also a lot more important than the immune stimulant herbs, because it’s more foundational and more individualized than the “elderberry & echinacea for everyone!” one-size-fits-all approach. We can start by changing our focus from immune stimulation to immune modulation. This isn’t just wordplay. Modulation of immunity means making multiple simultaneous adjustment in multiple directions, whereas stimulation is ALL AHEAD FORWARD. True immunity is a complex interplay of multiple organs, cell types, and signaling molecules in the body. Dialing everything up to 11 isn’t constructive, but a strategic nudge in the right direction at the right time? That gets the job done, and immunomodulating herbs – like mushrooms and seaweeds – can do exactly that. Immunity is often discussed in martial metaphors: the pathogenic assault, the immune defenses, the combat between them. But if we follow this metaphor all the way, we should realize that logistics and supply lines are often what makes the difference in a real-world conflict, and this is no less true in our bodies. Lymphatics, nutritives, and sleep aid herbs can be much more helpful than immune-boosting herbs for this reason. The best defense is… a good defense, actually. Better to keep the germs out than to let them in, let them proliferate, and then get your guns blazing. Maintaining healthy boundaries, quite literally, is a key strategy. These are your points of contact with the outside world: your sinuses, your lungs, your GI tract. And even if you’re autoimmune, you can work with demulcents, astringents, and vulneraries to keep their membranes functioning well. Our brand-new Winter Health bundle is the best way to go deeper in this material – and there’s a lot further to go. (Yeah, this 90-minute episode is just an introduction to immunity and herbalism!) The bundle includes our Immune Health and Respiratory Health courses, and you get them at 40% off their standard pricing, a savings of $260. Learn everything you need to know to keep yourself & your family healthy and strong all winter long. Like everything we offer, these are self-paced online video courses. They come with lifetime access to current & future course material, the twice-weekly live Q&A sessions with us, open discussion threads integrated in each lesson, an active student community, study guides, quizzes & capstone assignments, and more! If you enjoyed the episode, it helps us a lot if you subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you! Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas. Support the show You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!