Boosting Immunity with Herbs
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Boosting Immunity with HerbsBy Rob McCaleb, HRF President For over 4,000 years, the Chinese have used certain herbs to prevent common diseases. The ancient Chinese knew nothing of bacteria or viruses, yet some of these herbs were said to "strengthen the exterior", or the "shield". Modern scientific research is confirming that they were right. Thousands of years later, and sixty years after the discovery of penicillin, the study of herbs affecting the immune system is one of the hottest topics in pharmacological research. Can herbs really strengthen our resistance and help us lead healthier lives? Both the wisdom of centuries of observation, and the scrutiny of the scientific laboratory, support the view that they can. HOW THE IMMUNE SYSTEM WORKS Our immune system recognizes and destroys anything foreign to the body, including cells like bacteria and other microbes, and foreign particles including toxic compounds. This recognition and destruction is performed by cells in the circulatory and the lymphatic systems. These cells are produced in the bone marrow and lymphatic tissue (thymus, lymph nodes, spleen and tonsils) respectively. The cells begin their lives as "stem cells". These cells are so featureless that there is no way to determine what type of blood cell they will ultimately become. They may develop into any of a number of different kinds of cells, for instance: red blood cells, various types of white blood cells, etc. These cells are then released into the blood stream and are carried to all parts of the body. There are essentially two types of cells, one of which is called "memory cells". Memory cells, as the name implies, remember specific foreign cells or chemicals to which they have been exposed, and react immediately when they are next exposed to those compounds. Drugs which affect the memory cells stimulate immunity only to one disease or antigen. Vaccines are an example of drugs which effect memory cells. Most herbs for the immune system don't affect memory cells, but are general immune system stimulators (immunostimulants). They increase the activity of the immune system but are not specific to a particular disease or "antigen" (a protein against which immune cells act). Rather, they increase resistance by mobilizing "effector cells" which act against all foreign particles, rather than just one specific type (i.e. a measles virus). Remarkably, since the discovery of penicillin, our scientists, in search of drugs against infectious disease, have looked only for chemicals which kill bacteria or viruses. Finally, they are coming to realize that it is possible to boost the immune system, which can then fight naturally against infectious agents, without the drawbacks of antibiotic therapy. While immune stimulants cannot replace antibiotics in some cases, they have proven far superior in others. Here are a few reasons why astragulus is one of the best researched immune boosters: ASTRAGALUS: Chinese astragalus root, Astragalus membranaceus, is widely used throughout the Orient as a tonic food and medicinal plant. In Asia, this plant is sold as dried slices of root, six to twelve inch long. Research has shown that this root and its extracts are powerful stimulators of the immune system. In Asia the roots are frequently boiled, along with other herb ingredients—and frequently some chicken broth--to produce a tonic/medicinal soup. Astragalus has been used for thousands of years in China. First mentioned in the Divine Husbandman's Classic of the Materia Medica, an ancient Chinese medicinal text, astragalus is said to "tonify the Spleen, Blood and Qi", and is used for "wasting and thirsting syndrome". Some of the specific Chinese uses hint at a stimulant effect on the immune system. For example, it used as a tonic for the lungs, for frequent colds or shortness of breath. The Chinese also use it (internally) for chronic ulcerations and other persistent external infections. Astragalus stimulates virtually every phase of immune system activity. It increases the number of "stem cells" in the marrow and lymph tissue, and stimulates their development into active immune cells which are released into the body. Research documenting this also demonstrated that astragalus could promote or trigger immune cells from the "resting" state into heightened activity. Another study on an astragalus-based Chinese remedy demonstrated "the tendency to stimulate immune response" without suppressive effects. Long-term use (for 35 days) heightened the activity of spleen cells. The remedy also decreased negative side effects of steroid therapy on the immune system. The author recommended using it in combination with steroid therapy "to alleviate the adverse effects" of the steroid. Perhaps the best evidence to date for the powerful immunostimulant effects of astragalus comes from the University of Texas Medical Center in Houston. There, scientists tested damaged immune system cells from cancer patients, compared against cells from the blood of normal human subjects. Astragalus extracts were able to completely restore the function of cancer patients' immune cells. In some cases, the compromised cells were stimulated to greater activity than those from normal human subjects. The study concluded, "A complete immune restoration can be achieved by using a fractionated extract of Astragalus membranaceus, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb found to possess immune restorative activity in vitro". Astragalus has also been found to stimulate the production of interferon, and increase its effects in fighting disease. The combined effect of interferon and astragalus root "resulted not only in decreased common cold incidence but also in shortening the course of illness... The average course of illness of the patients in the combined treatment group was 2.6 days as compared to 4.6 days in the control group." Also, the astragalus root was found to increase the life span of human cells in culture. The authors report no toxicity to human cells. "On the contrary, cell counts indicated that the vital cells in cultures treated with this drug for three weeks were markedly more numerous than those without treatment". The treated cells also became resistant to a common virus and astragalus promoted regeneration of cells in the bronchi of virus-infected mice. As if this weren't impressive enough, another study probed the activity of macrophages, one of the major cells responsible for consuming invading microbes. The activity of the macrophages was significantly enhanced within six hours of treatment, and the enhancement persisted for at least seventy-two hours. The extract also significantly inhibited the growth of tumor cells in mice, especially when combined with the extract Ligustrum lucidum (privet). The authors remark that astragalus extract "may thus restore immunocompetence; potentially beneficial for cancer patients as well as AIDS patients". Most consumers probably use astragalus to
prevent and treat colds and other minor diseases. In the Chinese research
mentioned above, astragalus reduced the incidence of common colds among
users, and shortened the duration of colds by almost half.
Astragalus References:
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