Antiviral Herbs and Spices – Beyond Basic Immunity Boosters
4 years ago
In our recent article about antiviral foods, we highlighted unique foods from all over the world that have powerful antiviral properties. But what about herbal medicines or supplements? Most Americans have used some type of herbal supplement to help boost immunity. But with the recent outbreak of coronavirus, covid-19, there is more interest than ever before. That’s why we wanted to go beyond the basics of vitamin C and echinacea and explore some of the amazing herbal remedies that help your body defend itself from outside invaders. Could our best defense against virus be linked to the plant’s very own mechanisms of defense?
Can a Plant’s Natural Defense Mechanisms Help Us Fight Virus and Infection?
Plants, like every other living thing, have developed their own defense mechanisms over millions of years to protect them against microbes and other environmental factors. Powerful natural chemicals in plants such as polysaccharides, flavonoids, or polyphenols hold the secret to their virus fighting potential in humans. In fact, for our early ancestors, knowing what plants eat during a an outbreak of disease was often their only line of defense. While medical science has come a long way, there are still many of us who believe that our best defense against viruses comes from equipping our own body with the tools it needs to fight back. In the section below we’ll talk about specific herbs and spices that have antiviral properties.
The Best Antiviral Herbs and Spices
Here are a number of prominent herbal medicines that are well documented for their ability to fight against viruses but also boost your body’s own natural immunity.
Cardamom – popular in south Asian dishes, India and Sri Lanka, cardamom is a popular antiviral herb used in cooking. It’s also one of the key ingredients in one of my favorite antiviral teas for fighting colds and viruses called Egyptian Licorice tea. The virus fighting powers of cardamom lie in a particular class of phytochemicals that are found in its essential oils called terpenes. A clinical study on cardamom found that two beneficial plan chemicals in cardamom called beta-pinene and limonene significantly reduced a virus’s infectious potential.
Cinnamon – more recognized as a favorite spice for desserts and sweets than it is for health, but make no mistake that pure natural cinnamon has some powerful protective properties. The essential oil in cinnamon is called cinnamaldehyde. But don’t let the name scare you. This natural oil has been documented as having the ability to wage war on bacteria, fungi and viruses within your body.
Turmeric – you’ve probably heard of this one as it has grown in popularity in recent years. But what makes this particular herb so special? It turns out that turmeric has the very unique and important ability to fight inflammation. And inflammation has been linked to every major chronic disease known today. Viruses create a powerful inflammatory response and so turmeric is a great weapon to defend against the damage caused by viral inflammation.
Elderberry – probably the most popular herbal remedy for colds and flu next to echinacea. Elderberry has been researched including a number of human studies on elderberry that specifically support its ability to fight influenza (a.k.a. the flu). In one clinical study on elderberry with 60 human subjects ages 18-54 yrs old found that just 15ml of elderberry syrup consumed 4 times per day for 5 days helped to alleviate symptoms and promote faster recovery.
Oregano oil – “carvacrol”; sounds a little scary right? Like some kind of drug to fight deadly disease. Carvacrol is very scary if you’re a virus because this essential oil found in oregano and thyme has the ability to interfere with a virus’s ability to establish infection in a host. And just as important, carvacrol found in oregano oil also impedes a viruses ability to pass from one person to another according to a study on oregano oil published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.
How Are Immunity Boosting Herbs Different From Antiviral Herbs?
Herbs that boost immunity work by stimulating your body’s own immune system. By stimulating the immune system, your body is then better prepared to fight the virus. Two of the most popular immune boosting herbs sold in stores and online are echinacea and astragalus.
Antiviral herbs are a little different in that they attack the virus directly by interfering with its ability to replicate or communicate. For instance, a tea like Egyptian Licorice has three different powerful antiviral herbs combined. Taken in tea form, it coats the inside of your mouth and throat where viruses tend to try to attach themselves. The virus comes in contact with the herb and is damaged or killed. So antiviral herbs and spices are great line of defense. But during the peak cold season, why not take both? Here’s a simple immunity boosting program that includes both antiviral and immunity boosting herbs in different forms:
First thing in the AM – 1 cup of hot Egyptian Licorice tea
Late morning – echinacea herbal supplement, 500mg
Midday – oil of oregano softgel, 50mg standardized 80% carvacrol
Evening – 1 cup of hot Egyptian Licorice tea
Bedtime – Elderberry syrup 15-20ml and echinacea herbal supplement 500mg
Subscribe Here For More Helpful Info
If you found this article helpful, please let us know in the comments and signup for our newsletter where we will share other tips and information from vitamin industry insiders.
