7 Medicinal Herbs Important To Health

7 Medicinal Herbs So Important To Health

Medicinal herbs really are nature’s gift. They work wonders at alleviating and preventing many ailments, and herbs are an effective, inexpensive, and convenient way to manage your health.

Herbs can help many conditions. If you suspect vitamin or mineral deficiencies, lack proper rest, are under chronic stress, or get numerous colds or infections, you probably have a lowered immune system - medicinal herbs may help.

If you’re considering herbs to boost your immune system, discuss your particular needs with a health practitioner who understands your personal health situation. Some herbs for the immune system may enhance or interact with the actions of other medications you might be taking, and as such, should be monitored by a herbalist or a doctor who understands how herbs interact with other treatments.

On the whole, your immune system does a remarkable job of defending you against disease-causing microorganisms. But sometimes it fails and a germ invades successfully and makes you sick. Is it possible to intervene in this process and make your immune system stronger? What if you improve your diet? Take certain vitamins or herbal preparations? Make other lifestyle changes in the hope of producing a near-perfect immune response?

The idea of boosting your immunity is enticing, but the ability to do so has proved elusive for several reasons. The immune system is precisely that - a system, not a single entity. To function well, it requires balance and synergy. There is still much that researchers don’t know about the intricacies and interconnectedness of the immune response. For now, there are no scientifically proven direct links between lifestyle and enhanced immune function.

But that doesn’t mean the effects of lifestyle on the immune system aren’t intriguing and shouldn’t be studied. Quite a number of researchers are exploring the effects of diet, exercise, age, psychological stress, herbal supplements, and other factors on the immune response, both in animals and in humans. Although interesting results are emerging, thus far they can only be considered preliminary. That’s because researchers are still trying to understand how the immune system works and how to interpret measurements of immune function. The following sections summarize some of the most active areas of research into these topics. In the meantime, general healthy-living strategies are a good way to start giving your immune system the upper hand.

Your first line of defense is to choose a healthy lifestyle. Following general good-health guidelines is the single best step you can take toward keeping your immune system strong and healthy. Every part of your body, including your immune system, functions better when protected from environmental assaults and bolstered by healthy-living strategies such as these:

• Don’t smoke.
• Eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in saturated fat.
• Exercise regularly.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Control your blood pressure.
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
• Get adequate sleep.
• Take steps to avoid infection, such as washing your hands frequently and cooking meats thoroughly.
• Get regular medical screening tests for people in your age group and risk category.

Some of the supplements that have drawn attention from researchers are these:

1.Aloe vera

You can either keep an aloe plant at home or purchase aloe vera from a natural health store. You can use aloe vera topically or take it orally. If you’ve never eaten aloe before, start slowly. Any aloe vera plant you consume needs to go through quality assurance standards.

Having certification by the International Aloe Science Council and purchasing your aloe from a natural products retailer or health food store increase your probability of a healthier plant. However you include aloe in your healing arsenal, just include it! It’s the wonder gel of herbal superfoods and deserves all the accolades it receives.

2.Astragalus

Chinese medicine has many little herbal gems. One of them is astragalus, an herb that’s been used for centuries in China. This plant is harvested for its roots and has many healing properties.

You can buy the loose leaves and simmer slices in teas or soups. You can also get it in capsules, extracts, and powders. Astragalus can amp up the immune system and even help you beat the flu or stop a cold in its tracks

3.Cat’s-claw

This medicinal herb helps lower blood pressure and acts as a diuretic, helping the body lose excess water. Studies show that cat’s-claw may even kill tumor cells.

Cat’s-claw is particularly useful against the aches and pains of arthritis. The anti-inflammatory nature of this medicinal herb may provide relief from both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

4.Echinacea

This herb has been used in many households for quite some time at the first sign of sniffles and colds. Even gargling with it for sore throats is effective. Some evidence suggests that echinacea may be used to treat or prevent upper respiratory infections.

Some people even use echinacea for success in treating skin conditions, such as skin wounds, burns, eczema, psoriasis, UV radiation, herpes simplex, bee stings, and abscesses.

5.Elderberry plus some zinc

This herb works amazingly to enhance the immune system and also reduce inflammation, lower fever, and sooth the respiratory tract, and it has powerful antioxidant power to boot.

Elderberry prevents the flu virus from attaching to the cell, so it shortens the duration and lessens the severity of the flu. One of the biggest bonuses of elderberry is its fantastic taste, making a sweet elderberry syrup or tincture.

6.Ginseng

Although ginseng’s superpower lies in its ability to give you energy, it has a host of other attributes, including healing bronchial disorders, improves fatigue symptoms, and helps with inflammatory diseases, like arthritis.

7.licorice root

The herb’s key compound is called glycyrrhizin (which is super sweet — about 50 times sweeter than sugar, in fact). Licorice root can prevent the occurrence of and heal ulcers, cleanse the colon, relieve heartburn and indigestion, lower cholesterol, enhance immunity, and many other things.

Live well to prevent illness and use herbs to boost your immunity