5 Popular (& Natrual) Immune-Supportive Elements

 1. Ganoderma Lucidum (Reishi Mushroom): Reishi, or lingzhi, mushroom, is a large 

dark mushroom with a glossy exterior and a woody texture that has been called, "the mushroom of immortality," "the 10,000-year mushroom," and "the mushroom of spiritual potency." It typically grows on tree stumps and the base of trees such as the maple, but only on 2-3 trees out of 10,000, making it a pretty rare find in the wild.

It is easy to understand how this mushroom has come to be used in traditional practices as it has roughly 400 bioactive compounds, with the polysaccharides and triterpenes probably the most researched of them. Reishi is known to support both the innate and adaptive immune responses. It has the potential to strengthen those first-line defenses all the way through to the adaptive responses while still managing the body's response to stress.*

Ganoderma lucidum is found in tablet, capsule, powder, and liquid forms as a supplement, but don't forget that it is a food. To get all the goodness for your immune system out of the mushrooms, you have to break their cell walls, which means cooking them. It's the same for supplements. Just drying the mushrooms and powdering them to use in supplements may not have the health benefits reishi is known for. The mushroom must be processed using specific methods to ensure a high-quality supplement that actually works. You can find many recipes online for preparing Ganoderma lucidum, so have fun experimenting.

2. Artemisia Annua (Sweet Wormwood): Sweet wormwood, also known as Chinese wormwood, or qing hao, among other names, is an ancient herb that has traditional uses dating back as far as 168 B.C. It has been used for more than 2,000 years in Chinese culture. Note that not all Artemisia species have the same action. The reference here is specifically to the Artemisia annua variety.

Artemisia annua has a great reputation in modulating the immune system, meaning that it balances immune responses and prevents overstimulation and excessive inflammation. Its actions are very much directed at the adaptive immunity responses that usually kick in four days after you get an infection.* Wormwood has a bitter flavor and is used to brew liqueurs and other alcoholic beverages.

3. Ursolic Acid: Technically, ursolic acid is not an herb but an active compound found in apple peel and other fruit peels, rosemary, thyme, elder flower, and other herbs and plants. It has been shown to enhance interferon-gamma (IFN-g) production, which features in the cellular immune response in adaptive immunity.[1]  IFN-g is an important immune factor that switches on many other genes and proteins that help the immune system function at full capacity.*

Ursolic acid seems to have a strong mechanism for controlling the inflammatory response, which may be beneficial in helping your body properly respond to stress and intense exercise.[2] You would probably have to consume a lot of the above-mentioned foods to get the amount of used in these studies, but still, it is in food and food is good.*

4. Curcuma Longa (Turmeric Root): Turmeric is well-known as the orange-yellow spice used in curry powder, but turmeric, or curcumin, supplements are also among the top-selling herbal supplements in the U.S. Curcumin is best known for its association with a decreased inflammatory response to exercise, with many people using it for recovery from delayed-onset muscle soreness. In the past two decades, however, research has shown that curcumin is also a powerful immunomodulator. It specifically modulates the activation of T cells, B cells, and various other immune cells, all of the regular players that you find in both innate and adaptive immune responses.[3]*

Many turmeric supplements on the market focus on bioavailability and absorption by adding black pepper or changing it into liposomal or nanoparticle forms. However, the benefits to the immune system may come more from how your gut bacteria and turmeric interact inside the digestive tracts as opposed to absorption into the bloodstream. One study describes turmeric as having "prebiotic-like" effects on gut bacteria without being a prebiotic because it cannot provide energy for gut bacteria.[4] In fact, it seems to have more of an effect by changing the composition of the gut and increasing the richness of bacterial species.*

The gut wall contains 70 percent of the cells that make up your immune system, and a healthy gut microbiome houses bacterial species that have a host of beneficial effects. Compounds produced by gut bacteria through the processing of turmeric and other herbs can trigger the release of signaling molecules in the bloodstream that provide systemic benefits. That's the way a lot of herbs and foods support the immune system.*

5. Boswellia Serrata: Boswellia serrata, or Indian frankincense, is a very underrated herb. Technically speaking, it is not an herb but a resin from a large-sized branching tree of the family Burseraceae that grows in the dry mountainous regions of India. Its two main active ingredients are 11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (KBA) and acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid, and it has been used traditionally in supporting healthy immune and inflammatory action, mainly as a 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibitor.[5] * Boswellia serrata is more than just an anti-inflammatory.

As part of the adaptive immune response, at lower doses it seems to enhance antibody production as part of humoral immunity and also increase B and T lymphocyte production as part of cellular immunity.[6] This is how it can boost the immune response when it's needed most, as well as help keep your inflammatory responses from getting out of control.* Boswellia serrata is pretty unpleasant to take as a liquid, and it will feel like it is stuck on your palate due to its high resin content. Definitely much better in a capsule form.

References:

1). Jang, Sun-Mi, et al. (2009). Ursolic acid enhances the cellular immune system and pancreatic beta-cell function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice fed a high-fat diet. International Immunopharmacology, 9(01), 113-119.

2). Chekcer, Rahul, et al. (2012). Potent anti-inflammatory activity of ursolic acid, a triterpenoid antioxidant, is mediated through suppression of NF-kB, AP-1 and NF-AT. Plos One, February 20.

3). Jagetia, Ganesh Chandra, & Aggarwal, Bharat B. (2007). "Spicing Up" of the immune system by curcumin. Journal of Clinical Immunology, 27(1), 19-35.

4). Peterson, Christine T., et al. (2018). Effects of turmeric and curcumin dietary supplementation on human gut microbiota: a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled pilot study. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 23, 2515690X18790725

5). Gerbeth, Kathleen, et al. (2013). In vitro metabolism, permeation, and brain availability of six major boswellic acids from Boswellia serrata gum resins. Fitoterapia, 84, 99-106.

6). Ammon, H. P. T., (2010). Modulation of the immune system by Boswellia serrata extracts and boswellic acids. Phytomedicine, 11, 862-867