Herbs That Can Help You Strengthen Your Immune System

Taking good care of your immune system is really important. There are many minor changes you can make to your lifestyle in order to strengthen your immunity. These include eating well, exercising, having a good amount of sleep and trying to minimise feelings of stress. However, especially during the winter month, when flu is more prevalent, sometimes you need that extra boost. This is where natural supplements, like our range at Internal Youth, come in handy. All our products contain herbs that have been carefully selected due to their beneficial properties, such as enhancing your immunity.

Within this guide, we briefly discuss a variety of herbs that can be integrated into your routine in order to boost your body’s immunity, as well as holding other great benefits. 

1. Ginger 

Thanks to its strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, Ginger helps to boost immunity, as well as having many other impressive health benefits. Adding Ginger into your daily routine, through recipes or beverages, is proven to minimise inflammation. Therefore, allowing your immune system to remain healthy. 

Scientists all over the world often discuss the miracle properties held by the Ginger herb and even go as far to refer to it as the ‘food as medicine’. 

Benefits of Ginger on the immune system:

• Fights off infections
• Settles upset stomachs
• Helps to prevent chronic infections

How to include Ginger within your diet: 

• Bake ginger biscuits, cake or pastries
• Add ginger to boiling water for a tea 
• Add ginger into curries - it adds great flavour too! 

Demanding schedules and busy lives may not allow you time to bake or cook fresh meals consistently. And that’s why supplements are now so popular. If you take the supplement direction, it’s important to look for the Non-GMO label.

Our best selling Immune Extreme capsules contain both Ginger & Turmeric and will support long-lasting immune function and help deliver the benefits mentioned above. Turmeric is important to look for in a Ginger based supplement as it can really increase the potency of addressing joint pain and inflammation.

The recommended maximum dosage of ginger extract is 3-4 grams per day. However, our organic capsules are optimally dosed, so this wouldn’t need to be a concern.

2. Black Pepper

Black pepper can help to maintain a strong immune system to ensure we are in a better position to avoid ill health. A bioactive compound of Black Pepper, Piperine, is the significant compound that gives this herb its health-boosting qualities. It’s also known as an antioxidant, helping to reduce the risk of chronic ill health. 

Other health benefits of Black Pepper:

• Improves blood sugar control 
• Lowers cholesterol levels
• Anti-inflammatory properties 

When integrating Black Pepper into your diet, we would advise you to grind your own pepper. This will give you more health benefits than pre-ground black pepper. The great thing about this herb is it can be so easily mixed with so many other flavours and foods. 

As we’ve mentioned, black pepper can be quite well integrated into your diet but it may be quite difficult to consistently add enough to make a difference. That’s where supplements come in. 

Black pepper is commonly mixed with the herb Turmeric due it’s proven health benefits and this combination can be found within our Immune Boosting Capsules. This product from Internal Youth  is both certified organic and manufactured in a GMP certified facility - factors that are really important when searching for products on the market. Our vegan capsules are crafted with 100% natural ingredients and also include vitamin 3, known for its importance to a healthy immune system.

There are no official guidelines on how much black pepper we should consume. However, consuming too much of the herb can lead to gastrointestinal side effects, so speak with a professional if you’re ever concerned. 

3. Ashwagandha 

Based on the Indian principles of natural healing, Ashwaganfha is a traditional form of alternative medicine A study conducted in 2011, identified that the Ashwagandha herb is proven to improve the body’s defence against diseases by improving the cell-mediated immunity. The research results also supported the belief that it possesses potent antioxidant properties that help protect against cellular damage. 

Other proven health benefits of Ashwagandha include: 

• Reduces stress and anxiety 
• Boosts athletic performance
• Reduce symptoms of mental health conditions
• Reduce inflammation 

Research indicates that 12 ml of ashwagandha root extract per day may increase immune cells levels, which in turn then help to fight off infections. Therefore in order to see benefits from supplements, we would recommend at least 12ml of the herb to be included within the capsule. 

It’s significantly important to  select a Ashwagandha supplement that is both GMP certified and organic, such as our Organic Ashwagandha Capsules. High quality ingredients are combined, along with organic black pepper, in order to form a high bioavailability formula.

4. Turmeric

You may primarily associate Tumeric as a spice. However, some of you may have been advised to include Tumeric within your diet during flu season. This is because it increases the immunomodulating capacity of the body in order to bolster the immune system and give it the boost it needs. Published research shows curcumin, a compound found within Turmeric shows antiinflammatory properties that in turn enhances the body's immunity.  

Other known benefits of Turmeric: 

• Can prevent cancer 
• Benefits against depression
• Improves symptoms of arthritis 

There aren’t official regulations on an effective Turmeric dosage.
See below for promising results based on research:

• For osteoarthritis: 500 mg of turmeric extract twice daily for 2–3 months.
• For high cholesterol: 700 mg of turmeric extract twice daily for 3 months.
• For itchy skin: 500 mg of turmeric three times daily for 2 months.

As with all herbs mentioned as part of this guide, it’s important to understand that all natural supplements should be consumed with caution and if you’re ever unsure it’s important to discuss recommended dosages with a medical professional. 

As mentioned above, our Immune Extreme supplements have been made with Tumeric along with ginger due to its immune-boosting properties. Ginger and Tumeric is a powerful combination and is used within our range as they are well known for preventing and relieving certain flu symptoms. 

And There Are More...

As we’ve noted above, there are many herbs that have immune strengthening properties. Within this guide, we’ve only just touched the surface and there’s many more herbs available that work just as well. Many of these herbs can be integrated into food dishes. However, supplements provide that convenience and ease which is why they are increasingly popular. All our products are crafted carefully to give the most benefit to your immunity as well as helping your mental health and supporting your weight loss. If you’re unsure on which supplement best suits your wants and needs, please reach out to us and we’d be happy to advise.