With various infectious microorganisms roaming the place, you must keep your immune system strong enough to fight these invaders.
There are many ways for you to boost your immune system.
You may have heard of taking supplements, exercising, and carrying out other practices to get your immune system in the best state possible.
However, in this article, we’re going to be looking at home remedies to boost your immune system. They include things you can simply make at home to get all the results you want.
People have been using some of these remedies for centuries. You don’t need to buy drugs or even go to the hospital to get some shots to stay healthy.
#1. Garlic.
Garlic is a plant with lots of immune-boosting properties.
That’s not all it does.
It also has antifungal, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties. So, while improving your immune response, it is also destroying invading microorganisms and helping you reduce the microbial load.
A study carried out on a group of people showed that those who took garlic supplements experienced fewer colds than those who didn’t take the supplement. They also recovered faster than the others when they caught a cold.
How does garlic work to boost your immune system?
Garlic contains a compound known as alliin.
When you crush garlic either with your teeth as you chew or before you throw it into your food, the alliin converts to allicin. Allicin is the major bioactive compound in garlic. It is rich in Sulphur and responsible for the bad smell of garlic.
However, allicin is very unstable and converts to other sulphur compounds in a short while. These sulphur compounds are responsible for the immune-boosting properties of garlic.
Garlic is also very rich in antioxidants, so it helps you prevent cell damage due to the action of free radicals in your body.
One of the ways you can take garlic is by eating garlic soup. You need about 5 to 6 whole heads of garlic to make this.
You can also decide to chew your garlic raw if you don’t want to make soup. This gives you all the benefits. You don’t lose anything.
If you’re cooking your garlic, ensure that you crush it and leave for about 10 minutes before introducing heat. Heat damages the enzyme that converts alliin to allicin, but if you crush it earlier, you can release the allicin and enjoy its immune-boosting properties.
#2. Chicken vegetable soup with bone broth.
Chicken soup has been used by so many people for ages due to its richness in nutrients. It contains healthy vegetables, herbs, and spices that help you boost your immunity.
Bone broth is made from boiling bones. To make the broth, you add vegetables with immune-boosting properties such as garlic, celery, carrots, kale, and leeks.
All these vegetables provide your body with enough nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin D.
Some of them like kale also has high antioxidant levels, which means you’re able to protect your organs and improve your heart health.
If you have a family recipe for chicken soup, you should bring it out of that drawer now and make it a regular thing at home.
#3. Herbal Infusions.
There are several healthy herbs with immune-boosting properties that keep you from falling sick and if you do fall sick, they reduce the intensity of your symptoms and help you heal faster.
There are so many immune-boosting herbs, but we’ll only be looking at a few of them:
- Osha root: This is a herb that is widely used by Native Americans to treat various diseases. This root has antioxidant effects that may help you combat oxidative stress and prevent organ damage.
It also has antimicrobial effects that will help protect you against infection. It has been used to treat viral diseases such as hepatitis and is used for faster wound recovery.
Other health benefits of Osha root apart from boosting your immune system include protection against stomach ulcers, and maintaining good blood sugar levels.
- Elderberry: This plant is so versatile that it has been used to treat several ailments. It has strong healing properties and also contains vitamins and antioxidants that may boost your immune system.
People have used elderberry to prevent cold and flu symptoms. It has also been used to treat fever, headaches, HIV and AIDS, minor skin conditions, kidney problems, constipation, and epilepsy.
- Echinacea (purple coneflower): This popular herb is also used to treat various ailments. Today, it is usually sold as an over-the-counter medicine to treat common cold or the flu. People have also used it to deal with inflammation, migraines, and other forms of pain.
This plant is rich in antioxidants which helps you prevent diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases. The antioxidant activity is further enhanced due to the presence of a compound known as alkamides.
So many studies have been performed on this plant and they show that they help your immune system fight viruses and other infections.
To brew your herbs, take the leaves, flowers, chopped stems, and boil them with water for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Then, strain them to remove the herbs and you’ll have a highly nutritious herbal drink left.
If you want, you could even mix different quality herbs to get the most benefits.
#4. Probiotics
This doesn’t sound like a home remedy to help you fight infections, but it is.
You need probiotics more than you think.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live strains of microorganisms that are beneficial to your gut microbiome and immune system.
Some people wonder why they have to take antibiotics to kill microorganisms if they’ll still introduce probiotics into their bodies.
They are different types of microorganisms, and you need some to keep you alive.
Let’s show you how probiotics work.
This study shows that probiotics improve your immune system by strengthening your intestinal lining and removing the dangerous bacteria from your intestinal tract before they get into your bloodstream.
You can find probiotics in lots of fermented foods and products. Some of these include yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha, tempeh, kimchi, cheese, sourdough bread, and miso.
If you feel like you need more probiotics and you’re not getting enough of these foods to help your digestive and immune health, you can decide to take probiotic supplements.
When taking your probiotic supplements, ensure they are completely natural and contain live microorganisms that are proven to improve your gut microbiome. Also, ensure that the organisms can adhere properly to cells in your intestine, and they are strong enough to survive the adverse environments in your body.
Better still, ask your doctor for the best probiotic supplement to take if you cannot get enough from foods.
#5. Wild Mushrooms.
If you’ve not been eating edible mushrooms before now, then you’ve not been doing something right.
Although they may look a bit scary to eat, mushrooms make a delicious addition to your diet.
Wild mushrooms have been enjoyed by many people for several years. They are rich in nutrients and very rich in immune-boosting properties.
Apart from containing compounds that improve your immunity, wild mushrooms also contain high amounts of vitamin D. They’ve been absorbing vitamin D from the ultraviolet rays of the sun for a while, so you’re going to get enough of it by eating them.
When taking mushrooms, you have to be careful, because many wild mushrooms contain dangerous levels of poisons.
Only take mushrooms if they have been harvested by a local mushroom expert because they’re the only ones that know the best types of mushrooms to take that will not have adverse effects on your health.
You can also get mushrooms in some grocery stores instead of going mushroom hunting.
Examples of wild mushrooms that have immune-boosting properties include Reishi, Cordyceps, and Shiitake.
#6. Lemon Ginger Tea.
Lemon ginger tea is a rich, soothing, kind-of-hot, and potent immune-boosting drink.
The good thing about this tea is that you can easily make it in a few minutes. You don’t have to sit down for an hour making soup.
Before we look at how you can make this tea, let’s see the properties of the main ingredients.
Lemon is a citrus fruit, which means it contains high levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important for boosting your immune system. Lemons also have antimicrobial properties, so they help fight infection-causing microorganisms.
Ginger is another strong plant (like garlic) with medicinal properties. It contains a compound known as gingerol that supports your immune system. It has a high level of antioxidants, helping you deal with oxidative stress and preventing cellular damage.
So, when you mix these two strong immune-boosting ingredients, you’re going to get a drink that keeps you healthy for a long time.
To prepare the tea, grate 1 inch of fresh ginger and mix it with 2 ounces of organic lemon juice. Then, add 4 cups of water. If you want, you can add raw honey to the mix.
#7. Fire cider.
You’ve never heard of it before, right?
Some people call it the Master Tonic. It is a tonic that contains some of the powerful ingredients we listed above, and then some more.
This liquid is a mixture of ginger, garlic, horseradish, onions, and hot peppers. You can even add other immune-boosting ingredients like turmeric, lemon, or rosemary to the list. All these ingredients are soaked in apple cider vinegar.
Fire cider.
A powerful drink made solely from potent plants.
It is very easy to make as long as you have all the ingredients ready. All you need to do is get the ingredients and mix them. You can also decide to get an already-made drink from a local herbalist around you.
#8. Turmeric tea.
Turmeric is a spice usually found in curries. This bright yellow-orange ingredient gotten from turmeric root has a lot of immune-boosting properties.
It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other medicinal properties that have boosted the immune system of many people for thousands of years.
Apart from its immune-boosting properties it also helps prevent cancer, eases arthritis symptoms, treats uveitis, and lowers cholesterol levels.
So, instead of using lots of curry in all your food, you can get the most from turmeric by making turmeric tea.
To make your turmeric tea, boil 3 to 4 cups of water and add 2 teaspoons of turmeric. Stir and let it simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.
You can add other ingredients like orange juice, freshly squeezed lemon, or honey to improve the taste and health benefits.
#9. Tulsi.
Tulsi is one home remedy that people barely use. This remedy which has been used to treat viral flu is known as the Holy Basil.
Although it is bitter, your body will enjoy its antiviral properties, especially now that coronavirus is out there.
Some of the ways you can take Tulsi include:
- Chewing the fresh leaves (this helps purify the blood).
- Making Tulsi ajwain juice using ingredients like mint leaves, mango powder, salt, and cumin.
- Mixing Tulsi with honey and turmeric.
- Preparing a paste with Tulsi leaves and sandalwood powder.
- Preparing Tulsi water by combining fresh Tulsi leaves with cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and cardamom.
#10. Foods containing immune-boosting vitamins and minerals.
Having a healthy diet is one of the best home remedies you can use to improve your immune system.
Two important immune-boosting nutrients you need from your food is vitamin C and zinc.
You can get vitamin C by taking citrus fruits like lime and oranges and vegetables such as spinach, kiwi, peppers, and broccoli.
Zinc is a mineral that has been shown to improve immune function. Studies have shown that people with zinc deficiency are more likely to develop immune dysfunctions over time.
To improve your zinc levels, eat more zinc-rich foods such as cashews, oysters, yogurt, and oats.
Using home remedies to boost your immune system will help you fight infectious microorganisms and will keep you healthy. However, you need more than home remedies to get your immune system to its optimum state.
Other ways to maintain a good immune system include better sleep, exercise, and stress management. When you’re able to do all these in addition to taking home remedies, you’ll enjoy life without ailments.