3 favorite herbs for immune health

As cold and flu season descends, I like to look to my plant friends for support. Here are three of my favorite herbs for immune health.

1. Echinacea
Echinacea was used extensively by Native Americans to treat everything from coughs to snake bites and was also valued by early physicians in the United States. Modern studies show it revs up the immune system, allowing the body to more rapidly and efficiently eliminate viral and bacterial infections (especially within 72 hours of taking the herb).

2. Elderberry
Black elderberry has a long history of use in colds, and several studies in humans have shown that it reduces the severity and duration of influenza. When the H1N1 flu was going around, the National Institute of Health screened a wide range of natural products to see if they had antiviral activity, and black elderberry ranked very highly.

3. Astragalus
This root has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years to strengthen the body and protect against disease. Science supports this use, as studies have shown astragalus to improve immune function in a variety of ways.

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