🍭Surviving the Sugar Season- Herbal Remedies To Boost Immunity

Let's talk about immune health and the sneaky way sugar can mess with it—especially after that Halloween candy binge! In this episode we explore the science behind lifestyle choices that can truly fortify your immune system and keep those winter sniffles at bay.
We also dive into the difference of our immunomodulating herbs, and our immune stimulants. When you might want to take one over the other, and explore some of the best to use for your kiddos and the whole family. 
Plus, we'll cover how we can support our whole being, body, mind, and soul, which in turn will support the immune system, so you and your whole crew can stay healthy and well through the cooler weather times!

🌼Wondering what medicinal herbs you should grow for your family?
Grab this guide, Medicinal Herbs Every Mom Must Know & Grow! 
You'll learn how to grow them, and how you can use them. Time to start diggin' in the dirt momma!

🍄Medicinal mushrooms have the power to completely transform your health, and our planet. But, quality does matter when you're seeking these fungi as medicine, and unfortunately, much of what's on the market today, isn't such great quality.  But, WholeSun Wellness is the best of the best out there. Try a tin of their Mycolites or any of their other top quality mushroom products here.

Transcript

Hello, Hello, and thank you so much for being here tuning in to this very episode on the herbalist path. I'm so grateful for you. And I love that you are tuning in for this. So it's actually Halloween day today. Right now, as I'm recording this, I'm blown away that it's almost November. But because it's Halloween, I wanted to come in and talk about something pretty darn important. Because I have seen at least five social media posts in this very short week already about people that are sick already. Right. So it's Halloween. It's a Tuesday. That means everybody was out this weekend, doing a lot of Halloween stuff collecting oodles of candy and all that exciting, cute fun stuff we get to do right. And our kids are all super sugar hide. Heck, we're probably pretty darn sugar hide as well. And that's why I wanted to create this episode, because sugar is one of the biggest things that weakens our immune system. Right? You see it every year, we get sick at Halloween once the cooler weather starts happening. So is it the sugar? Or is it the cool weather? Or is it the fact that we all start feasting on all the things from here on out or the back to school? You know, it's highly likely that it's a combination of all those things. But in the spirit of what day it is today, I figured again, this would be a great episode to talk about how you can strategically use herbs to support the immune system and do a better job of keeping cold and flu away from you. And here's the thing, like, it's not always just about the herbs. I hear this a lot. Hey, what herbs can I take for XYZ problem? And what do I do? And that's a problem in and of itself. And it's one that's really understandable because it's what we're taught in the Western medical system. We're taught to take a pill to fix our problem, right? It masks it, it usually doesn't fix it or get to the root of it. But that's what we've learned to do. So it's no wonder that so many people when they are stepping out of that system, and are seeking something more natural might say, Hey, I have XYZ problem, what or do I take and any good herbalist is going to be like food, it's not just like that, we want to pair the herb with the person. We want to know more about you and your health history, we want to know if you're on any medications or if you are getting enough exercise or what kind of food you are eating. All of these things make a huge impact and to finding the right kind of herb for each individual person. But of course, there are general things that we can do to boost the immune system or even just support and strengthen the immune system. And we're going to talk about some of the differences of those today. But let's also touch on lifestyle choices. Because without good lifestyle choices, we have a big problem with trying to get herbs to mask our health issues. So we can choose to do things like spend more time in nature, like making sure you're getting plenty of healthy fats or omega three fats, making sure you're sleeping enough making sure you're eating well. So a nice colorful plate filled with vegetables and fruits and those healthy omega threes. Making sure you're getting plenty of vitamins ideally through our food but we all know it doesn't happen that way. Maybe time for yoga or meditation, things like those can be really, really helpful. And then of course avoiding the things that do cause a poor immune health so Number one, sugar. Of course, there's other things like just being in a state of chronic stress, having a poor overall diet, maybe somebody's drinking too much alcohol, hopefully that's not your children, maybe it's just something as simple as hand washing that really can make a huge difference. So now that we have those basics of like lifestyle decisions that we can talk about to improve our immune health, let's do touch upon some of the herbs and the herbal categories that you can think of. So number one is looking for herbs that are really going to balance and strengthen the immune system. Almost like that healthy diet or the regular exercise regimen like herbs can actually perform in similar ways to that for immune function, to make sure that when there are foreign pathogens, viruses, bacteria, whatever it may be, that your immune system is on high alert, ready to kick those guys out of your body. And there's a category of herbs that we look towards for that particular thing. And they are called immunomodulators. These immunomodulating herbs do a really great job with things like respiratory illnesses, or allergies, or just really supporting somebody that might just have a weak immune system in general, they can be fantastic when we have colds or flu, they are known to be preventative for cancer, they can be quite supportive for those dealing with auto immune disorders as well. So thinking about those kinds of things, our immunomodulators are also herbs that we want to take on a more long term duration. So again, these are like the regular exercise the healthy colorful food diet, more often than not, they are herbs that you want to take threw out the whole entire year. One of my favorites of all of them is ashwagandha root. And I love it because it is an immunomodulator. It's also an adaptogen and does a wonderful job of supporting the nervous system. So that's going to be really helpful because if you remember I talked about how the nervous system or I'm sorry, how stress, which impacts our nervous system can reduce our immune health, right. It's also a really great herb to just combat the effects of stress. If I didn't say this already, it does strengthen and build the immune system. And it can be really great for people that suffer from seasonal allergies with asthma with just chronic illness, and particular particularly those that are dealing with large amounts of stress on a regular basis, which quite frankly, I think is a lot of our children today.
We as parents may think that they don't have stress, because life is not as stressful for them as it is for us. But come on it is it's tough out there. I mean, the things that are happening in school and the pressure in school and active shooter drills and being so hyper aware of everything happening in the world now that we all have access to social media and everything that is on hyperspeed like those small developing brains weren't necessarily made for those kinds of things, right. So yeah, Ashwagandha is one of my favorite immunomodulators another one that I love that you could think of as food should Toki mushrooms are a fantastic immunomodulator they also protect the liver, they can help lower cholesterol, they can boost mental clarity, they can improve your physical performance. They're really wonderful at just strengthening and supporting the entire body. And yes, I'm talking the same should talkie mushrooms that you can go to the grocery store and buy and you can put them into your food you can stir fry them with broccoli and you can add them to a stew or a broth or something along those lines. These are really really wonderful because they activate our natural killer cells and they also fight off various viruses, bacteria parasites and are a wonderful preventative for cancer as well. They are really great in times when maybe somebody has a bacterial infection and they are being prescribed antibiotics and They are not working because those bacteria are too smart and have said, Ha, I know what's going on here. That's when should talkies can also be really, really, really helpful. Garlic is another one there that could be helpful in that particular instance as well. So I love them, they're super duper easy. If you don't love them as much as I do, you can take them in capsule form, if you want, that would work as well. Another herb that my daughter loves a lot, and it has great immunomodulating properties as well. It's also another adaptogenic herb, it's incredibly delicious. And we love it so much, because it does a wonderful job of strengthening the overall vital force of the human body and its tolsey, or also commonly known as holy basil. And it does a wonderful job of regulating antibody production and increasing antibodies when they are low, which is so unbelievably cool. There are countless health benefits to tolsey way beyond this, I love it also for its adaptogenic properties, helping us to reduce the negative effects of stress and cortisol. So again, that goes back to the whole stress causes lower immune function. It's also great for bringing circulation to the brain, it helps improve mental clarity and focus and can be really, really helpful for somebody who might be dealing with ADHD or just have a poor memory overall. And really, I think one of the huge reasons I love Tulsi so much is because it's delicious. It's really really tasty. My daughter loves it. She never complains when I say, hey, let's have some Tulsi she's usually like, Heck yeah, let's do it. That'll be delicious. Yeah, so those are some of my favorite immunomodulators that I love. So, a strike, I'm sorry, ashwagandha Tulsi and shitai mushrooms, a struggle. This is a great one too, but I didn't talk about it yet. And then we want to think about our immune stimulant. So especially right now, if everybody you know is getting sick, like everybody I know is getting sick. So the difference between immunomodulators and an immune stimulant, the immuno modulator modulates or regulates the immune system and is something that you want to take on a longer term duration. Again, it's very much like you can think of it like a healthy diet with a great exercise routine for the immune system, and is strengthening supporting tone of fIying making it ready to fight the fight when it's time. Then we have our immune stimulants, and they're like, hey, troops, it's time to fight the fight right now. They come in to the body and they really activate the immune system and make it wake up and I like to just say it's, it's making your immune cells ready to fight off the pathogens, the bad guys, the foreign invaders, which are the viruses, which are the bacteria and all of those kinds of things. So I really like to take immune stimulants, like right now would be a great time because everybody is getting sick, because I know that is much as I wish my daughter didn't eat the Halloween candy, she's eating the Halloween candy. And just to be there to support in those times is really, really nice. It's also great if you are traveling or something along those lines, I will say that if you are somebody that has an autoimmune disorder, this is not the deal kind of herbal category for you. Sometimes what can happen with immune stimulating herbs and an autoimmune disorder is it's going to cause those immune cells to attack each other even more. Now, that doesn't mean that's always going to happen. There can be some great and or I'm sorry, great herbs to boost the immune system for you, even if you have autoimmune disorders. So I just want to give you that fair warning so you can be prepared and pay close attention. If you start taking one of these herbs I'm about to talk about and you notice that you are feeling more flare ups and whatnot, then you definitely don't want to take those anymore. So we want to look at like our immune stimulant. So they can be antibacterial. So they're fighting off bacterial infections that can be antiviral. They're fighting off viral infections, the antimicrobial herbs are going to fight off the bacteria, the viruses, the fungi, And the parasitic pathogens. So those are all really, really important to know and understand. And I'd say there's quite a few that I love but I want to keep it simple and I want to keep it friendly for the kiddos. So ginger is one that is absolutely amazing. It has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties to it. It's also going to be really supportive. If they do get sick, it will help to warm up the body because it is warming overall and is a great circulatory stimulant and activates the entire immune system. If your kiddo is sick with a fever, it acts as a diuretic so it can really be supportive during that time as well. And it's yummy. Like I love ginger and honey and some hot water. I love to cook with ginger. I love all of those things. This is another place where we could add garlic to the game. Phenomenal antibacterial, phenomenal, antiviral, wonderful for warming the body. I like to do garlic Honey, if you haven't ever made a fermented garlic, honey, you really, really should. They are absolutely fantastic. Gosh, there's so many great herbs to think about. And this particular time. akinesia is definitely one we get on board in this time of year, we love to make an akinesia glycerite for my daughter. She loves it because it's sweeter and more syrupy. And it does a wonderful job of fighting off viruses. Again, fighting off the bacteria. It is a fully anti microbial herb, it was so many other great functions about it beyond just fighting off stuff in the beginning of illness. I will say akinesia is one of those that you want to take it strong. If you think something's coming on like those first little sniffles you're like, Okay, tons of akinesia now, and then if you are like if the sickness precedes, you might want to lay off the akinesia bit, because it is such a great immune stimulant. A lot of our symptoms that are happening to us when our body is ill is your immune system at work. So like your snot is your immune system, it's trapping different foreign particles and pathogens and making it so they aren't reaching the respiratory tract. Coughing is actually a process of the immune system, fever, all of those things. So when we're stimulating it more, we might see those symptoms get worse before they get better, but they will get better faster. And then I love to bring on akinesia towards the end of illness as well because it is a great lymph movers that we can get all of that stuff moving and flushing on through the system and making sure that all the cookies are getting out of the body. Another one of
course that I love so much elderberry we actually just did a month long study of that inside of the kids safe herb club. And it's really great because it helps to fight off flu viruses and it strengthens the cell walls so that viruses are not going to be able to penetrate in to the Salah and get you ill. It's also been scientifically scientifically proven to shorten the duration of illness from like an average of six to eight days down to just two to three, which is pretty darn amazing. So yeah, that's it. I just wanted to really wanted to pop in with a few of those words of wisdom in the event that you are like so many others that I know. And everybody's getting sick, how you can support yourself, your kiddos and your whole family during this time. And if you want to dive deeper on these topics, we definitely go way deeper inside of apothecary mama. It's my herbal mentorship just for moms who are ready to take a much more natural approach to health and healing in your family and ditch having to rely on the drugstore shelves all the time. So I am opening doors to apothecary mama November 9. I am really excited and if you are ready to take those next steps, we certainly go deeper than just immune health. We talk about all the things from digestion to first aid to constipation and colic and ADHD and nervous system support and really just all the things and we do a lot of live calls every week as well. So if that's something and you're into, I would love to welcome you on the inside and totally cool, if not as well. Just figured I would mention that to you. And that's it. I hope that this episode has helped you and giving you some good insight on what you can do to support your family during this upcoming cold and flu season. And if it is helpful for you, please do me a favor and share it with your people so that we can make herbalism spread like wildflowers. And we can help a whole lot of Mama's out because the more moms that grasp these concepts and understand like there's actually some strategy to using herbs and some are best during one time versus another than we are going to have a whole lot better planet because we're all gonna save money out we're gonna rely less on the pharmaceutical industry, which is a huge polluter of our beautiful planet and we're all just going to feel better. So anyways, that's a long way of saying share this episode. Thank you so much. And if you have time to leave me a review, I would be oh so grateful. I wish you an absolutely amazing November and I will catch up with you on the next episode.
Thank you so much for tuning into another episode of the herbalist path being on this journey with you is absolutely incredible. If you dig this episode, please leave me a review on your favorite podcast player and share it with your friends so that together we can make herbalism hashtag spread like wild flowers. On another note, I must mention that while I know you're getting some good info here, it's important to remember that this podcast is purely for entertainment and educational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. While the information in this podcast is absolutely relevant. Herbs were differently for each person and each condition. That's why I recommend you work with a qualified practitioner, whether that be another herbalist and naturopath or your doctor. So thank you again. I am truly honored that you're tuning into these episodes and on the path with me to make sure that there's an herbalist in every home again, don't forget to share this episode with your friends so that we can make herbalism hashtag spread like wild flower