Three Super Immune-Boosting Herbs

(NaturalNews – Dr. David Jockers) Life on Earth is a stressful endeavor for all living things. This stress provides an adaptive stimulus for plant and animal life to become stronger and more resilient. Certain herbs have adapted over centuries to have incredible immune-enhancing properties. Garlic, oregano and ginger are a few powerful immune-enhancing herbs.

All life in nature must protect itself continually from the elements and environmental stressors. This includes dramatic shifts in weather, microorganisms, UV light, etc. Herbs and plants have adapted with powerful antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities to give them a survival advantage. When we consume these herbs, we benefit from the immune-enhancing adaptations.

Garlic:

Garlic is a pungent herb and one of nature’s natural antibiotics. Due to the powerful sulfur-containing nutrients and immune stimulators within garlic, it is classified as a superfood herb. Consumption of garlic daily may be one of the best defenses against infection and inflammatory-based disease.

Garlic contains over 100 biologically active components including alliin, allicin, alliinase and unique sulfur compounds. When garlic is crushed or chewed, it forces the allin and allinase enzyme together and causes a chemical reaction to produce allicin.

Allicin and sulfur-based compounds act as powerful antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal agents that have an incredible immune-stimulating effect.⁽¹⁾ Additionally, garlic is also used to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and help prevent/reverse cancer.^{(2, 3)}

Researchers have found garlic to be more powerful at destroying pathogenic bacteria than the popular antibiotics penicillin and tetracycline. It is also very effective against viruses and yeasts like Candida. Garlic is also very potent at destroying tumor cells in the stomach, colon, breast and prostate among other regions.⁽⁴⁾ The sulfur compounds are also effective at detoxifying heavy metals such as mercury, lead and aluminum.⁽⁵⁾

Oregano:

Oregano oil is an extraordinarily powerful natural antibiotic. Oregano has been found in a recent study to be significantly better than all of the 18 currently used antibiotics in the treatment of MRSA staph infections.⁽⁶⁾ The strong phenol antioxidants destroy pathogenic bacteria, viruses and yeasts.

The USDA ranks oregano’s antioxidant capacity anywhere from 3 to 20 times higher than any other herb. Oregano has four times the antioxidant power of blueberries, 12 times that of oranges and 42 times greater than apples.

Oregano oil has been classically used as a disinfectant, an aid for ear, nose and throat/respiratory infections, candidiasis and any sort of bacterial or viral condition. Additionally, it works to suppress inflammatory mediators and cancer cell production.⁽⁷⁾ Oregano oil is more potent than the dried herb; however, the dried version still contains many powerful health benefits.

Studies have shown that carvacrol, a phenol antioxidant within oregano, has powerful anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity when applied to food or taken in supplement form. Oregano also contains rosmarinic acid which has very strong cancer-fighting properties.

Ginger:

This incredible superfood herb is 13th on the antioxidant list. Ginger is composed of several volatile oils that give it its characteristic flavor and odor: zingerone, shogaols and gingerols. These oils are powerful antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic agents. In addition, it inhibits cancer cell formation while firing up our body’s own inborn ability to destroy the cancer cells formerly present.⁽⁸⁾

Ginger is classified as a carminative (reducing intestinal gas) and an intestinal spasmolytic (soothes intestinal tract) while inducing gut motility. Ginger is known to reduce fever-related nausea, motion sickness and feelings of “morning sickness.” Additionally, it helps aid in the production of bile, making it particularly helpful in digesting fats.⁽⁹⁾

Ginger is also an important part of a de-inflaming, natural pain-relief program. One compound called 6-gingerol has been shown to significantly inhibit the production of a highly reactive nitrogen molecule, nitric oxide, that quickly forms a dangerous free radical peroxynitrite. Additionally, ginger helps protect the body’s stores of glutathione, which is a potent antioxidant and free radical destroyer.⁽¹⁰⁾

Sources:
1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
9) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
10) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
http://truthwiki.org/garlic
http://truthwiki.org/oregano
http://truthwiki.org/ginger