How to Boost Your Immune System Naturally
For centuries, illness was fought with food… in fact, many modern medicines come from herbs and berries! Elderberry, ginger, and garlic are all proven to boost your immune system, fight colds and flu, and soothe anxiety. Rediscover age-old recipes that are easy and simple to make, even when you are feeling under the weather.
Why Cold and Flu Season Happens
As the weather shifts, it can stress our bodies. New pollens in the outdoor air, dry indoor air, and other stressors can make us more vulnerable to colds and flu. Dry air alone can make us more susceptible to illness. A well-hydrated person has more defenses against seasonal bugs.
Stress directly affects the way our immune system functions by essentially overdosing the system on cortisol and adrenaline. When our system is chronically in stress response, this state wears down the body and the ability to fight infection.
How to Stay Well
One of the primary keys to staying well at this time of year is preparation. When we are prepared with the remedies that we need, we can quickly start battling that tickle in the throat or the drippy nose. In fact, you can begin taking certain types of herbs and remedies as a preventative measure to support the body in defending against a cold or flu before you even know you’ve been exposed.
So, along with having the herbs you need on hand, prepare by keeping these self-care habits in place. I love my evening baths and a little strum on the guitar before bed.
3 Remedies to Boost Your Immune System
Let’s examine three easy-to-find and effective herbal remedies. I recommend stocking a small but mighty home apothecary. Some of these ingredients may be already available in your home, while others can be found at local grocery stores or natural foods markets.
1. Ginger Tea
Ah, the warming scent and flavor of ginger! Keep this spicy, warm drink in your repertoire. For this tea, it’s best to use fresh ginger root. I also like to make a variation with both fresh ginger and turmeric roots. (If you can’t find fresh turmeric root, turmeric powder also works.)
- In a teapot that holds 2 cups of water, add one knob of ginger (about the size of your thumb or a 1-inch piece). Some folks like to cut this into thin slices for more ginger flavor. Try it both ways to see which way works best for you.
- Optional variation: Add turmeric root (a ½-inch piece cut into slices or ½ tablespoon of powder)
- Pour over boiling water and let steep for about 10 minutes.
- Pour yourself a cup. When it’s cool enough to sip, add a squeeze of lemon and a spoonful of raw local honey.
- Sip and feel the ginger warm your body from the inside out.
Why ginger? Ginger warms up our bodies and soothes tummy aches—and also protects us from viruses. Ginger also helps protect us against harmful bacteria and fungal infections, keeps inflammation down in the body, and supports the respiratory system and the heart.
The heat of ginger can also help to loosen up mucus, which helps to move the virus out of the body. When you add turmeric, the tea has an even spicier flavor, plus turmeric has proven anti-inflammatory benefits. See 5 spices that fight colds and flu.
2. Elderberry Syrup
Elderberries support the immune system, are antiviral, and high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Elderberry is a trendy remedy in the natural health aisles of stores, but it’s usefulness has bee valued for centuries, especially in Celtic traditions.
The elderberry is a dark purple berry from the elder tree, which carries myths and stories, perhaps because of its potency in helping humans stay well. Both its flowers and its berries are known to provide important medicine.
Elderberry syrup is made using berries and often additional herbs—such as ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and clove—to deliver this medicine in a sweet liquid form. Look for a good-quality elderberry syrup at your local health food store, farmers’ market, or favorite online herb shop. Or, make your own syrup! See the Almanac’s elderberry syrup recipe.
If you wish, grow your own elderberry trees! They are small trees that bud in spring and soon spread through the gardens with ease, producing medicine-rich berries and flowers. Harvest elderflower to help fight colds and the flu and soothe anxiety.
Elderberry plants are beautiful to enjoy every year, bringing pollinators and medicine to your garden. We grow Sambucus Canadensis, which is self-pollinating via wind. It does not need a second variety, but having a second tree does help!
You can start taking a spoonful of elderberry syrup every day as you head into cold and flu season to prevent the cold or flu from taking hold. Elderberry syrup can also be used to make a delicious and quick sweet drink. Add a tablespoon to a glass of ice water, spritzed with fresh lemon juice.
Why elderberry? Along with its long history of use by humans to strengthen the immune system, elderberry is known to fight viruses, including the flu. It also seems to reduce flu symptoms when taken within 48 hours of the first signs. Elderberry is an important herb for treating respiratory and viral infections.
3. Garlic and Honey Remedy
This is my #1 remedy for cold and flu due to its reliable effectiveness. We chop one clove of garlic and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes to activate enzymes that, in turn, activate additional immune-supporting compounds. Then, place the garlic on a spoon with raw local honey. Swallow, usually with a bit of water. That’s it! It’s best not to chew but to swallow it all in one fell swoop.
Why garlic and honey? Just like elderberry and ginger, garlic has long been used by humans to take care of the body and prevent illness. The antivirus, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of garlic do an excellent job of both preventing and treating cold and flu. Learn more about garlic’s healing powers.
While masking the strong garlic flavor, the honey also soothes the throat and tummy. Honey has antibacterial and antiviral properties to aid your body’s defenses. Learn more about honey’s health benefits.
When you mix the garlic and honey together, you have a truly powerful remedy. What a remarkable thing that two common foods together can offer up such aid. It’s one of the many reasons I love working with herbs!
Having these simple remedies on hand will help prepare you for when you can feel sickness creeping in—or, even better, to enable you to take proactive steps if you want to prevent illness altogether. They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prevention gives us time and quality of life. Waiting to get sick can set us back in so many ways.
Give yourself the gift of preparation this year. Stock your cold-and-flu apothecary with a few ingredients—garlic, honey, ginger, turmeric, and perhaps even elderberry syrup—and keep these remedies ready in your cabinet. Remember that they only work if you use them!
Learn more natural ways to prevent colds and flu.
–Author Audrey Barron is an herbalist, writer, and herb Farmer in Indianapolis, Indiana. Audrey is also known for being the Owner of Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe in Indianapolis (2014 to 2022). She now runs an online program, Medicine Woman, and offers in-person workshops to help humans connect to the Earth and learn how to grow and use herbal medicines in daily life. Her farm, Wild Moon Acres, offers locally grown medicinal herbs, elderberry trees, workshops, tours, and more.
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