Astragalus

Tonic herbs have been used for centuries to help people cope with the stress and strain of living. This stress, both physical and mental, can weaken our immune system response. To determine your immune function, ask yourself the following questions; if you answer “yes” to any of them, your immune system would probably benefit from the support of a tonic herb:
· Do you catch cold easily?
· Do you get more than two colds a year?
· Are you suffering chronic infection?
· Do you get frequent cold sores or have genital herpes?
· Are your lymph glands sore and swollen at times?
· Do you have now or have you ever had cancer?
· Are you tired most of the time?
Recurrent or chronic infections - even very mild colds - occur only when the immune system is weakened. Under such circumstances, there is a repetitive cycle that makes it difficult to overcome the tendency towards infection; a weakened immune system leads to infection, infection causes damage to the immune system, which further weakens resistance. Enhancing the immune system by taking tonic herbs like Astragalus http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/44624/Astragalus-Tincture-215ml/ and/or Ginseng http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/40296/Floradix-Siberian-Ginseng-Elixir-250ml/will often provide the answer to breaking the cycle.
I’ll look at Astragalus, a herb which is rapidly gaining fame in the West as an immune stimulant. To classify it as an immune herb, however, is to overlook its broader use as a tonic. It strengthens the body systems (especially the lungs), improves the digestion and builds up the blood. Also, it increases endurance and body weight in animals.
In the Chinese world-view, Astragalus acts like the protective shield around the body, not unlike the shield around the starship Enterprise on the popular TV series, Star Trek. When overall Qi is weakened, or energy becomes depleted, this protective Qi is weakened, and we become more susceptible to colds and sweat more easily. A deficiency of protective Qi (or immune system weakness) is what makes AIDS patients so susceptible to opportunistic infections; Astragalus has a demonstrated effect in strengthening AIDS patients. Astragalus is a bit like Scotty in the Enterprise engine room, working feverishly to restore overall power, and then circulating it to the shield before the Klingons can destroy the ship.
Astragalus gained fame in scientific circles in the 1980s as a possible immune-stimulating and anti-cancer herb. In one trial with 19 cancer patients, it restored the function of the T-cells in 90% of the patients (T-cells are the main immune cells that attack tumours). In another trial, Astragalus, along with other tonic herbs, increased the survival time of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Unfortunately, funding for this promising research in the US was closed because any eventual product could not be patented, and a drugs company would not be able to recoup its investment.
Astragalus can be combined with Ginseng if there is a lot of fatigue along with poor immune system functioning. Astragalus is not used if you have a strong infection; otherwise it has no known toxicity. The Chinese also use this herb along with others to combat allergies like rhinitis and asthma.
Many people use Echinacea to strengthen their immune response, whereas Astragalus would be a much better choice. Echinacea should be left for the inset of a cold, where it is very effective and able to stop a cold in its tracks.

Allergies-Hayfever

Every spring we see many people enduring weeks of sneezing and sniffing as the hay fever season sets in.
What’s more, more and more people seem to be falling prey to hay fever. It seems that up to 12% of the population now gets hay fever here in Ireland. The hay fever season is also getting longer too.
Sniffing and sneezing are the most common symptoms, but for some the problem can be worse – itching eyes, nose and throat are often experienced, while chronic tiredness, poor appetite, nausea and headaches are also reported by hay fever sufferers.
Hay fever is an allergy, an overreaction of an immune system to a particular substance in the environment. It is not known exactly what causes the immune system to react so strongly, but the number of allergic responses is definitely on the rise, indicating environmental and lifestyle causes. There is now a theory that our over – clean lifestyle may be a cause to the increased allergy in children. Studies which follow children health and the environment that they live in, had found that children that live on farms are less likely to suffer hay fever than children from cities with little or no contact with animals.
Hay fever is arguably the most common allergy in Ireland, with up to 1 in 4, 11 – 21 year olds experiencing symptoms. Pollinating trees and flowers irritate the mucus membranes in early spring, and freshly cut grasses and weeds tend to be more of a summer problem.
Symptoms can be worse when our immune system is not working well. Eating a diet of refined carbohydrates (white bread, cakes, biscuits and sugar), saturated fats (animal fats), transfatty acids, artificial flavorings and colorants, with little or no fruit and vegetables – a common diet of to-days children will simply not supply the nutrients that our body and immune system needs to work optimally. Also today, we are exposed to a host of environmental toxins, pollutants, irritants and potential allergens that were not in existence even 20 years ago.
This combination of poor diet and continual onslaught to our immune systems from today’s environment is laying the basis for weakened immunity.
So what can be done? If you suffer from hay fever, its best to start early in the season, so that, our immune system is working well before the allergens start flying.
Begin treatment with a short, cleansing juice fast, with drinks made from chlorophyll – rich green and leafy vegetables to help purify the blood. Avoid fatty meats and processed dairy products which are mucus forming. Stop sugar if possible, eliminating sugar from the diet, including natural sugar from concentrated fruit juices goes a long way towards helping normalize the immune system.
Herbs that can normalize, or strengthen our immune systems should be taken before the hay fever season starts for best results, but if it’s already started they will give excellent results.
Two herbs which I have found very useful in treating allergies are Reishi mushrooms http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/15361/Reishi-90-capsules/and Astragalus http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/44624/Astragalus-Tincture-215ml/.
Astragalus has been used by the Chinese for thousands of years to treat allergies and weakened immunity. It can be taken by anyone, it has very few side – effects and can be taken over a very long time without any side – effects. It is very useful for children with allergies.
Reishi mushrooms also have a long history of use by both the Chinese and Japanese. It has a great reputation for preventing cancer and normalizing ones immune system. It is very effective in preventing allergies such as hay fever or chronic sinusitis.