Choosing the right foods and supplements to support your immune system is a good strategy for winning the battle against colds, flu, infections and other immune challenges. Over the next week I will be writing about some foods and supplements that will help keep you and your family healthy during cold and flu season.

Astragalus: This traditional Chinese medicine has hundreds of published clinical studies to support its positive effects on the immune system. It is beneficial for infections (especially respiratory), stress-related immune dysfunction, and recovery after illness or surgery; some studies have used it as cancer treatment. It can also help you resist cold and flu.

In contrast to the immune-boosting properties of some herbs, astragalus can be taken for long periods of time (several months) without showing a decrease in the response of the immune system. However, it should be avoided if you have a fever.

Astragalus is most readily available in capsules and tinctures. Tinctures are my preferred way of administration. Both Gaia Herbs and Herb Pharm make excellent quality astragalus tinctures.  For more information about dosage, please contact us.

Tags: astragalus, chinese medicine, gaia, herb pharm, immune system

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 1:58 pm and is filed under Health Concerns, Nutritional Supplements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.