The Science Behind Immune-Boosting Folk Medicine – Part 1 of 2
This article is continued from “[How To] Protect Against Viruses with Built-In Immunity,” in which I explained my case for seeking alternative remedies to the conventional fixes offered by pharmaceutical conglomerates. The human immune system, with its astoundingly complex biological resilience, can fight off viral, fungal, and bacterial pathogens when it’s not in a weakened state brought about by environmental toxins or direct bio-engineered threats.
Part 1 covers the science behind the first four strategies I use to strengthen my immune system, and the next one will feature the final four of these eight strategies.
Elderberries
Pesticide-less food and clean mineral water
Echinacea, garlic, ginger, oregano, wormwood, and peppermint
Fresh raw milk, kefir, and yogurt
Herbal detoxification
Household pest deterrence
Hemp cannabis
GcMAF: vitamin D binding protein
1. Elderberries
A 2019 study from the University of Sydney shows that the common elderberry, Sambucus nigra, “exhibits multiple modes of therapeutic action against influenza infection,” making its strongest impact in the post-infection phase of the virus cycle. “It inhibits the early stages of an infection by blocking key viral proteins responsible for both the viral attachment and entry into the host cells.” [3,4]
Clinical research done in Norway by the Hadassah Medical School showed that influenza-like “symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo.” The tart fruit has been turned into a sweet syrup for centuries in folk medicine to treat colds, flu, sinusitis, and herpes simplex. [5]
The Franklin Health Research Foundation based in Tennessee reports that “roughly 98% of people who take elderberry for the flu will improve faster than the average person with the flu who does not take elderberry” according to data from a 180-patient study. Some plant varieties contain toxic cyanogenic glycosides, so it’s important to prepare or source the syrup properly for maximum medicinal benefits. [6,7]
2. Pesticide-less food and clean mineral water
Mineral water includes well water and properly filtered municipal tap water. For a while, I bought spring water from the grocery store which was great, but home filtration is cheaper over the long term so now I use a stainless steel 3-gallon countertop gravity filter. Tests by Mike Adams from Natural News used spiked water samples to determine whether these water purification systems are effective at removing tiny glyphosate molecules. Fortunately, they are [8]. Berkey offers a list of contaminants removed by their system, although the duration of efficacy is less clear.
Pesticides are designed to kill a broad spectrum of life and are highly effective at it. As a chemical & biomolecular engineer who once tried to get a job at Syngenta, I realize the need for weed and pest control, but it has gone too far. Synthetic pesticides absorb through roots into a whole plant that has never come into direct contact with pesticides during spraying, so surface washing doesn’t do much to clean fruits and vegetables. When a fruit can sit on the counter for months without spoiling, there’s something wrong with the food system that created such a sterile food. Your body and gut microbiome are alive, so it’s best to treat them that way.
One way to understand the health effects would be to drink a teaspoon of Roundup to see how you feel afterward (I would advise against it), but you don’t need to do that to understand the biological effects of these chemicals. There are great online resources instead.
Cornell has a pesticide toxicity database that collects the results of animal tests and quantitatively documents lethal doses, plus the chronic burden each of these chemical compounds puts on the liver and other organs [9].
New Zealand Food Safety offers a convenient Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) database for international pesticide residue standards for individual foods [10].
The USDA Quick Stats database allows you to download spreadsheets showing how many pounds per acre of pesticides have been applied to specific crops by region and state [11]. Thousands of chemicals are in use on many crop commodities, so set aside a whole day and some snacks if you want to analyze this data. The best way to start is to select Program: Survey; Sector: Environmental; Group: Field Crops; Crop: Corn; and Data Item: Corn – Applications, Measured in lb / Acre / Year, Avg.
When comparing American standards to international pesticide residue limits (PRLs), I expected Europe and New Zealand to have better standards, but I was surprised to see that even some of China's pesticide tolerance levels are significantly better than those set by the U.S. EPA. To some people, this isn’t news: the EPA’s lax rules on mass-produced weed killers and insect killers have been in place for at least four decades, enabling massive expansion for agricultural chemical companies. Pesticide use per acre has grown enormously over the years with Roundup’s glyphosate leading the way.
Allow me to come out of the food pantry and tell you I eat organic and alt-organic (alternative-to-organic) omnivore foods almost all the time, making sure I have plenty of eggs, meat, fish, fruit, dairy, and healthy vegetables while taking care to avoid refined sugar and liquor. I started eating organic foods in earnest while I was on food stamps, so don’t complain to me that it’s too expensive. Learn how to cook.
There are only a small handful of restaurants where I eat because most of them get their foods from a consolidated group of industrial suppliers that use synthetic pesticides liberally while falsely boasting about being natural. Marketing can be deceptive, but genuine messages are powerful when they come from trustworthy people and organizations who understand the siege on food integrity. As more restaurants take the initiative to create independent, alt-organic menus, I look forward to dining with them.
3. Echinacea, garlic, ginger, oregano, wormwood, and peppermint
I’ve experimented with many herbs over the past few years, and there are still a huge number of varieties I have never tried. It’s important to be careful trying new plants over extended periods because toxic inedible weeds are occasionally misclassified as medicinal herbs. I trust these natural remedies the most for immune support.
Inhaled peppermint aroma is good for sinus relief and opening airways.
Wormwood contains powerful anti-malarial artemisinin and kills intestinal parasites, giving the immune system some slack to fight viruses.
Oregano also kills certain intestinal parasites and can accelerate recovery from the common cold.
Ginger fights fungal and bacterial infections.
Garlic’s antimicrobial activity treats infections and wards off some insects. Raw honey can also be used as an antimicrobial/antibiotic agent on open wounds. A wound on my dog’s back healed surprisingly quickly when I put honey on it.
Echinacea boosts the immune system and fights colds and other infections.
Freshness and proper preparation are important factors in making use of these herbs, so local sourcing from trusted suppliers helps. Some herbs work by direct action, and others support the immune system to thwart viruses on its own. See Dr. Axe [12] for more details about ancient folk medicines and nutrition.
4. Fresh raw milk, kefir, and yogurt
Also known as real or raw milk, cow’s milk has proteins, vitamins, and fats that closely resemble those in the human body, making them easy to digest and absorb in their fresh, natural state. Louis Pasteur originally heat-treated beer and wine for preservation, but conglomerates later used the technique to cover up bacterial contamination of milk from confined industrial dairy operations. The temporary coverup became a long-term fix that has now lasted over 100 years.
With raw milk, it’s as if you’re enjoying a nice entrée from an upscale restaurant rather than having the waiter hand you some uncooked noodles, a tub of fake cheese, and a few old sterile tomatoes for you to make your own meal. Your body expends less energy to utilize the nutrients from raw milk than it does with denatured milk. In addition to killing beneficial microbes, pasteurization denatures proteins, rendering them useless except for their amino acid building blocks. Intact proteins and enzymes are more valuable to our bodies than the building blocks alone.
Bacteria are present in raw milk, just as they’re in yogurt and kefir, a thick, lightly fermented form of milk. Kefir and yogurt take advantage of beneficial bacteria naturally found in milk to digest some of the sugars and make the dairy less prone to spoilage. In contrast to the late 1800s when pasteurization became popular, we now have three great tools to protect against premature expiration: fermentation, refrigerators, and the internet to connect us to local farmers.
I thought I was lactose intolerant for a while, but I’ve tried raw milk and kefir from several alt-organic sources with zero issues and now I eat tasty cheeses almost every day. Raw grass-fed milk from healthy cows has a multitude of benefits [12,13]:
Higher amounts of vitamins A, B, C, D, and E.
Higher bioavailable mineral content including iron, zinc, and calcium.
Fully active enzymes, antibody immunoglobulins, and whey proteins.
Undenatured, intact phosphatase for calcium absorption.
Minor quantities of immune-boosting GcMAF, otherwise known as the vitamin D binding protein which will be discussed in part two.
These four immune system support methods, plus the four I’ll discuss tomorrow, have made the difference between functional life and zombie life for me as I continue to overcome biological burdens from contaminated food, water, immunizations, and air.
Since I have a feeling I’m not the only one in that boat, will you row with me?
Like, comment, and share! I could use your support to row this boat.
Source Citations
Photo by Octavian Dan on Unsplash.
Sarachik J, Healthline Editorial Team, Weatherspoon D. 2016. Common Cold Causes. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/common-cold-causes
MSN Lifestyle. 2019. Eating elderberries may help minimise flu symptoms. https://www.msn.com/en-my/health/medical/eating-elderberries-may-help-minimise-flu-symptoms/ar-BBWg2z4
Torabian G, Valtchev P, Adil Q, Dehghani F. 2019. Anti-influenza activity of elderberry (Sambucus nigra). Journal of functional foods. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1756464619300313
Zakay-Rones Z, Thom E, Wollan T, Wadstein J. 2004. Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections. Journal of International Medical Research. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15080016
Hawkins J, Hires C, Baker C. 2019. Elderberry. Franklin Health Research Foundation. https://franklinhealthresearch.org/elderberry/
Hawkins J, Hires C, Dunne E, Baker C. 2019. The Proper Way to Make Elderberry Syrup. Franklin School of Integrative Health Sciences.https://fsihs.org/proper-elderberry-syrup/
Adams M. 2019. Water filter glyphosate removal lab test results. Natural News. https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-02-12-glyphosate-water-filter-lab-test-results-released-by-natural-news.html
Cornell Pesticide Active Ingredient Information. http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/index.html
New Zealand Food Safety: Maximum residue levels (MRL) database. https://www.mpi.govt.nz/news-and-resources/resources/registers-and-lists/maximum-residue-levels-database/
USDA Quick Stats database. National Agricultural Statistics Service. https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/#D062FEE6-1DDA-3FD3-A7E5-86C0590EE8F9
Dr. Axe. https://draxe.com/
Lipinski L. 2003. Milk: It Does a Body Good? Weston A. Price Foundation. https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/making-it-practical/milk-it-does-a-body-good/