So it’s officially fall now. Cooler temperatures, wind, and rain. With the change of seasons our bodies change.
It is time think more about circulation, keeping the blood invigorated, staying warm, getting active again (if you haven’t been), and relieving congestion and the stuff fall brings (phlegm). That means remembering the herbs that also improve our digestion when those celebratory holiday foods come around.
It is also time to think about giving your immune system a gentle nudge. It’s not just about stimulating the immune system, but regulating it. Immune system regulators can often moderate an over-reactive response, which is often happening when allergies kick in with sneezing, etc.
Warming stimulants / diffusing herbs
These warm up the interior of the body and cold/achy extremities. They stimulate metabolism and diffuse congestion or stagnant fluids. However, you may actually be in need of an energy/immunity toning herb or blend as described in the next category. Some of us need both.
Internal warming stimulants will stimulate digestion, relieve cramps, improve kidney function, raise energy, and improve ability to handle cold, wet, windy weather better. Just don’t take too much and overheat yourself!
Bengal Spice tea by Celestial Seasonings: this is as close to an endorsement of a product in this list. It’s essentially Chai tea without the black tea. It is a well rounded blend of warming stimulants and diffusing herbs. I’ve made it brewed in hot milk and sweetened. It is absolutely delicious and a great way to start the day with some protein and an internal warming stimulant for your morning walk.
Cinnamon - by itself a pretty good warming agent considered ‘hot’ in Chinese medicine (TCM). An internal warming stimulant. It can spark your metabolism, regulate blood sugar, and improve kidney and digestive function. Ginger (fresh or dried) - the standard internal warming agent used in so many TCM formulas. It’s the best all-around and I’ve never experienced undesirable effects from it unless I used way too much.
Cardamom - it can actually do what alcohol does for an internal warmth and circulation, but without the drawbacks of alcohol. A few years ago I gave some Cardamom extract to a friend who was experiencing fullness of the abdomen and sluggishness. He was quite happy with it, telling me that stuff really works! It lifted his energy by diffusing congestion in his mid-section, improving circulation, and providing some pain relief. Cardamom is analgesic and anti-rheumatic (for arthritis). It can clear congestion from the lungs or GI tract. It tends to increase appetite, but also improves digestion.
Cloves - similar effects to Cinnamon, but with more anti-fungal and antiseptic benefits, and is a tad milder in its overall stimulation. It is especially good at relieving hiccups.
Prickly Ash (bark or berries of Xanthoxylum spp.) - also an internal warming stimulant. It has circulating and arthritis-relieving properties. Sichuan Chinaberries are used in Chinese cooking, but the American Prickly Ash is normally used for its bark. Both work just find, but I prefer the bark. Old timers of the eastern U.S. used to cut the bark, put it into large bell jars, then fill them with alcohol to extract the medicine. That’s an excellent way to get a really warming Prickly Ash extract. But the powder is effective — and so is the tea if brewed long enough.
Major immunity-regulating / energy toning herbs
Astragalus root (Astragalus spp.)- a proven energy tonic with great benefits in lifting energy and boosting the immune system. It’s milder than Ginseng, but capable of raising sagging energy levels well enough to eliminate puffiness and fluid retention in the lower body. Its first benefits are to digestion, then to the lungs.
Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) - double-direction activity: it is both a moderate sedative and an energy tonic that moderates immune response. This has become one of my favorite herbs as a gentle, general tonic for multiple body systems. I took it during June to moderate my seasonal allergies (Cottonwood) and it worked very well. I had the least bothersome allergy season in all the 12 years I’ve lived in Portland. In fact, I only had a couple days of sneezing much. I used to have gut-wrenching sneezing fits. I’d be sneezing so hard it felt like I might displace my kidneys or something. Not this year. I wish I’d used it earlier. Reishi is also a good liver tonic, kidney tonic, and doesn’t have the stimulating edge that many tonic (adaptogenic) herbs have (like Ginseng, JiaoGuLan, or even Astragalus). It’s moderate sedative effect helps relieve stress while toning your internal organs and energy.
Cordyceps fungus - a yin (deep fluid) and yang (strength) tonic that is hormone potentiating, it is especially good for recovering from illness or significant body stress. It has long been used in TCM for better recovery from respiratory illnesses. It can be used by those with tendencies to bronchitis/pneumonia to prevent recurrences or relapses of those kinds of conditions. It clears phlegm from the lungs. If you have a tendency for these conditions, start taking it at first sign of odd colored phlegm building up in your chest.
Ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera)- an herb from India that has become very popular in the west because of its stress relieving (anti-anxiety, mild sedation) effect. It moderates immune response and can help build it up in those who have been weak, while building up their energy. It takes 3-4 weeks to feel those effects start to kick in. Its first effect is mild sedation. Its second effect is relief of joint aches/pains. Half doses can be taken split up for morning and afternoon, or a full dose can be taken at night.
Garlic - it is actually a hot/heating stimulant, but can be moderated in its actions by making a tea of it, or by steaming or roasting it. It is an immune system stimulant and has anti-fungal and anti-infection effects. Heated/steamed/roasted first, its heat is moderated making it more useful in more conditions. (Never take Garlic during a fever unless you also have chills and only take enough to chase away the chills.)
I’m not listing “cold and flu” herbs, because I’m convinced it is better to think positively and preventively than to anticipate likelihood or certainty of getting ill. A well-rounded blend of herbs that regulate the immune system and keep your body energy up is better. That way, no one herb dominates or lends itself to undesirable effects. You can always keep around the herbs that work best for you for cold and flu.
Remember, a cold means you are genuinely cold and your nose will be dripping or you’ll feel a bit stuffed up in the head and draggy. Take warming herbs from the first category to chase it off right away.
If you’ve got any level of fever or inflammation you don’t have a ‘cold’ and you need to take herbs that are specifically anti-inflammatory (cooling/cold). Never take hot/heating herbs during a fever — unless you also have chills. Then it is best to stick with Ginger and change the dose until the chills are gone.
Nice tips Kannon, thank you.