For years, the Chinese have used certain herbs, including spices, to prevent common diseases. They knew that these herbs “shield” from falling ill. The scrutiny of the scientific laboratory is confirming that they were right.
These arrays of plant are general immune system stimulators and their possible inclusion in diets could increase the activity of the immune system but are not specific to a particular disease.
Indeed the immune system recognises and destroys anything foreign to the body, including cells like bacteria and other microbes, and foreign particles including toxic compounds. This recognition and destruction is performed by cells in the circulatory and lymphatic systems.
Here are a few of the best researched immune boosters available in food stores:
Ewedu
Jute leaves (called ewedu among the Yoruba and rama among the Hausa), a rich source of betacarotene, iron, calcium and vitamin C, is also said to be an immune booster.
To boost the immune system, the Ewedu should be rinsed thoroughly with liquid vinegar, “blend and cook with drinkable water, without adding salt or kaun (potash) or any other ingredients. Professor Adebukola Ositelu, a consultant at the Lagos University Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, said a 25cl or half a tumbler of it can be taken once a week, first thing in the morning before any meal to boost body’s immunity.
African spinach
Spinach, like many green vegetables when used as food helps to contribute to healthy functioning of the body and boost level of immunity. In an animal study, researchers found spinach was in overall of higher nutritional value than other vegetables tested.
Hibscus sabdariffa
Hibscus sabdariffa, commonly referred to as red calyx or sobo, has many medicinal benefits. Researchers’ assessment of its effects on the immune system indicated in the July 2013 edition of the African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology that Hibscus sabdariffa stimulates the production of various blood cell components.
Sweet potato leaves
Researchers indicated that consumption of purple sweet potato leaves boosted the immune response of 15 basketball players during a training period. The 2007 study, published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that it caused a significant increase in the proliferation blood cells required to protect the body from illnesses.
Locust beans
Fermented foods like pap, locust beans and yogurt contain friendly bacteria that have a powerful, beneficial effect on the gut’s immune system which is the first line of defence against pathogens, and aid in the production of antibodies.
Researchers at the Harvard Medical School said there is a evidence of a relationship between such “good” bacteria and the immune system.
Tomatoes
An increased consumption of tomatoes can help avoid getting sick. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, when individuals consume tomato diet, their infection-fighting white blood cells sustained 38 per cent less damage from free radicals — atoms in the body that damage and destabilise cells — than when they ate no tomato products.
Researchers speculate that the lycopene in tomatoes acts as an antioxidant, helping white blood cells resist the damaging effects of free radicals.
Hot pepper
Results of studies suggest that eating food containing hot components such as capsaicin may improve immune status in a study from the University of Ulsan in South Korea.
These studies have shown that capsaicin — the compound that gives chilli peppers their fire — can help stop sickness before it starts. Mice in one study were given a daily dose of capsaicin and had nearly three times more antibody-producing cells after three weeks than those given no capsaicin.
Apple
An apple a day keeps the doctor way. Its nutrients, including vitamin C, help to keep the immune system on guard.
Onions
Onions contain quercetin, a nutrient that breaks up mucus in the head and chest while boosting the immune system. Onions also contain allicin which slows down and kills a variety of viruses and bacteria.
Consuming fresh raw white onion within a few hours of the first symptoms of a cold or flu is when you’ll get the strongest immune effect.
Mushrooms
For centuries, people around the world have turned to mushrooms for a healthy immune system. Studies show that mushrooms increase the production and activity of white blood cells, making them more aggressive. This is a good thing when you have an infection.
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