8 Easy Ways To Naturally Boost Your Immune System

If you are looking for some natural ways to boost your immune system, you’ve come to the right place. Our tips are, of course centred around the powerful medicinal properties of some amazing plants, so you can be assured these natural options are safe for you and your family.  But first, what is your immune system, and why is it so important?

What is the immune system?

• To fight disease-causing things like bacteria, viruses, parasites and to then also remove them from the body
• To recognise and get rid of harmful substances from the environment
• To fight disease-causing changes in the body (e.g. cancer cells)

You have two systems of immunity; innate (non-specific) and adaptive (specific). Both of these systems work together when activated by an outside force. 

The innate immune system

The adaptive immune system

Your adaptive immune system makes antibodies to specifically fight what is going on. For example, if you have had chicken pox your body would have made the antibodies to fight that virus. 

The adaptive immune system has learned what that virus was and how to fight it in case you come up against it again. Clever! Your adaptive immune system is always learning and adapting (hence its name) because you come up against new things all the time.

Your immune system is always on! This is why you need to look after it, so we've come up with some easy and natural ways you can help boost your immune system. 

8 natural ways to boost your immune system

1. Drink more water

You are made up of nearly 60% water! You need water to concentrate, digest your food and also function. So, keeping hydrated is one of the best natural ways to boost your immune system. Water helps to distribute oxygen and nutrients around your body, as well as helping to flush out waste materials. When you are sick, you produce mucus. This is your body's way of removing waste materials, as well as bacteria, and water is essential for helping this process.

In winter, we know it is harder to drink cold water on freezing days, so we suggest swapping it out for warm water, herbal teas or our hot tonics. Hydration is a big deal when you are sick, as more often than not, you don’t feel like eating. By drinking herbal tonics you are helping to support your body as well as keeping up your fluids to reduce dehydration (which can lead to headaches).

2. Boost your immune system with vitamin D

In the summer months, catching some rays is an easy way to replenish your vitamin D stores. In winter, however, the sun is less visible and its strength means that it is unlikely you will produce vitamin D from being outside. Vitamin D can help with immune support, mood, muscles and bone health.

You can find vitamin D in foods like mushrooms, oily fish and egg yolks. As well as consuming more vitamin D-rich food,  in winter considering a therapeutic dose is a great way to naturally boost your immune system.

3. Elderberry is great for immunity

4. Central Otago wild thyme

You have probably used thyme in your cooking before, but did you know it's one of the best natural ways you can boost your immune system? Thyme is antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal and works like nature’s antibiotic. It has a high antioxidant property as well and is very effective at helping to clear coughs and excess phlegm.

We use Central Otago thyme ( Thymus vulgaris), which is incredibly potent. Central Otago thyme grows in tough conditions; super hot and dry in summer, and super cold in the winter. This physical environmental stress makes the plant incredibly strong in order for it to survive its surroundings. This extra stress placed on the plant translates into higher active constituent activity, which is then passed on to you when you consume it.

Thyme is the predominant herb in our Chest Tonic, we use it to help support healthy breathing, as it can help with bringing up excess mucus and clearing the chest. Thyme’s main actions are due to its volatile oil thymol, which also helps to support digestion. We also use it in our Vira-Defence Elixir which you can use preventatively to support your immune system or to support the ills and chills.

5. Get enough sleep

Sleep is not really the first thing you think of when boosting your immune system. But having sufficient sleep is essential to keeping well. When you sleep, you give your body time to rest and also repair. So if you have been overexerting yourself physically or mentally you need that time to actually repair your body. 

When you sleep, your immune system releases cytokines, which are proteins. You need cytokines to increase when you are sick or if you have underlying inflammation (such as when you are under stress). And some cytokines are actually released by our immune system to help promote sleep.

If you don't get enough sleep, you can’t produce the protective cytokines you need to support healthy immunity and healthy sleep levels. With chronic sleep deprivation, your antibodies that fight infection are reduced, and your risk factors for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease increase. 

🌿Related: 8 Incredible Herbs To Help With Sleep

So sleep is essential, we know that, but getting sleep is not that easy. You may have small people to look after, you may work shift work or have stress and/or anxiety that makes getting to sleep harder.

Things that can help with healthier sleep are:

- Have a regular bedtime
- Try not to scroll on your phone in bed
- Turn on blue light functions on your device to prepare for bed
- Magnesium, chamomile and Californian poppy can help support relaxing your nervous and musculoskeletal systems

- Try not to eat too much before bed
- Sadly, alcohol is not great for a full night's sleep. It can lead to broken sleep, which can make you feel even worse the next day
- Stretching can help relax the muscles and the body in preparation for sleep
- A warm bath with Epsom salts and lavender has been used for years to promote relaxation and sleep

6. Monitor your stress levels

Stress has a major impact on your health. It can affect your sleep patterns, immunity, energy and vitality levels. You are capable of dealing with short-term stressors. Your body responds by releasing stress hormones produced by your adrenal glands, and you react to the situation, then your body returns to ‘normal’. 

However, stress becomes an issue when it is chronic and long-term. Your body still responds and releases the stress hormones, but the feedback system, which tells the body to stop producing and releasing the stress hormones, does not flick off. This leads to what some call adrenal fatigue or a dysfunction in the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis - basically, the body is permanently stuck fighting stress.

🌿Related: 6 Signs You're Experiencing Adrenal Fatigue And How To Treat It

When you are constantly fighting ‘stress’, your body will struggle to do much else, so then you might see issues arising in:

- Digestion
- Sleep
- Skin
- Emotional responses
- Immunity

This is why so many of us get sick when we go on holiday, our reserves are low, and the minute we stop, we get sick. Or we catch everything that goes around because our body is not resting and repairing at night and our immune system is not healthy.

One way of supporting your stress levels and naturally boosting your immunity is eating regularly. In particular, good quality proteins and healthy fats like tofu and nuts because protein provides the building blocks to our hormones and also helps with mood and brain function.

7. Supplement with zinc

Zinc is important to help support your immune system and skin repair, but it's also required for neurotransmitter function and your ability to maintain a healthy nervous system. 

A good quality zinc taken once a day after a meal can be incredibly helpful for those struggling with stress and can help you boost your immune system naturally. But just be aware that long-term zinc supplementation can affect other minerals, so it is recommended to have regular breaks in supplementation.

🌿Related: When Is The Best Time To Take Zinc - And When Should You Stop?

8. Get enough vitamin C