Herbal Medicine for common colds & post-viral recovery

“Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease” Hippocrates (5th century BCE)

It’s true that having a common cold is truly unpleasant and we want it to end as quickly as possible, indeed you’ll see entire sections of pharmacies dedicated to supressing the symptoms of this illness. Despite what marketeers might tell you, the fact is, in all our time as an advanced society on this planet we haven’t found a cure for the common cold. Yet, in most cases, we do get better after a few days. Why is that? 

Well, thanks to technology, we now know that in the case of the common cold the “natural forces” that Hippocrates was referring to is most likely our immune system, the veritable army of cells, chemical messengers, mucous and so forth that work together in an organised way, to firstly prevent and then later, eliminate threats.   

While we can’t cure the common cold, we can certainly stimulate and support the natural forces within us to take care of it quickly and effectively. One of the ways in which we can do that is through herbal medicine. Sfera ImmuneCare is an expertly formulated combination of herbal medicines to fortify your body’s defences.

ImmuneCare contains four different herbs and three medicinal mushrooms providing a synergistic and comprehensive formula that may enhance the efficacy of the immune system.  

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) root has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine for its immune-boosting properties. Studies have shown that this root can promote the activities of different types of immune cells (Li, et al. 2022).

Adhatoda leaf (Adhatoda vasica) comes to us from another part of the world, this time India, where it has been used medicinally for over 2500 years. Adhatoda contains a powerful alkaloid called vascine. This alkaloid has been shown in research to help reduce coughs, loosen mucous and help open the chest since it acts as a bronchodilator (Gangwar & Ghosh, 2014).

Andrographis (Andrographis paniculata) is an extremely bitter herb that contains plenty of active components. It is well known for it’s proven anti-viral activity and considering colds are most often caused by a viral infection, it makes sense to include this ancient healing herb in the formulation (Hossain, et al. 2021).

Baical skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) contain many active components that act directly on different immune cells and help to regulate the chemical messengers that control how our immune system operates, in addition to that it is a herbal medicine that also has direct anti-viral and antibacterial activity (Liao, et al. 2021).

The medicinal mushrooms included in this formulation are Cordyceps, Reishi and Shiitaki.  Concentrated extracts of the fruiting body of the mushrooms are used to make sure that enough of the beneficial components of each mushroom is present for maximum benefit.   

Both Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis) and Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) are now widely used to enhance immune function and have been shown to have a direct antiviral effect (Zhang, Zhang & Ling, 2022).   

Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) has been proven in research to enhance the immune system’s defences strongly (Vetvicka & Vetvickova, 2014).

The words of Hippocrates still ring true today, our immune system is indeed the true healer when it comes to diseases like the common cold. Sfera ImmuneCare is a thoughtfully formulated herbal supplement designed to help us harness and support our body’s natural defences.

 

References:

• Gangwar, A. & Ghosh, A. (2014). Medicinal uses and Pharmacological activity of Adhatoda vasica. International Journal of Herbal Medicine, 2(1), 88-91. https://www.florajournal.com/vol2issue1/april2014/23.1.pdf 
• Hossain, S., Urbi, Z., Karuniawati, H., Mohiuddin, R. B., Moh Qrimida, A., Allzrag, A. M. M., Ming, L. C., Pagano, E., & Capasso, R. (2021). Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wall. ex Nees: An Updated Review of Phytochemistry, Antimicrobial Pharmacology, and Clinical Safety and Efficacy. Life (Basel, Switzerland), 11(4), 348. https://doi.org/10.3390/life11040348 
• Liao, H., Ye, J., Gao, L., & Liu, Y. (2021). The main bioactive compounds of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. for alleviation of inflammatory cytokines: A comprehensive review. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 133, 110917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110917
• Li, C. X., Liu, Y., Zhang, Y. Z., Li, J. C., & Lai, J. (2022). Astragalus polysaccharide: a review of its immunomodulatory effect. Archives of pharmaceutical research, 45(6), 367–389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-022-01393-3 
• Vetvicka, V., & Vetvickova, J. (2014). Immune-enhancing effects of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) and Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) extracts. Annals of translational medicine, 2(2), 14. https://doi.org/10.3978/j.issn.2305-5839.2014.01.05 
• Zhang, Y., Zhang, G., & Ling, J. (2022). Medicinal Fungi with Antiviral Effect. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 27(14), 4457. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27144457