Immune System

It is an undeniable fact that the human body is constantly under attack from germs and diseases.
The first, and most line of defence is the body's immune  system.
An immune system is only as good as the support it is given.
The body is like a car engine, if it receives the right grade of fuel it will run with either no or little problems.

There are several ways of approaching this problem, and here we deal with the two main ones of Standard Medicine, and Herbal Medicine.
Firstly let me say that Herbal Medicine is not a replacement for Standard Medicine, and always consult your own Doctor first for persistent symptoms.

Our ancestors had a greater knowledge of herbal medicine mainly because of the cost of a doctor attending was out of their reach, so they used the fields and hedgerows to use the plants that were beneficial to help heal, and to food eat.

I personally am not a great fan of the constant use of antibiotics, as I believe their efficiency is greatly reduced over a period of time.
Also my own health has greatly improved with the use of Herbal Medicines.
I have not suffered from colds and flu since starting my (now 5 year ) introduction to healthy eating.
I am no saint I also eat less healthy junk food, but in moderation, as my mother used to say "a little of what you fancy does you good".

Immune building  ingredients can be found in most fruit and vegetables.
We have garlic/onions recommended for keeping the heart healthy.
Broccoli, cabbage and green veg to keep the stomach and digestive working properly.
Also other vegetables to put in the body the right vitamins.

Now to keep the body at peak health the right amount of vitamin C is very important.
Oranges in either drink or edible form are very good for acquiring vitamin C, but on a scale they are below fruits like the Goji berry, Blackcurrant, and Buckthorn berry.
Also there is the Dog rose hips that are rich in this vitamin once processed to ward off winter colds and flu, with the added bonus that the main ingredient is free.

Goji Berries in particular have 600 times more Vitamin C, (weight for weight) so are particularly beneficial in combating germs and diseases.
They also contain Vitamins B1, B2,B6, also phytonutrients and high levels of antioxidants, scoring very high as a healthy fruit.

Another healthy fruit is the Aronia Berry, fruit juice, anthocyanins derived from the fruit  (aronia melanocarpa) has been studied intensively in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, and it appears that Aronia berry's have compounds that are protective of the Liver, have blood sugar stabilizing properties anti tumour and anti inflammatory activity.
They also have one of the richest plant sources of phenolic substances, mainly Anthocyanins-glycosides of cyaniding.

Antioxidants are the main fighters of free radical cells that create Cancer, and these are just two of the fruits with antioxidants in them.
As I have said before Cancer is an ugly unforgiving disease but it can be beaten with the right approach.
Also other debilitating diseases can be controlled or again beaten by a safer route of Herbal Medicine, as it is well known that some plants and fruits have marvellous healing properties.
Peter John.

Peterjohn8@hotmail.co.uk