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How to Strengthen Your Immune System Naturally

Posted May 30, 2020
in Healthy Living, Herbal Remedies, Herbs, Thrive

Carolyn Thomas

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Learn how to strengthen your immune system naturally with these seven simple steps. Having a healthy immune system is the first line of defense against fighting off infection and other illnesses.

A woman holding an amber bottle with jars of dried herbs in front of her.

Many of us know what to do once we start to feel sick, things like taking Elderberry Syrup or Elderberry gummies, drinking a throat-soothing tea or medicinal hop tea, having cough and congestion remedies on hand like homemade mustard plaster, growing and using medicinal herbs from our cottage garden, and drinking homemade bone broth.

But what can we do to BUILD and STRENGTHEN our immune systems? Plenty!

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Quick Look

✅ Topic: How to Strengthen Your Immune System Naturally
- ✅ Eat Lacto-Fermented Foods
- ✅ Drink Bone Broth
- ✅ Use Immune Boosting Herbal Remedies
- ✅ Avoid Unhealthy Drinks
- ✅ Eat Bright Colorful Foods
- ✅ Lessen Stress
- ✅ Get Your Circulation Moving
✅ Takeaway: Grab your free wellness checklist here!

This post was originally published in 2023, but has since been updated with a new video and podcast episode. You can watch the original video below.

It's important to note that I am not a certified medical practitioner. This post is not intended to diagnose or treat, but is for informational purposes only. Please contact your healthcare professional before introducing new herbal and natural remedies into your wellness routine.

Table of Contents

1. Eat Lacto-Fermented Foods

Start eating lacto-fermented veggies every single day. It's absolutely ideal if you can get up to three servings of fermented veggies (or other fermented raw foods such as homemade instant pot yogurt, lacto-fermented sauerkraut (or garlic dill sauerkraut), preserved lemons, fermented garlic, this homemade curtido recipe, lacto-fermented mayo, or homemade fermented ketchup) each day.

Do you find eating fermented foods to be difficult? Then check out my tutorial for making homemade probiotics here!

The reason fermented foods are important to our immune system is that they really work out our gut health.

If you remember, the vast majority of our immune system is in our gut. So it's super important to get your digestion working really well. Fermented foods also add good gut bacteria to your gut.

If this were the only thing you added in on a daily basis to help support your immune system, you'd see a lot of benefits.

Fermented foods have enzymes. That means your body will work more efficiently without depleting your own enzymes. You may even find you're more energetic after eating because you're not using your own stores.

Fermented foods also contain vitamins. Surprisingly, fermented veggies can actually have a higher vitamin and nutrient content than their raw state because of how lacto-fermentation changes the makeup of the veggie.

2. Consume Bone Broth Daily

An up close view of a spoon of gelled bone broth.

Getting our digestive system in order is one of the top things we can do to increase our immune system. When we don't digest our food well, it's a sign that our body is struggling with its everyday, normal functions of digesting.

When you're struggling with digestion, you can't put your resources into fighting off foreign invaders in your body. Bone broth is rich in amino acids and has anti-inflammatory properties that aid the gastrointestinal tract. This is why consuming bone broth is one of the three main diet changes you can make to improve your health.

Ideally, you should drink 1-2 cups per day. Not everyone loves drinking bone broth straight out of a cup, but you can also consume it in soups, sauces, and gravy.

I think it's delicious in a cup, just like you would drink tea, sprinkled with a little grated nutmeg right on top.

Not only will your immune system benefit from drinking bone broth, but your skin, hair, and nails will benefit as well. It brings minerals into your body, which helps your immune system function normally.

One tip that I like to do is make a big batch of instant pot homemade bone broth and just keep it on low all week long. Anytime the broth runs low, I just add more water to it.

Once a week, I'll empty it out and start over by replenishing the bones and veggie scraps and starting again with a fresh batch.

You can also make homemade chicken bouillon by either dehydrating or freeze drying, and take it with you on the go. All you need to do is add boiling water.

3. Immune-Boosting Herbal Remedies

A woman adding medicinal herbs into a kitchen cabinet.

If you've been around here long, you know how passionate I am about herbal remedies. If you haven't taken my free four-video series on how to use herbs and learned how to use herb medicine safely at home you really should!

Adding specific herbal remedies into your everyday program will help improve your DEEP immune system. What I mean by "deep" is your whole-body response to an immune issue.

These herbal remedies don't use the type of herbs you'd grab when you know something is going around and you feel a sickness coming on. But rather herbs that have an immuno-modulating effect (that means immune BUILDING effect).

Your deep immune system is what protects you from getting sick in the first place. We all know those people who seem to miss out on every cold or flu that goes around; they likely have a strong, deep immune system.

Astragalus Root

The first herb to help build a strong immune system is astragalus. Astragalus root helps modulate (or moderate) the immune system.
This herb keeps the immune system in balance and working when it starts to get a little bit weak.
It won't cause a quick immune system response (like echinacea), but instead, it will slowly build up your body's resources so you can buffer back anything that comes at you.
Astragalus is a very mild herb (root), and I actually like to add it to my bone broth. By doing this, I'm ticking off two out of the seven simple steps on my list at the same time!
You can also use powdered astragalus root in foods like green smoothies or soups without changing the flavor much at all.
For it to be highly effective, you want to get 1-2 Tablespoons into your body every single day.

Mushrooms

Another immune-building food is mushrooms! Any mushroom (that's safe to consume) will have some medicinal, immune-boosting properties that will help stimulate your immune system.
Mushrooms are packed with nutrition, and a surprising variety of mushrooms are easily grown at home.
Yes, even those white button mushrooms from the grocery store will work for this purpose! Add them, along with astragalus root, into your soups and stews, and you'll be doing your whole body a favor.

Elderberry

We're all familiar with the benefits of elderberries. In fact, our family loves taking elderberry syrup throughout the cold and flu season. (Click here for our Elderberry Syrup recipe).
Elderberries can act in two different ways. First, it can work as an emergency response to fight against illness at the first signs.
And second, it also acts as an immunomodulator, which means it will stimulate your immune system to help strengthen it. This is why we like to take it daily to help build up our immune systems.
Thankfully, elderberry is delicious and easy to take as a syrup, a tincture, or even as a tea. For the kids, try these homemade elderberry gummies.

4. Swap Unhealthy Drinks for Healthy Options

A woman holding a mug filled with cold and flu tea.

Switch away from unhealthy drinks and swap them with healthy options instead.

Yes, I'm talking about sugar-laden sodas, juices, and even sweetened iced teas. These will drag down your health and weaken your immune system.

Try drinking a healthy, probiotic drink like homemade kombucha, our family's favorite second ferment kombucha.
If you love ginger, try this fizzy probiotic ginger bug.
Another favorite (and one that's great for hydration) is this homemade switchel recipe. Switchel is made from honey and vinegar and can be flavored with all different fruits. It will act as a tonic to your body to get your immune functions and digestive system running properly.
Another delicious drink is a fruit shrub. This is similar to a switchel as it's preserved fruit in vinegar.
Herbal iced teas are also wonderful. They can be sweetened naturally with stevia or crushed fruit. Our family loves growing peppermint, chamomile, and holy basil (tulsi); these are all wonderful when made into an immune-boosting tea.

5. Eat Bright Colored and Flavorful Foods

A counter full of preserved food and fresh garden harvests.

During the spring and summer, there are so many brightly colored fruits and veggies in season and at the peak of their nutrition.

Focus on filling your diet with the bright colors and bright flavors of summer. I'm talking about basil, berries, cherries, peppers, fresh fruits and garden veggies... all these things should be eaten regularly when in season and vine-ripened.

It's important to buy fruit and vegetables from local producers and farmers' markets at the peak of ripeness. Anything that's shipped in has been picked well before it's prime and is missing out on different vitamins and phytonutrients.

The perfect example of tasting the difference in nutrient density is with a store-bought tomato versus a homegrown tomato. If you do a side-by-side taste test, there is just no comparison. The nutrients are in the flavor!

6. Stop Stressing!!

Right now, whether you realize it or not, there is a lot of underlying stress in your life simply due to world events.

This doesn't even take into account if you're feeling stressed because of job loss, or having your kids home all day and homeschooling them.

One of the biggest enemies of your immune system is stress. Do things throughout your day that will help bust this stress.

These can be activities like going for a walk, spending time in nature, listening to the gentle sound of a river, or enjoying one of the healthy drinks mentioned above. These are some ways that the homesteading lifestyle can improve your health.

Studies show that exposure to plants and green space, especially when gardening, is beneficial to mental and physical health. And did you know that bee-keeping has a therapeutic calming aspect that helps with stress?

One of my favorite de-stressors is to pick some of my lemon balm herb from the garden, crush a few leaves in my hands and inhale the aroma. It's so calming.

Practice deep breathing daily, especially if you can sit outside in nature; it will really help your body's ability to respond well to stress.

7. Get Your Circulation Moving

Man and woman walking arm in arm by a river.

We all know exercise boosts feel-good endorphins. But you don't have to join a kickboxing club or go for a strenuous run to benefit from these feel-good hormones.

Going on a simple walk (especially with a spouse or friend) is also great for getting our circulatory system moving. If you're already in a stressed state, a calm walk is actually the best form of activity.

You can also get your circulation moving by eating spicy food, sitting in a sauna, or doing hot/cold therapy.

If you have a shower or a bathtub, you could do some hydrotherapy by spending a minute and a half in warm water, then dropping the temperature down to as cold as you can stand it for a minute and a half.

Just one 3-minute round of this will kick up your circulation, but if you can do a few rounds (a minute and a half at each temperature), it's even better.

These seven things are what our family does to boost our immune system, but we love hearing from you! What do you do to give your immune system a natural boost? Leave us a comment over on the YouTube video or in your favorite podcast app.