Immunity helps maintain the body's integrity. The immune system encompasses all the protective mechanisms (tissues, cells, molecules) used to protect the organism from pathogenic agents (micro-organisms, toxins, tumors...), with two defense systems that oppose micro-organisms: innate immunity, immediate and non-specific, common to all animals, and acquired immunity (adaptive), delayed and highly specific to the pathogenic agent, found only in vertebrates.
In infectiology, humans are confronted on a daily basis with a large number of micro-organisms, traditionally divided into 4 main groups: bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. These micro-organisms can be symbiotic with the host, or pathogenic. The balance of all these systems can be disturbed, leading to malfunctions in the organism. These may be simple, isolated, one-off or repetitive, affecting the individual's well-being and quality of life to a greater or lesser degree: the disorders are considered functional, but they can also worsen, particularly with age, and contribute to the establishment of more lasting health disturbances: we are entering the realm of pathology.
The immune system is one of the body's main adaptive systems in relation to its internal and external environment. Here, too, cortisol plays an important regulatory role, promoting immunity when at physiological dose, disrupting it when deregulated and in insufficient (risk of chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, allergy) or excessive (repeated infections) quantities.
It's thanks to the immune system that the body defends itself against aggression from germs, bacteria and viruses. Immune defenses are particularly vulnerable as winter approaches, notably because of the cold. When they are weakened, symptoms such as :
A strongimmune system is the key to good health, which is why it's so important to strengthen it. Plants are always there to give our bodies a boost.
Find out more about our organic herbal pharmaceutical products in our store: Parapharmacie Phytothérapie, food supplements to boost your immune system.
The immune system is a remarkably sophisticated defense system designed to protect the host against invading pathogens and to eliminate them. Sometimes, however, this system can fail. It then becomes deleterious to the organism, attacking certain organs as if they were foreign bodies, causing autoimmune diseases, or acting excessively to non-pathogenic foreign bodies, causing hypersensitivity reactions, and the third type of failure is the deficit that can be induced by the escape mechanisms used by pathogens.
For thousands of years, mankind has used various plants found in its environment to treat and cure all kinds of diseases. These plants represent an immense reservoir of potential compounds attributed to secondary metabolites, which have the advantage of being of a wide variety of chemical structures and possess a very broad range of biological activities.
Phytotherapy is based on the use of medicinal plants for therapeutic purposes. In conventional medicine, pharmaceutical manufacturers extract the active ingredient from plants to make drugs. The treatment logic is also different between conventional medicine and phytotherapy. Modern medicine is substitutive, i.e. conventional medicines regulate the body's functions and relieve it of the need to heal itself. In phytotherapy, plants are also used as medicines to regulate the body's functions. Naturopaths believe that illness doesn't just happen. It is the consequence of an internal imbalance in the body, which must constantly adapt to its environment. Phytotherapy focuses on analyzing the body's constituent systems: neuroendocrine, hormonal, drainage and immune systems.
Practitioners' experience, combined with that of patients, is often the surest guide to the therapeutic effect of plants; and of course, there are many thousands of them in the world, with vast fields of action and varying potencies. They have specific effects on certain organs of the body and can be used to treat a variety of conditions: digestion, breathing and circulation, evacuating toxins and soothing the skin, nervous, endocrine and immune systems. Plants have a more effective action on some parts of the human body than on others.
Antiseptics, such as Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia), disinfect the skin. Emollients, or softeners, such as Garden Marigold (Calendula officinalis) calm itching.
Antiseptics and antibiotics, such as garlic (Allium sativum), improve lung resistance. Expectorants such as Elecampane (Inula helenium) stimulate mucus evacuation.
The therapeutic virtues of plants are due to the presence of certain bioactive components with multiple therapeutic properties, such as anti-inflammatory, antihistaminic, anti-tumor, analgesic and immunomodulatory properties. Among these bioactive principles, polysaccharides possess immunomodulatory properties. Several plant polysaccharides have the particularity of stimulating host defenses by promoting the maturation, differentiation and proliferation of immune cells.
Our overall health is closely linked to the proper functioning of our immune system.
Autumn and winter are seasons of high virus circulation. To boost your immune defenses and avoid falling ill, turning to natural solutions can be a wise move.
Colds, coughs, flu... To get through the illnesses of autumn or winter and avoid a red nose, watery eyes or a sore throat, you need to know how to protect and treat yourself.
Anyone showing signs of immune weakness, such as recurring colds, or wishing to better defend themselves against common ailments, should first and foremost look at their lifestyle.
In fact, smoking, lack of sleep or physical activity, stress levels, the quality of social relationships and our living environment (environmental pollution) are all elements that will weaken our terrain and make our immune system less effective.
We often think of our immune system when it fails us. But it's before that that we need to support it. So, when the cold and epidemics arrive, our defenses will be at their best to counter flu, colds and gastro.
Natural remedies can help boost your immune system, whatever the time of year.
In autumn and winter, plants are useful for preparing your immune "terrain".
In periods of high viral circulation or fatigue, phytotherapy can give our immune systems a boost. It's a great way to protect against seasonal infections! Plants have unsuspected benefits.
Soin-et-Nature offers a wide range of food supplements to boost the body's natural defenses and support the immune system. Here are the main categories available:
These dietary supplements for natural defenses, available on Soin-et-Nature, help you to strengthen your immune system and preserve your vitality in the face of everyday challenges.