Natural Viral Protection

Given this current situation, I wanted to share my go to strategies for keeping my immune system strong and specific things I use to prevent viral infections.

  • Eliminate the junk. This is always step one in restoring health and boosting the immune system. You cannot undo the negative impact of a poor diet, so feeding your cells with adequate vitamins A, C, D, E, and ensuring you get enough minerals like zinc, magnesium, selenium, iodine, and copper will create a solid foundation in preventing illness or infection.

  • Sunlight/Vitamin D & K2. It is well known how important vitamin D levels are in preventing multiple diseases, cancer and respiratory illnesses (1). Optimal levels include 50nl-80nl which you can easily check with a blood test. Individuals with darker skin tones need more time under the due to the increased presence of melanin in their skin. Don’t forget that when you supplement with vitamin D, you should also be supplementing with vitamin K2 to ensure the increased calcium goes into your bones and not your arteries. It is also optimal to supplement with magnesium simultaneously as they were together to support bone and artery health. Try the app called D Minder Pro to help you calculate how much sun exposure you need.

  • Sleep. Sleep is one of the single most important factors in determining the strength of your immune system. One night of poor sleep significantly impacts your hormones including ghrelin which makes you feel more hungry and more likely to reach for that sugary treat for quick energy.

  • Mushrooms. Shiitake, Cordyceps, Reishi, and Chaga are just some of the mushrooms that have been scientifically demonstrated to modulate the immune system which up-regulate defense cells including hematopoietic stem cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, T cells, dendritic cells (DCs), and natural killer (NK) cells (2). Grab an organic powder blend and toss them in a smoothie or use a tincture blend for a stronger dose. Work with a practitioner in order to appropriate titrate doses.

  • Horse Chestnut. This herb has been used for thousands of years within Traditional Chinese Medicine and recent studies demonstrate it has antiviral properties against  SARS-CoV in addition to HIV (3). Whenever buying herbs, always make sure you are aware of the quality, that they have a Good Manufacturing Practice label, are organic and ideally not grown in countries which do not monitor for contaminants. This herb can also act as a diuretic so always consult with your primary doctor to ensure it is safe for you.

  • Lomatium Dissectum. This herb has been used for hundreds of years among West Indian tribes as it is a native plant among the North West and falls within the parsley family. During the Spanish Flu, the Washoe Indian tribes near Carson City, Nevada were utilizing this herb and left American doctor E.T. Krebs Sr., who was assigned to this tribe by the government dumbfounded as to why no one within the tribe was contracting the flu. He noticed they were growing and consuming the herb lomatium and began trying the concoction on his patients who were dying in San Francisco to which he stated, “They just stopped dying”. Recent studies confirm the antiviral, anti-bacteria and anti-fungal properties of this herb (4). This herb should not be consumed if you have a high toxic load as it can cause a detox rash, so consult with your practitioner on how to safely incorporate it into your regime.

  • Astragalus. This herb has been well known among the natural health world to boost immune function by increasing the production of white blood cells to give your body a fighting chance against infections. Research demonstrates its effective in fighting influenza virus and decreasing the length of time one may be sick (5).

  • Oregano Oil. Oregano oil has strong antiviral, antibiotic, and anti-fungal properties. In a 2014 study, researchers demonstrated that substance carvacrol (a plant phenol) is effective in inactivating nonenveloped murine norovirus (MNV) within only one hour of exposure (6). When buying, look for organically grown and always dilute in filtered water as this can burn it consumed alone.

  • Glutathione. This is known as our master detoxifying antioxidant which is depleted in many individuals due to our modern lifestyle. Just one dose of Tylenol can completely wipe out your stores of this miracle antioxidant leaving you susceptible to not only an increased toxic load and an inability to perform proper cellular clean up which is imperative in cleaning out viral infections. Supplementing with the liposomal form will help to give your body the most absorbable form in order to boost liver function so it can more efficiently remove toxic viral cells. Studies have shown how glutathione can protect against influenza infection demonstrating strong antiviral properties (7).

  • Spirulina. This blue-green algae has been around for millions of years for good reason. Not only is it one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet, but it is shown to inhibit viral plaque formation in a broad range of influenza viruses, including resistant strains. Spirulina extract was found to act at an early stage of infection to reduce virus yields in cells and improve survival in influenza-infected mice. (8). Look for spirulina which is bio-available and has a “cracked” cell wall to ensure you are able to absorb all of the nutrients, since our cells don’t have the enzymes to break it down naturally.

There are many other herbs which can be beneficial in modulating the immune system including garlic, ginger, clove, cinnamon, elderberry, thyme, and rosemary which can be easily added to soups or stews for additional immune support. Using a combination of these supplements will provide the best protection against viral infections. As always, consult with your practitioner to know what is safe for you and in what quantities are appropriate for optimal protection.

  1. Martineau AR, Jolliffe DA, Hooper RL, et al. Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMJ. 2017;356:i6583. Published 2017 Feb 15. doi:10.1136/bmj.i6583
  2. Guggenheim, A. G., Wright, K. M., & Zwickey, H. L. (2014). Immune Modulation From Five Major Mushrooms: Application to Integrative Oncology. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 13(1), 32–44.
  3. Kim JW, Ha TK, Cho H, et al. Antiviral escin derivatives from the seeds of Aesculus turbinata Blume (Japanese horse chestnut). Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2017;27(13):3019-3025. doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2017.05.022
  4. Journal of Restorative Medicine, April 2014, pp. 104-111(8)Lomatium dissectum Inhibits Secretion of CXCL10, a Chemokine Associated with Poor Prognosis in Highly Pathogenic Influenza A Infection
  5. Liang Y, Zhang Q, Zhang L, Wang R, Xu X, Hu X. Astragalus Membranaceus Treatment Protects Raw264.7 Cells from Influenza Virus by Regulating G1 Phase and the TLR3-Mediated Signaling Pathway. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019;2019:2971604. Published 2019 Dec 31. doi:10.1155/2019/2971604
  6. Gilling DH, Kitajima M, Torrey JR, Bright KR. Antiviral efficacy and mechanisms of action of oregano essential oil and its primary component carvacrol against murine norovirus. J Appl Microbiol. 2014;116(5):1149-1163. doi:10.1111/jam.12453r 12. doi:10.1038/srep24253
  7. Chen YH, Chang GK, Kuo SM, et al. Well-tolerated Spirulina extract inhibits influenza virus replication and reduces virus-induced mortality. Sci Rep. 2016;6:24253. Published 2016 Apr 12. doi:10.1038/srep24253
Heather Oricchio