The Flu – Headlines say, Hundreds stay home from school, as the flu hits the schools

before the vaccine is ready - the latest Who count shows that at least 3,486 people have
died of H1N1 flu to date.

Clinical tests of the vaccine began in August 2009 and the flu shots are expected to be
available in October or November. So until you can get your H1N1 flu shot, or if you
don’t want to get a flu shot, what can you do to prevent or at least shorten the duration
and the symptoms of the flu?

The H1N1 flu virus apparently spreads just like regular flu. You could pick up germs
directly from droplets from the cough or sneeze of an infected person, or by touching an
object they recently touched, and then touching your eyes, mouth, or nose, delivering
their germs for your own infection. That's why you should make washing your hands a
habit, even when you're not ill. Infected people can start spreading flu germs up to a day
before symptoms start, and for up to seven days after getting sick, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of H1N1 flu are like regular flu symptoms. They include fever, cough, sore
throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Many people with swine flu
also have had diarrhea and vomiting. Only lab tests can verify if you have the “regular
flu” or H1N1.

Alternative medicine has some help. Echinacea is the worlds most widely used herbal
remedy, and we have a relatively unknown herb in the U.S. but widely used throughout
Asia, Astragalus.

Here are just a few facts about both Echinacea and Astragalus, which both are powerful
immune stimulating herbs.

Echinacea

Part Used:
Root, flower, leaf, seed

Primary Uses:

Immune system function; Colds and flu; other minor infections; Wounds, psoriasis, and
eczema (external use)

History:

Echinacea is one of the most widely used herbs for stimulating the function of the
immune system. Native Americans of the Great Plains region used Echinacea more than
any other medicinal plant, and during the 1920’s, it was the most widely prescribed
remedy of the American Eclectic physicians, a group of medical doctors who practiced
during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After the introduction of antibiotics,
Echinacea was all but forgotten in American medicine. Today, however, Echinacea
extracts can once again be found in medicine cabinets across the country.
Today, millions worldwide use Echinacea as their primary therapy for colds, flu, minor
infections, and general immune-boosting effects. European physicians prescribe the herb
in pill and liquid form for boosting the immune system and in a topical for a large variety
of skin conditions.

How Does it Work?

The immune system utilizes two basic approaches in defending the body against disease,
specific and nonspecific immune defenses.

These two types of defenses work together to track down and destroy disease causing
invaders.

Specific Defense:
For a specific immune response, the immune cells must recognize specific
invaders in order to destroy them. Immune cells called Lymphocytes (including
B-cells, T-cells and natural killer cells) are involved in specific immune
responses. Vaccines work by stimulating the function of specific immune
defense, which is active only against a specific disease.

Nonspecific Defense:
Echinacea, on the other hand, stimulates the nonspecific activity of the immune
system. Nonspecific immune defenses do not require the immune cells to
recognize invaders. Instead, invaders are destroyed by functions such as fever,
and the release of antiviral proteins called interferons, and phagocytosis.
Echinacea makes the body’s own immune cells more efficient in attaching
bacteria, viruses, and abnormal cells. Stimulation of phagocytosis is one of
Echinacea’s best documented effects. Echinacea increases the number and
activity of immune cells called macrophages, granulcoyes, and leukocytes, all of
which are directly involved in phagocytosis, and stimulates the production of
interferon and tumor necrosis factor. It also increases the number and activity of
immune cells; shortens the duration of colds and flu; and aids in the treatment of
wounds and other skin problems.

In addition, Echinacea inhibits the action of an enzyme called hyaluronidase, which is

produced and used by bacteria to help them gain access to healthy cells. Echinacea’s
benefits in helping to heal wounds are believed to be related to its ability to stimulate
fibroblast production and to hinder the production of hyaluronidase by the human body,
two actions which help in wound healing.

No single constituent has been identified as Echinacea’s “active ingredient”. Researchers

believe that a combination of constituents work together to produce immune stimulation.
Clinical Trials:

Most of the research on Echinacea has been carried out in Germany. Clinical studies have
shown that when taken at the first sign of infection, Echinacea shortens the duration of
cold and flu symptoms and lessens the likelihood that a minor infection will develop into
a full-blown cold. In the studies in which Echinacea demonstrated positive effects in
shortening the duration of colds and flu, participants were instructed to start taking
Echinacea at the first sign of infection. This use is more consistent with the way in which
Echinacea has been used traditionally in the treatment of infections.

In this double blind study involving 160 people with current upper respiratory tract
infections, a liquid alcohol extract of Echinacea was significantly superior to placebo in
shortening the duration of illness. In addition, in the Echinacea group, lymphocytosis and
neutrophil counts – important markers of immune function – returned to normal much
more quickly, correlating closely with the symptomatic improvement. The 80 people in
the Echinacea group 900 mg (90 drops) of Echinacea extract for 8 – 10 days, and the
other 80 participants took an identical dose of a placebo preparation. The subject’s
frequency of upper respiratory tract infection in the past 3 years had no impact on the
effectiveness of treatment with Echinacea.

Contraindications:

According to Commission E, Echinacea should not be used by people who have diseases
such as tuberculosis, leukoses, collagenosis, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, HIV Infection, and
other autoimmune disorders. This finding has been challenged and Echinacea has not
had any adverse effects in people with any of these conditions.

Astragalus
Primary uses:

Colds and Flu; chronic respiratory problems; digestive ailments; susceptibility to

infectious disease; recovery after illness; general weakness and fatigue; cancer

In the language of traditional Chinese medicine, Astragalus boosts the immune system by
“stabilizing the exterior” and strengthening the “chi”. The Chinese knew thousands of
years ago that Astragasus could strengthen our shield “exterior” against disease and
increase overall vitality “chi” long before anyone know about bacteria, white blood cells,
or the immune system.

You may already be accustomed to taking Echinacea at the first sign of a cold or flu, or
when people around you are getting sick. How is Astragalus different? Like Echinacea,
Astragalus not only helps prevent colds and flu, but shortens the course of a bug once it
has set in. Unlike Echinacea, Astragalus can also be used as a long-term preventive and
restorative herb, to prevent illness. And like Echinacea it can renew energy and vitality
once an acute illness has passed. Scientific evidence also suggests that Astragalus may be
one of the most important herbs for strengthening the immune system against serious
diseases, including cancer.

History:

The Chinese name for Astragalus, huang qi, means “yellow energy”, suggesting its role
as an important energy-building herb. Astragalus has been used in China for thousands
of years and was first mentioned in The Divine Husbandman’s Classic of the Materia
Medica, an ancient Chinese medicinal text. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Astragalus
is considered a treatment for frequent colds, chronic weakness of the lungs with shortness
of breath, general weakness or fatigue, weak digestion, lack of appetite, diabetes, organ
prolapse (sinking) stomach ulcers, nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys) and as a liver
protectant and heart tonic. Astragalus has also been applied to the skin as a 10%
ointment to treat chronic wounds and ulcers.

Benefits:

Strengthens many functions of the immune system; helps protect the liver from damage;
and may have valuable anticancer effects.

How Does It Work?

Astagalus appears to strengthen both vital aspects of the immune system, specific and
nonspecific. These two types of defenses work together to track down and destroy
disease causing invaders.

Specific Defense:
For a specific immune response, the immune cells must recognize specific
invaders in order to destroy them. Immune cells called Lymphocytes (including
B-cells, T-cells and natural killer cells) are involved in specific immune
responses. Vaccines work by stimulating the function of specific immune
defense, which is active only against a specific disease.

Nonspecific Defense:
Nonspecific immune defenses do not require the immune cells to recognize
invaders. Instead, invaders are destroyed by functions such as fever, and the
release of antiviral proteins called interferons, and phagocytosis.

Astragalus appears to stimulate the secretion of interferon, a protein that “interferes” with
the ability of viruses to multiply by blocking their ability to reproduce themselves in
cells. In a study of 28 people, Astragalus given orally over a 2 month period significantly
increased the production and secretion of interferon compared with controls.
Remarkeably the levels of interferon remained high for 2 months after Astragalus
treatment ended. These results have been duplicated in laboratory studies.

Astragalus also increases levels of natural killer (NK) cells, which roam the body via
blood and lymph fluid, destroying a wide variety of invaders, including cancer cells and
virus-infected body cells. NK cells accomplish their vital work long before antibodies
are enlisted in the immune system fight.

Another way that astragalus stimulates immunity is by increasing levels of macrophages

(literally “big eaters”), which engulf foreign particles in lymphoid organs and connective
tissue. Astragalus stimulates white blood cell production by promoting the maturation of
these cells in bone marrow. While blood cells form a roving army that defends the body
against damage by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and tumor cells. These cells have the
unique ability to slip into and out of the blood vessels and thus have access to any part of
the body.

Astragalus binds and deactivates specific foreign substances in the body (antigens) by
increasing the levels of antibodies (also called immunoglobulins). In China, Astragalus is
often given to elderly patients to improve declining immune function. Researchers
believe that Astragalus activates the function of B-cells (a type of cell that carries out
antigen specific immune responses) and enhances IgM production, both of which decline
with age.

Preliminary research suggests that Astragalus may also have powerful anticancer
properties by restoring or enhancing the function of t-cells (white blood cells that play a
specific roles in the immune system) taken from people with cancer. In some cases,
Astragalus stimulated the damaged cells to greater activity than found in normal cells
taken from healthy individuals.

Astragalus appears to increase oxygenation in the body by stimulating the formation of

red blood cells in bone marrow. Astragalus may also work as an antioxidant, protecting
the body against harmful free radicals in a variety of degenerative diseases. Laboratory
research shows that Astragalus helps defend the liver, the body’s main organ of
detoxification

Clinical Trials:

Much of the clinical research on Astragalus is in Chinese, and many of the studies have
not yet been translated into English. A few of the available studies show that Astragalus
helps protect against the common cold, and helps in the treatment of chronic bronchitis.
In China, physicians have traditionally used Astragalus, ligustrum (Ligustrum Iucidum),
and other herbs to counteract the immuno-compromising effects of radiation and
chemotherapy treatments.
Contraindications:

In traditional Chinese medicine Astragalus is not recommended for people with “deficient
yin” or “excessive heat signs”. In Western terms, this may indicate that Astragalus is not
appropriate during acute illness with symptoms of fever and thirst.

Caution:

Seek urgent medical attention if you have:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms that improve, but then come back with worsening fever or
cough