Yes, I’m an herbalist….but as a clinician who is focused on treating the underlying causes of imbalance in the body, sometimes herbs aren’t the first choice for support. In fact, I can’t think of a time when I only recommended herbs on their own without other nutrition and lifestyle changes. With this in mind, I want to share 2 new pieces of scientific research that excite me:
We know Vitamin D is important for immunity. We know that people with adequate Vitamin D levels have decreased likelihood of becoming severely ill from COVID. And yet I’ve always had to ASK for my Vitamin D levels to be tested by my MD, rather than the Dr. suggesting it or even recommendation that take a Vitamin D supplement in the winter. Vitamin D screening and supplementation (if needed) should be universal. Don’t even get me started on this tangent!
The interesting thing about this study is that they’re looking at bolus dosing – this is the typical dose you get with a Vitamin D prescription from the Dr. – usually something like (1) 50,000 IU pill a week. Spoiler alert – this probably isn’t helpful, and may actually be harmful to your immune system due to the way your body responds to a large amount of the Vitamin D hormone (yep its actually a hormone) all at one time.
Just take a look at this chart summarizing Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs – the “gold standard” of research) for acute respiratory infections and COVID-19, comparing bolus dosing vs daily dosing. This is enough for me to feel good about the Vitamin D supplement I am currently taking on a daily basis.
“The findings from our study suggest that zinc supplementation in all three doses (10, 25, and 50 mg) may be an effective prophylaxis of symptomatic COVID-19 and may mitigate the severity of COVID-19 infection.”
If you’re already taking a multivitamin, make sure to check if it has zinc in it before buying an additional supplement. Take it with food because it can irritate your stomach, and if you would rather not supplement, then make sure to each zinc-rich foods. Check out a chart with high zinc foods here.
Spending time in the forest can reduce stress hormones, bolster the immune system (Bae et al., 2012; Li et al., 2006), and provide mental health benefits such as increased positive emotions and liveliness (Morita et al., 2006). This is herbalism! The experience of being in nature exposes you to the visual scenes of the forest, as well as the scents. Both are evolutionarily-familiar stimuli that enhance the immune system and provide a positive sense of well-being. Whether you’re already an avid exerciser or have mobility issues or illness keeping you at home, spending more time with the forest can help you feel better. I have suggestions for you!
Getting started
If you’re just getting started with a nature exercise regime, try to increase your outdoor exposure and level of comfort with being in the woods so that you can work up to spending 2 hours in the forest, which is the amount recommended for optimal health benefit. Qing Li, one of the most well-known Japanese researchers of “Shinrinyoku” or “forest bathing,” suggesting staying in the forest (or outdoors around trees) for about 2 hours, walking slowly (about 1.5 miles total), and resting a lot (HPHP Central, 2014).
Mobility issues or allergies that prevent lengthy time outside
If you are more comfortable indoors or in an urban environment than you are in a forest setting, that is ok! There are plenty of activities you can do gain the health benefits of nature without needing to venture too far away from home. You can gain health benefits just by looking at pictures of nature! This can help give you a feeling of tranquility during stressful times (Herzog & Chernik, 2000, as cited in Takayama et al., 2014, p. 7208). Suggestions:
Checking out library books with nature scenes
Watching nature documentaries
Looking at nature pictures on the internet
If you don’t have allergies to essential oils, you can also purchase outdoor-scented oils such as cedar and pine in order to simulate the olfactory experience of being outside. The practice of inhaling these essential oils, which simulates the chemicals given off by trees in the forest, can decrease stress hormone levels and increase immunity (Bae et al., 2012; Qing, 2010). Essential oils can be purchased at most natural grocery stores as well as through websites like www.mountainroseherbs.com.
Avid exerciser
In addition to the physical benefits from the exercise alone, specifically exercising in a wooded setting can help increase your sense of vitality and decrease fatigue (Takayama et al., 2014), which may help you take your exercise regime to the next level. Try to get out on a longer trails at least once a month for between 2-4 hours at a time, and supplement with shorter walks, runs, and/or hikes, especially during times of high stress. Strive to reach a goal of exercising outdoors 2-3 times per week. For longer-lasting health benefits, you might want to try camping or backpacking. A 3 day, 2 night camping trip can provide an immune boost that lasts more than 30 days (Qing, 2010)!!
Regardless of your fitness level, the medicinal benefits of nature are accessible. Aim to gradually integrate more nature and plant medicine into your life and enjoy the results!
References:
Bae, D., Seol, H., Yoon, H., Na, J. Oh, K., Choi, C.Y., &…Kim, S. (2012). Inhaled essential oil from Chamaecyparis obtuseameliorates the impairments of cognitive function induced by injection of β -amyloid in rats. Pharmaceutical Biology, 50 (7), 900-910. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2011.642886.
Lee, J., Park, B.-J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Ohira, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2011). Effect of forest bathing on physiological and psychological responses in young Japanese mail subjects. Public Health, 125 (2), 93-100. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2010.09.005
Li, Q., Nakadai, A., Matsushima, H., Miyazaki, Y., Krensky, A., Kawada, T., & Morimoto, K. (2006). Phytoncides (Wood Essential Oils) Induce Human Natural Killer Cell Activity. Immunopharmacology & Immunotoxicology, 28(2), 319-333. doi:10.1080/08923970600809439
Morita, E., Fukuda, S., Nagano, J., Hamajima, N., Yamamoto, H., Iwai, Y., &…Shirakawa, T. (2006). Psychological effects of forest environments on health adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction. Public Health, 121, 54-63. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2006.05.024
Qing, L. (2010). Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15(1), 9-17. doi: 10.1007/s12199-008-0068-3
Qing, L., Kobayashi, M., & Tomoyuki, K. (2008). Relationships Between Percentage of Forest Coverage and Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMR) of Cancers in all Prefectures in Japan. The Open Public Health Journal, 1, 1-7. doi: 10.2174/1874944500801010001
Takayama, N., Korpela, K., Lee, J., Morikawa, T., Tsunetsugu, Y., Park, B., & … Kagawa, T. (2014). Emotional, restorative and vitalizing effects of forest and urban environments at four sites in Japan. International Journal of Environmental Research And Public Health, 11(7), 7207-7230. doi:10.3390/ijerph110707207
In the midst of COVID-19 stress, one positive is that many of our most experienced herbalists are freely sharing information and protocols for immune, antiviral, and respiratory support herbs. Below is my running list that I am adding to as a I come across new information. Many of these protocols are good to have for general viral illness support and/or prevention (strengthening the immune system).
Its important to remember that COVID-19 is a new virus that we are still learning about, and we have no basis for claims that these herbs can “treat” or “cure” the virus. That being said, many of these herbs have a history of use for prevention, immune health, and for supporting the body during viral/respiratory illnesses. We are hearing reports from China that they have been using herbs in combination with other treatments within the hospitals (see first article below).
It seems prudent to consider immune herbs like astragalus and mushrooms as a risk reduction strategy, especially in vulnerable populations (keep in mind they are not a replacement for good public health and personal hygiene practices).
Its also interesting to note that the Chinese herbal approach includes use of several plants that are very common, if not invasive, here – Japanese honeysuckle flowers and forsythia fruit. I am certainly viewing these plants in a different light and am grateful to have them around. I suppose I will let more of the honeysuckle stick around this year and hope to be able to offer a workshop for medicine making with them.
I do have a limited supply of many of these herbs that are listed in the links below – so please contact me if you need something!
