The immune system from a Western perspective

Our body is constantly exposed to various bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. The fact that we do not constantly fall ill is thanks to our immune system, which fights the invaders with the help of lymphocytes (white blood cells that originate in the bone marrow) and antibodies. Other vital organs that support the immune system are the spleen, thymus gland, tonsils, bone marrow and a network of capillaries and lymph vessels.

In Western immunology, a distinction is made between an innate-nonspecific and an acquired-specific (adaptive) immune system. The innate immune system, which is found in almost all living things, causes a nonspecific reaction and has no immunological memory. The adaptive immune system, on the other hand, which to date has only been found in vertebrates with jaws, is characterized by a) specificity and b) memory. The former refers to the adaptability of the immune system in that it is able to recognize special structures of the invaders and to form appropriate antibodies against these antigens. The latter means that the immune system "remembers" pathogens that have penetrated once and can activate the antibodies specifically formed for them more quickly if there is a re-infection with the same microorganism.

Immunity can be acquired either through infection or through vaccination against a specific disease.

The Immune System in Ayurveda

In Ayurveda, numerous measures to increase the immune system were described in detail over 2000 years ago. The core goal of Ayurveda is longevity (“Ayus“), with the best possible physical and mental health. To achieve this goal, man needs strength (“Bala“) and a healthy essence (“Ojas"), as the finest product of a perfect metabolism, to overcome or resist diseases. Both Bala and Ojas are on the one hand constitutionally innate and on the other hand individually acquired and thus can be influenced. And this is exactly where Ayurvedic prevention and healing concepts come into play.

Constitutionally, Bala and Ojas are connected to healthy Kapha, so that people in whom the Kapha dosha dominates have the strongest immune system. Pitta types, on the other hand, tend to have infections or allergies of the skin as well as inflammatory processes. With Vata dosha dominance, the immune system is at its weakest. To understand the immune system from an Ayurvedic perspective, we must think holistically. Its condition reflects the balance of body, senses and mind, which influence each other. Ayurvedic immunology therefore always works multimodally, using all therapeutic methods. Ayurvedic therapies to strengthen the immune system can be divided into soothing and cleansing measures. Soothing measures include taking nutritional supplements, optimizing diet and lifestyle. In cleansing therapies, a further distinction is made between internal and external cleansing.

Nutrition: fresh and easily digestible food builds up body tissue, promotes Bala (strength) and leads to the formation of immune-boosting Ojas (essence of a healthy metabolism). Ayurvedic meals are mainly warm and freshly prepared. Raw food should only be consumed at midday, as this is when the digestive fire Agni is strongest. The interval between meals should be 4-8 hours and snacks should be avoided.

lifestyle: Deciding is especiallyhealthy sleep, which should be between 6 and 8 hours; according to Ayurvedic understanding, more sleep increases Kapha, less sleep increases Vata dosha - both can result in a weakening of the immune system. After getting up, the Ayurvedic morning routine includes drinking hot water (to stimulate the digestive fire Agni), removing tongue coating with a tongue scraper and rinsing your mouth with oil (usually with sesame oil). Deep and conscious breathing through the nose is also very important; there are various breathing techniques such as alternate nostril breathing or Ujjayi breathing, which are said to reduce stress and strengthen the immune system. Regular exercise is also important in Ayurveda. How intensive this should be depends not least on the respective dosha: while Kapha types should regularly do intensive sport, those with Pitta dominance prefer quieter activities such as walking or cycling.

dietary supplements: Ashwagandha, Guduchi, Pippali (long pepper), Amalaki and Tulsi are widely used in Ayurveda to strengthen the immune system.

External cleaning and care: This is primarily about preventing pathogens from penetrating the organism through the skin, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract. The skin and mucous membranes should always be well supplied with blood and moisturized to ensure adequate defense. In Ayurveda, this is done primarily through oil massages. But moist heat (Svedana) also has an immune-boosting effect in Ayurveda.

Inner Cleansing: According to Ayurvedic understanding, illnesses have their origin in the accumulation of insufficiently metabolized food. This is where prevention and therapy come in with appropriate cleansing measures such as enemas to remove metabolic waste.

The Immune System in TCM

While Western medicine largely uses digital means to distinguish between “healthy” and “ill” as a description of a condition, TCM understands health as a dynamic process that is continuously confronted with influences from both inside and outside. The “Wei-Qi“ (“Wei” means “outside”) is considered in TCM to be the seat of the immune system and is intended to prevent pests from entering the organism from the outside. The stronger the “Wei-Qi”, the stronger the body’s defenses.

According to TCM, these damaging (pathogenic) influences hinder the free flow of life energy Qi in the meridians, resulting in energy blockages that weaken the immune system. Accordingly, TCM is primarily concerned with the Protection of the organism from weakening influencesThese include climatic conditions such as heat or humidity as well as injuries, genetic makeup, stress and poor nutrition. Prevention and therapy in TCM therefore focus on strengthening the life energy Qi and removing energy blockages.

As in Ayurveda, the Nutrition also has a special meaning in TCM: while in Ayurveda warming food is supposed to strengthen the digestive fire Agni, in TCM it is about strengthening the Qi through warming foodsThese include winter vegetables, pulses, cinnamon, ginger, smoked fish, nuts or pomegranate. It is important to note that hot foods (according to TCM, this also includes spicy foods) should be avoided as they open pores and have a cooling effect on the organism.It should also be mentioned that the recommendation resulting from Western understanding, citrus fruits to strengthen the immune system contradicts the TCM understanding, as these have a cooling effect on the body and thus weaken Qi and thus the immune system instead of strengthening it.

In addition to nutrition, sleep and exercise an important role for a strong Qi. According to the TCM organ clock, you should go to bed between 9 and 11 p.m. Meditative forms of movement such as Qi Gong as well as acupuncture, acupressure, moxibustion and cupping help to dissolve energy blockages.

Important nutrients that can help strengthen our immune system

zinc contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system. According to the National Consumption Study (NVS II) for Germany, the average intake of zinc is 8 mg per day for women and 11 mg per day for men. The German Nutrition Society recommends that women should consume 7-10 mg and men 11-16 mg of zinc per day (depending on how rich the diet is in phytates). Men in particular are therefore often undersupplied with zinc. To improve the bioavailability of zinc, Ayurveda recommends taking it with Amla (Amalaki), although this has not been scientifically proven.

vitamin D and vitamin C contribute to the normal functioning of the immune system.

rose hips are known for their high vitamin C content and contain even more of it than lemon or sea buckthorn. Depending on the type of rose and its degree of ripeness, rose hips can contain up to 5000 mg of vitamin C per 100 g. Hildegard von Bingen already relied on rose hip tea to strengthen the immune system and prevent colds.

Amla is the "king fruit" in Ayurveda, an essential component of Triphala and balances all three doshas, ​​but especially the Pitta dosha. The tannoids contained in Amla are said to have a vitamin C-like effect on the immune system, accumulating in leukocytes and activating T cells. Amla also has a very high concentration of antioxidants, for example, Amla contains around 30 times more polyphenols than red wine. This is also confirmed by the detection of a very high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value in certain Amla powders (cf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841576/ ).

Astragalus is a tragacanth root, which is one of the most important medicinal plants in TCM and is considered to have immunomodulatory properties, i.e. it stimulates a weak immune system and reduces excessive immune reactions, for example in the case of allergies or autoimmune diseases. Its roots are considered to be a Qi tonic, i.e. in the TCM understanding they strengthen the life energy. Therefore, the chicken soups popular in TCM to strengthen the immune system usually contain tragacanth roots. The root is now also known in the West and its active ingredients have been well researched. For example, Astragalus is often used to relieve symptoms of allergies such as hay fever.

ABM is an almond mushroom (Agaricus blazei) that has very high concentrations of long-chain polysaccharides, especially beta-glucans. Beta-glucans can support both the innate and the acquired, adaptive immune system, for example by increasing phagocytosis as an important component of the cellular immune system and by stimulating the production of cytokines that regulate the growth and differentiation of cells (cf. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24774968/ ). The almond mushroom has even higher concentrations of beta-glucans than Reishi or Shiitake.

Legal Consumer Information

German and European law aims to protect consumers from allegedly misleading claims about effectiveness. The statements made here refer to the original Ayurvedic and TCM texts. This knowledge, which has been passed down for thousands of years, is based on experience passed down from generation to generation. It is not intended to claim that the products described here have an effect in the sense of Western medicine. All products are food supplements; they are not medications and have no medical effect. If you are ill and require medical care, please contact your doctor or pharmacist.