In recent years, we often hear about immunity, the immune system at the doctor's office, in newspaper articles, in advertising brochures. Most often, phrases like: “You (or your child) have reduced immunity”, “You need to raise immunity”, “Such and such a remedy helps to raise immunity” and similar expressions are heard.
What kind of animal is this, immunity, without which nothing can be done, does not move, grows weak? Is it really possible to somehow influence him to achieve health? If possible, what is the best way to do it?
The question is not easy even for an expert. But nevertheless we will try to talk simply about the complex. So.
The immune system is a very complex functional structure of the human body, designed on the one hand to maintain the constancy of the cellular composition of organs and tissues, on the other hand, to reflect the aggression of fungi, microbes and viruses that have entered the body, as well as other pathogenic factors.
To carry out these functions, the immune system must:
1. timely detect foreign cells (including tumor cells, bacteria, viruses, etc.),
2. destroy them,
3. remove from the body,
4. store the memory of previous invasions in order to more quickly respond to new aggression.
If we draw analogies with society, then the immune system is the police in a state called “the human body”.
It is easy to imagine what is happening in a country where the police is weak: from rampant crime, the normal life of citizens becomes impossible, the economy is falling, the state is in a fever of all kinds of crises. In relation to the immune system, this condition is called immunodeficiency. Immunodeficiency can be caused by a variety of factors. The most terrifying of these is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the body, which is complicated by frequent infectious lesions, the development of malignant tumors.
On the other hand, police supervision can be brought to the point of absurdity, be redundant. The result is mass repressions and the death of innocent citizens. A similar state exists in the immune system. The predominance of factors of immunological aggression leads to the emergence of serious diseases, called autoimmune. Examples: rheumatoid arthritis, glomerulonephritis, autoimmune thyroiditis, etc.
There is a third side of immune dysfunction, which is characterized by a perversion of immune responses. In such a situation, there is no unequivocal suppression, as in the first case, and there is no pure overstimulation, as in the case of autoimmunity.
In other words, immunity is quite sufficient (not weak and not excessive), but it does not work properly.
We are talking about allergic reactions. What we often observe in the form of asthma attacks, skin rashes, prolonged colds, is a perverted state of immunity. It is clear that this category of diseases includes bronchial asthma, hay fever (reaction to pollen), allergic dermatitis in the form of eczema, urticaria, Quincke's edema and others.
All immune reactions are realized through the links of immunity, of which there are two. Namely, cellular and humoral.
The cellular link of immunity consists of blood cells, lymphocytes, macrophages and others.
Macrophages are the first to meet the aggressor (bacterium or tumor cell), eat it, thereby not only destroy the stranger, but also get to know him better and transmit this information to other cells, lymphocytes.
Lymphocytes, in turn, are divided into two large groups - T- and B-lymphocytes.
T-lymphocytes play a very important role: they know exactly when to start immune responses and when to slow down. It is this property that makes them a key figure in all immune regulation.
In addition, T - lymphocytes themselves are able to kill foreign cells by the so-called direct cellular cytotoxicity.
Among T-cells and B-cells, memory cells are isolated.
B - lymphocytes are fundamentally different from their counterparts in that they can produce special proteins - immunoglobulins that can bind to a foreign protein (for example, on a bacterial membrane). As a result, specific substances (complement) circulating in the blood are activated, which kill the stranger.
It is immunoglobulins that make up the second link of immunity - humoral. There are several classes of immunoglobulins: A, E, D, G, M.
Immunoglobulin A is produced by mucous membranes and is involved in the primary surface contact with bacteria.
Immunoglobulins G and M implement most reactions in tissues. For example, rheumatoid factor, which is a specific marker of systemic lesions connective tissue (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, scleroderma and others) belongs to this class.
Immunoglobulin E is interesting in that it is the main actor in allergic reactions. Moreover, for each allergen, its own immunoglobulin E is produced, which allows us, by determining its levels in the blood, to say exactly what a person is allergic to.
The main organs of the immune system are the spleen, lymph nodes, thymus gland (thymus), partially the liver and bone marrow, as well as all the lymphoid tissue scattered throughout the body.
The best known representative of the lymphoid tissue are the tonsils of the pharyngeal ring, which become inflamed during a sore throat. Long-term inflammation of the tonsils of the pharyngeal ring is called chronic tonsillitis, so well known in our northern latitudes.
It becomes clear why children who often suffer from sore throats have a very low general background of immune responses.
So, we analyzed the main theoretical provisions of immunity and realized that there are three fundamentally different types of immune status disorders that require sometimes radically opposite measures to eliminate them.
Too active actions of immune links need to be suppressed. This is done with the help of so-called cytostatics, or immunosuppressants. A prime example is the use of methotrexate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. There are analogues among plants. These are, as a rule, karyoclastic poisons - colchicum, cinchona, aconite, periwinkle, and so on.

With a weakened immune system, stimulation is required. For this purpose, immunostimulants are used, for example, aloe, vitreous, pyrogenal, prodigiosan and others.
There is a good saying in immunology: "From immunodeficiency to autoimmunity - one step." This saying reflects the unpredictability of both indiscriminate stimulation and indiscriminate suppression.
As for allergic reactions, a one-sided action is generally unacceptable here, since with allergies, some parts of the immune system need to be suppressed, while others, on the contrary, should be stimulated.

A traditional Russian question arises: what to do?

The way out in this situation can be considered the use of certain plants, which, due to their complex composition, finely balanced by Nature itself, cause complex changes in the function of the immune system. These changes, including selective stimulation of the lagging links of the immunological response and the same selective inhibition of overly active links, are called immunomodulation. Accordingly, plants used for this purpose are called immunomodulators.

Many well-known plants belong to the group of immunomodulators. For example, large celandine, high elecampane, field clover (red), representatives of the sedum family.
With the advent of biologically active food supplements on the Russian market, immunomodulatory plants endemic to South America, Southeast Asia and other regions of the Earth have become known. Examples: Gotu kola (Gotu cola), Po d'Arco (Tabebuja heptaphylla), cat's claw - vilzatsora (Uncaria tormentosa).
Nevertheless, despite the rich pharmacy assortment of immunomodulators, in the practice of phytotherapists there are often plants that are not included in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation. Their effect often exceeds that of permitted herbs and even more so in food supplements.
A striking representative is the small duckweed - a small plant that covers the surface of ponds with stagnant water in summer.
The immunomodulatory properties of this plant are so great that a short-term intake during the off-season is enough to prevent influenza.
With great success, duckweed is used in the complex treatment of bronchial asthma and other types of allergies.
There are many recipes for using duckweed. Most often, water extracts of the plant are used.
I personally like the old Tibetan recipe the most. Duckweed well washed from mud is dried. Then the dried herb powder is mixed with high-quality unsweetened honey to the consistency of a dough, from which balls the size of a large pea are then rolled.
The resulting peas are laid out on a baking sheet in one layer and dried in an oven at a temperature of about 50 ° C for 5-6 hours.
Take 1-2 peas 2 times a day for the prevention of influenza, frequent colds, allergies and bronchial asthma. It must be remembered that some allergic people react to honey. In these cases, it is better to use decoctions of duckweed.

Just like duckweed, Veronica officinalis is good, having, in addition to a mild immunomodulatory effect, the ability to regulate metabolism, calm the nervous system, relieve inflammation, thin sputum and improve its expectoration.
Veronica is used in decoction.
Many people know the plant Echinacea purpurea, various preparations from the flowers of which began to be actively offered by the pharmacy chain for the prevention of influenza and other colds. Echinacea can be used as an alcoholic tincture and as a decoction of the flower heads.
The most powerful immunomodulator is the euphorbia Pallas, popularly called the “root man”. This plant has a very limited habitat - Altai and Siberia.
The plant is poisonous, so it is used in the form of an alcohol tincture, dosed by drip. For cooking, they usually take 25-50 g of dry root per 0.5 liter of vodka. Insist 3 weeks in a dark place. Take 7-10 drops three times a day for 1-3 months. The root can be re-infused. That is, when the first portion of the tincture ends, the root is again poured with the same amount of vodka. But this time, a single dose is 10-12 drops.
Similarly to Euphorbia Pallas, another endemic plant is Ferula Dzungarian.