The fourth tea to be released in our Premium Herbal Tea line, Immune Boost is a refreshing mint tea that you can drink daily (or multiple times daily) for refreshment while also giving your immune system a boost!
Made with mint, honeysuckle and four other specifically formulated to boost the immune system with their antiviral and respiratory system-supporting properties.
Let's take a deeper look at this minty tea made with simple yet powerful ingredients, and why we chose to call it "Immune Boost".
Immune Boost is made with six powerful ingredients: mint, honeysuckle, mulberry leaf, heart leaf, Solomon's seal and licorice. That's it! We don't use sugars, preservatives, additives or fillers, ever. Mint and honeysuckle provide a cool and crisp flavor; offset by the sweetness of licorice to give this herbal formula a refreshing, minty flavor.
Functional Benefits of Immune Boost
More than just tasting good, Immune Boost is designed with powerful herbs to help support your immune system before, during and after a cold or flu hits. According to Nicholas Wismann, the professional herbalist and licensed acupuncturist who helped us develop our herbal tea line, "The more bitter the medicine, the stronger it is. That is especially true when it come to anti-bacterial, anti-viral and immune boosting herbs. To make a formula that's effective for the immune system, and actually taste good, is difficult to do." And, we've done just that!
Our evaporative dehydration process is extremely important for all of our herbal tea formulas, but most importantly for Immune Boost. The chemical ingredients that are effective for the immune system are the essential oils found in the herbs. When you cook these herbs at a high temperature those beneficial properties are lost. You must cook them at a lower temperature to be more effective for the immune system, which we've done. That's why this formula is very effective for your immune system.
Each ingredient has a specific function, contributing to the power of this mighty cup of premium herbal instant tea. Made with Cusa Tea's patented process, which retains the nutrients of each ingredient in our teas, you get all that each of these ingredients has to offer.
Mint
Mint is one of the most common and most effective herbs that has been used for thousands of years. Apart from the refreshing taste, mint is filled with a wide range of therapeutic benefits. Some of the main benefits include: antimicrobial, antifungal, carminative, circulatory stimulant, stomachic, antiseptic, emmenagogue, expectorant, anesthetic, etc.[6]
One of the most well-known components of mint is menthol. Menthol can be used both topically and internally depending on the ailment. It's found in rubs like Vicks Vaporub and Tiger Balm because it helps relax tight muscles and increase circulation. If taken internally it can help to decrease inflammation and pain, as well as, fight off viral and bacterial infections.[5]
Mint is also an extremely beneficial herb for your respiratory system. The strong mint smell and therapeutic benefits help to open airways and promote repository health. It's no wonder why this herb is so beneficial for sore throats, colds and flus, among many other conditions.
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is a beautiful flower, offering a strong but sweet floral scent. It has a cooling nature to help combat any heat or inflammation that may arises throughout the body. In Chinese Medicine, honeysuckle is most commonly used to help treat sore throats.
According to Wismann honeysuckle is "one of the most effect anti-viral and anti-bacterial out there." This is because it has direct anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial effects allowing it to fight off the common cold or flu with a powerful 1-2 punch.[8] It is also excellent at lowering fever and reducing inflammation because it contains substances, which act very similar to over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol and ibuprofen.[7]
Mulberry Leaf
Mulberry leaf comes from the mulberry tree, which has been used as herbal medicine for many years. While the bark and root bark has been used most commonly, in the last couple centuries the leaves have gained in popularity.
The leaves of the mulberry tree have been shown to be extremely effective at fighting off colds and flus, especially when it is accompanied by a dry cough with a sore throat, headache and fever.[1] Mulberry leaf is antibacterial and antiviral, which allow it to directly fight off your cold or flu. It helps to fight off the bad guys that may enter your blood stream. Mulberry leaf also has antioxidant properties, allowing it help boost your immune system and prevent other inflammation from happening.[9]
Heart Leaf
The name heartleaf refers to, you guessed it, the heart shaped leaves of this plant. Heartleaf is also a much more appealing name than the Chinese name, yu xing cao.
According to Wismann, "heartleaf is mainly used for respiratory conditions, especially ones that have a lot of phlegm and mucus - if you're coughing up a lot of mucus, this is ideal for that." More recent studies have found that it's effective as an antiviral, antibacterial and anti inflammatory herb. It's even been used to assist with treatment of SARS, tumors and abscesses in the lungs.[10,11]
Solomon's seal
Solomon's seal is not only used as medicine, but as food all over the world. It's been known to have nourishing, immune boosting properties. With modern research demonstrating effects on the immune system and anti-aging effects, this is a perfect herb to not only give your immune system a push in the right direction but it will also help prevent getting sick in the first place.[7]
Licorice
Licorice is an herb that is ubiquitous throughout the world and has been used in nearly every tradition of herbalism for over 3,000 years. It's a mighty herb with a might history, so it's no wonder it plays a role in this mighty cup of functional tea!
The sweet flavor of this root is very recognizable and has given rise to most people thinking of licorice as merely being candy. However, the licorice root itself is considered cooling in herbalism and has natural, steroid-like components that are helpful in controlling inflammation throughout the body, but especially for sore throats, heart burn and digestive upset. Licorice has even been shown to help heal ulcers within the digestive tract.[2,4]
Licorice is slightly moistening, or demulcent, so is very soothing for a dry, irritated cough and sore throat and can help as an expectorant for sticky mucus.[1,3] Licorice has effects on the adrenal glands and can have beneficial actions when someone is stressed out and exhausted.[2,4] Wismann says, "Overall, licorice is considered a balancing herb that harmonizes the actions of many other herbs and is a refreshing addition when trying to cool and calm the system."
Nicholas Wismann - Professional Herbalist and Licensed Acupuncturist
Whether it was in undergraduate school studying Applied Physiology, or graduate school studying Chinese Medicine, Nicholas has always maintained a keen interest in the science of the human body. Originally, he desired to attend medical school and was working toward that goal; however, after studying and living in China he became fascinated with Chinese Medicine.
Upon returning to the United States he attended Bastyr University and became a Licensed Acupuncturist. Nicholas also attended school for massage therapy to become a Licensed Massage Therapist and has received training in Tuina (Chinese Massage), Craniosacral, Reflexology, Myofascial Release, Deep Tissue and Swedish Massage techniques.
See his website here.
Sources
- Bensky, Dan, Steven Clavey, Erich Stoger and Andrew Gamble. Trans and Ed. (2004) Chinese Herbal Materia Medica. 3rd Seattle, WA: Eastland Press.
- Damle, Monica (2014) Glycyrhhiza glabra (Liquorice) – a potent medicinal herb. International Journal of Herbal Medicine, 2(2), 132-136
- Grieve, Maude. (1971) A Modern Herbal. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
- Obolentseva, G. V., Al. Trans. from Khimiko-Farmatsevticheskii Zhurnal. (1999) Pharmacological and Therapeutic Properties of Licorice Preparations (A Review). Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal, 33(8), 24 – 31.
- Akram, M et. al. (2011) Mentha arvensis Linn.: A review article. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 5(18), 4499-4503.
- Balakrishnan, Aishwarya.(2015) Therapeutic Uses of Peppermint –A Review. Journal of Pharmaceutical Science & Research, 7(7), 474-476.
- Zhao, P., Zhao, C., Li, X., Gao, Q., Huang, L., Xiao, P., & Gao, W. (2018). The genus Polygonatum: A review of ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 214, 274-291.
- Li, Yujie, Weiyan Cai, Xiaogang Weng, et al. (2015) Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos: A Systematic Pharmacology Review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015, 16. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/905063.
- Chan, Eric Wei-Chiang, Phui-Yan Lye, Siu-Kuin Wong. (2016). Phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical trials of Morus alba. Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines, 14(1), 17-30.
- Fu, J., Dai, L., Lin, Z., & Lu, H. (2013). Houttuynia cordata Thunb: a review of phytochemistry and pharmacology and quality control. Chinese Medicine, 4(03), 101.
- Lau, K. M., Lee, K. M., Koon, C. M., Cheung, C. S. F., Lau, C. P., Ho, H. M., ... & Tsui, S. K. W. (2008). Immunomodulatory and anti-SARS activities of Houttuynia cordata. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 118(1), 79-85.
