This combination acts to support healthy immune function. Its ingredients - astragalus, codonopsis, atractylodes, eleuthero, reishi mushroom, ligustrum, schisandra, white atractylodes and licorice – are all considered qi tonic herbs in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and have thousands of years of traditional use behind them. Modern clinical and laboratory work has confirmed that they are especially effective for immune problems.
This combination has three primary purposes:
• To improve immune function and decrease the tendency to frequent colds, flu and infection.
• As a qi tonic for fatigue and exhaustion.
And
• As an adjunctive during radiation and chemotherapy to mitigate immune depression.
The following is a brief explanation of the individual herbs and the rationale for their use:
Astragalus - In addition to more than 1,500 years of use in TCM, clinical trials conducted with astragalus confirm its efficacy for impaired immunity, as an adjunctive to cancer treatment, and for viral infections including the common cold. One randomized controlled trial in 115 leucopoenia patients corroborated that astragalus was effective at raising pathologically low white blood cell levels.
Codonopsis – Ever since its tonic properties were first described in the Ben Cao Cong Xin in 1757, codonopsis has become a highly valued qi tonic equal in status to other herbs such as astragalus and ginseng.
Eleuthero – Eleuthero is a first class tonic herb. Clinical trials have proven that it enhances immune function, especially natural killer and T-helper cells, and decreases side effects from orthodox therapies used to treat cancer.
Reishi - In the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (ca. 100 A.D.), which is the classic pharmacopoeia of TCM, reishi was ranked highest among all 365 herbs listed, considered even more valuable than ginseng. In modern medicine, reishi is commonly used for leucopoenia.
Ligustrum – Together with astragalus, Ligustrum is one of two foundational qi tonic herbs in TCM. Ligustrum is primarily a yin tonic. Since many cancer drugs cause damage to the “yin essence,” ligustrum makes for a useful corrective treatment. Clinical trials demonstrate that ligustrum inhibits the leucopoenia caused by chemo and radiation therapy in cancer patients. It corrects low white blood cell counts and is a mainstay of adjunctive treatment for cancer patients in China.
Schisandra – Schisandra is yet another TCM qi tonic and is an immune enhancer. It also acts as a liver restorative and protectant, thus improving tolerance to chemotherapies.
White atractylodes - In addition to its immune-enhancing benefits, atractylodes acts to support good appetite, as well as improving the digestion of food and absorption of nutrients. One study found that atractylodes improved cancer cachexia (wasting).
Licorice: Licorice is the great harmonizer in TCM. A great number of traditional formulas utilize licorice for this purpose, in order to reduce the potential toxicity of some ingredients while also amplifying the therapeutic properties of them all. Licorice improves adrenal function, and it is included in seven out of 12 TCM formulas described in one text as potentially useful adjuncts to standard therapies for cancer.
Combination rationale: TCM practitioner and herbalist Subhuti Dharmananda, PhD, maintains that in TCM the use of qi tonic herbs are of primary benefit in adjunctive cancer treatments and for treating immune disorders. As Dharmananda explains, “This method of therapy is called ‘Fu Zheng’ therapy, meaning ‘to support normality’ … Virtually all the qi tonics have the ability to enhance production of white blood cells and enhance immune attack … The use of qi tonics in cancer therapy arises both from a traditional approach and from modern experimentation. From the traditional view, both the systemic and local abnormalities that develop with cancer are thought to be due to weakness and pathology of the qi. Thus, treatment is based on tonifying the qi and clearing the pathological qi …”
Administration: Take 1-2 capsules twice daily with a little water on an empty stomach.
St. Francis Herb Farm has created this encapsulated product for several reasons:
1. Many individuals prefer the convenience of capsules to liquid dosage forms, especially where taste and convenience are issues.
2. Many consumers, for health or religious reasons, choose to avoid products containing alcohol, which is a component of most of our other herbal liquid formulations.
3. Not wishing to compromise in the quality of our product, St. Francis Herb Farm has chosen to make an extract. This means that the essential ingredients are pre-extracted from the herbs in a way that ensures their medicinal potency and then dried to a powder form. As a result, difficult-to-digest root materials are not simply encapsulated in a ground-up form without the benefit of extraction, as many products are. Since roots are difficult to digest, absorption from these types of ground root products is minimal.
4. Our convenient twice-daily dosage ensures the highest possible ease of use while also offering a very potent and affordable product. One bottle of Deep Immune capsules contains the equivalent
Ingredients:
Astragalus
(Astragalus membranaceus)
Codonopsis
(Codonopsis pilosula)
Reishi mushroom
(Ganoderma lucidum)
Eleuthero
(Eleutherococcus senticosus)
Ligustrum
(Ligustrum lucidum)
Schisandra
(Schisandra chinensis)
White Atractylodes
(Atractylodes macrocephala)
Licorice
(Glycyrrhiza spp.)
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