The cold months of the year bring a flurry of beastly germs to our doorstep. These wee-but-wicked pathogens must sense that our immune systems are vulnerable—especially during the holidays when rich food and drink prevail. I like to start bolstering my family’s immune systems early in the cold & flu season; well before everyone around us is sniffling and sneezing. Practices like eating a nourishing diet; getting plenty of sleep, sunshine, and water; and proper hand washing are essential, but I also rely on a handful of tonic herbs to keep us healthy and resilient.

Herbal immune tonics are traditionally taken on a daily basis during the fall and winter months to strengthen immunity and lessen our chances of succumbing to common viral infections. These herbs are slow-acting with a prolonged effect, so they must be taken regularly to be beneficial. They differ from immunostimulating herbs (also known as immune stimulants) like echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) and spilanthes (Acmella oleracea), which are taken right at the onset of an illness for on-the-spot protection.

Therapeutically, immune tonics are also used to address poor immune resilience—for example, individuals who experience frequent infections—and to boost the immune system in preparation for cold and flu season. You’ll notice that two of the remedies we feature in this article are mushrooms: reishi and turkey tail. This is no coincidence—many of our premiere immune tonics are fungi. We use the term “herb” loosely here at the Chestnut School to include therapeutic medicinal trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, and mushrooms.

Most immune tonics fall into the category of immunomodulators, which are herbs that have balancing, or amphoteric, effects on the immune system (making them more appropriate, in general, for folks with autoimmune conditions, as compared to immunostimulating herbs). You can read more about both immunomodulators and immunostimulants in our in-depth article on Herbs for the Immune System.

Please note that this article is introductory in scope and doesn’t fully cover each medicinal. If you plan to forage any of these herbs, you’ll need to seek out trustworthy identification tips. You’ll also need to learn foraging ethics before you harvest any plant from the wild! There are deadly poisonous plants and mushrooms out there, so proper identification is paramount. See our Foraging and Wildcrafting resources on the blog for more guidance.

Before we dive into the herbs and mushrooms, we’d like to share a reminder that a healthy lifestyle is the best immune booster! Herbs are excellent supporting players, but we can’t rely upon them to be the only stars in the show. To read up on our suggestions for holistic immune health, visit our comprehensive article on Herbs for the Immune System.