Sweet Defense: Immune Honey Recipe

This is a great way to help keep support your little one’s daily immune function. Not every kiddo will willingly eat a mushroom powder, or take a daily tincture, but this delightful concoction is one they’ll love!

Ingredients

5 oz Organic Honey

2 tsp Organic Immune Mushroom Blend*

3 ml Astragalus in tincture form

.5 tsp Cinnamon

Add honey to an 8oz mason jar and top with other ingredients. Use a fork to gently blend everything together. 

Serve 1x daily for general immune building and 2-3x daily for immune defense or at the first sign of symptoms!

*Immune boosting mushrooms include Chaga, Shiitake, Maitake, Reishi, Turkey Tail, Lion’s Mane, Mesima, and Cordyceps. Any organic powdered blend or combination will do.

Storing Sweet Defense Immune Honey in refrigerator can give it a better consistency for less sticky serving…

The Plants Behind the Magic

In the 2016 study, Huang asserts that “Astragalus membranaceus, has been shown to exhibit diverse pharmacological and biological effects, including antioxidant, immune-enhancing and antiviral effects as well as resistance to immunosuppression.” This is just the beginning of what this incredible herb has been scientifically proven to do in the human body.  It is by far one of our most accessible and delightful immunomodulating herbs.  Not only does it reduce viral activity in the body, but study after study has shown that it can reduce tumor activity in almost every organ system.  The polysaccharides, or complex sugar molecules, have been proven to assist in apoptosis of cancer cells in the body.  Apoptosis is exactly how it sounds, it “POPS” the irregular cells so that they can no longer thrive.  As far as viral activity in the body, this is an herb that has been shown to modulate, or curb, virulent effects on the body. In a 2018 study, the Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) showed protective capabilities that helped the human nervous system resist the effects of Herpes Simplex Virus or HSV.  It did not directly act on the virus and cannot reduce the rate of infection; however, it acts as a protective force on the nervous system cells known as astrocytes, greatly increasing the dormancy of the virus.  This means that outbreaks are less likely and that viruses in general can have less of an effect on the body. I am in awe of this versatile herb.  It is a great addition to any immune blend!!

Mushrooms have been used medicinally for centuries but the actual research is really just now taking stride.  Studies have shown mushrooms to have anti-viral, antioxidant, antibiotic, and anti-cancer properties among other medicinal benefits. They contain polysaccharides, a complex sugar molecule that is a great source of cellular energy and is soothing to the gut mucosa.

One more great thing about these incredible plants…they are safe and side effect free!

References:

Huang, W., Liao, W., & Sun, R. (2016). Astragalus polysaccharide induces the apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by decreasing the expression of Notch1. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 38, 551-557. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2016.2632

de Mattos-Shipley, K. M., Ford, K. L., Alberti, F., Banks, A. M., Bailey, A. M., & Foster, G. D. (2016). The good, the bad and the tasty: The many roles of mushrooms. Studies in mycology, 85, 125–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.simyco.2016.11.002

Li, W., Wang, X. H., Luo, Z., Liu, L. F., Yan, C., Yan, C. Y., Chen, G. D., Gao, H., Duan, W. J., Kurihara, H., Li, Y. F., & He, R. R. (2018). Traditional Chinese Medicine as a Potential Source for HSV-1 Therapy by Acting on Virus or the Susceptibility of Host. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(10), 3266. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19103266

Mahfuz, S., & Piao, X. (2019). Use of Medicinal Mushrooms in Layer Ration. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 9(12), 1014. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9121014

Zhou, Y., Hong, T., Tong, L., Liu, W., Yang, X., Luo, J., Wang, F., Li, J., & Yan, L. (2018). Astragalus polysaccharide combined with 10-hydroxycamptothecin inhibits metastasis in non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines via the MAP4K3/mTOR signaling pathway. International journal of molecular medicine, 42(6), 3093–3104. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3868