Hordes of life stealing, airway blocking and productivity zapping germs are coming. They’re waiting for you to get run down. Waiting for that bad night’s sleep. The day you forget your jacket or wash your hair too close to bed they’ll get you. Maybe you shake hands with a snotty friend? Or grab a plague infused door knob…
Fortunately, nature provides! There are lots of natural ways to enhance your immune system during cold and flu season.
We’ve even got a nice promo code for our flavours that have these ingredients we discuss. And unlike other brands, we use the whole ingredient, not a flavouring or essence.
We want to give you the full benefit of these health packed superfoods!
Real kombucha alone has several antipathogenictendencies (here and here if you want to read more). These linked studies suggest it’s the sterilising capabilities of acetic acid (vinegary acid)and mechanisms that need to be better understood. Kombucha is a fantastic elixir and aid to immunity in seasons that are stressful to our systems.
As well as an elixir and aid by itself, kombucha is a fantastic medium for other immune- boosting compounds. Some of the best include:
- Ginger
- Elderflower
- Lemon myrtle
- Turmeric (with a little black pepper)
- Lemon
For a discount on our three flavours that use these ingredients to boost your immunity use promo code WINTER25* for 25% off. Just enter the promo code in the ‘Coupon Code’ section at checkout. *terms & conditions apply
Ginger
Humans for have used Ginger so long and so commonly that it is no longer found in the wild. Ginger is what’s called a ‘cultigen’, meaning it’s come to being due to human cultivation. We’ve found ginger so useful we’ve nurtured is perfection for our use over 5000 years.
Ginger has been proven to:
- Alleviate pain equivalent to ibuprofen triptan medications
- Be a potent cold and flu treatment and prevention
- Fight Inflammation
Ayurvedic teachings tout its healing properties and our grandparents and parents packed it into foods during colder months prevent and treat colds, flus and nausea to.
I remember noodle soups saturated with ginger being poured down my throat during cold months.
Ginger also treats a series of other symptoms and conditions but the cold and flu treatments and preventions alone are enough to make ginger a useful health blanket in the cold months. And why not ease inflammation and pains in the meantime?
Lemon Myrtle
Indigenous Australian peoples have used lemon Myrtle for culinary and healing purposes for millennia. With a floral and earthy aroma, lemon myrtle is a delicious and aromatic addition to your diet.
This rich source of essential oils is also a potent defence against sicknesses.
Lemon Myrtle has shown:
- Antiviral properties in fighting MRSA
- Antiviral, antiseptic and antibacterial properties
- To be a calming sedative
So lemon myrtle will fight off pathogens and help your body get the rest it needs. And as well as that, it’s mouth watering!
Turmeric
Turmeric has been prescribed for 4000 years in the Vedic cultures of India.
“The activities of turmeric include antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, antiseptic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, radioprotective, and digestive activities.”- Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition.
Curcumin is the compound largely credited as turmeric’s main health benefits. Used as an overall pro- health supplement now,curcumin is increasingly popular amongst the health conscious and biohackers.
Curcumin has shown antiviral capabilities and specifically anti flu capabilities, with a 90% reduction in virus yield in cell cultures.
There’s one problem with curcumin- poor absorption.
But there’s a remedy to this- the biohack of pairing curcumin with ‘piperine’- the primary compound in black pepper. Piperine increases curcumin absorption by 2000%. So if you want to get the great benefits of turmeric, be sure to pair it with piperine (which we do for you in our Ginger Turmeric Lemon flavour– check the ingredients label).
Elderflower
Dainty flower, powerful health benefits.
Traditionally used throughout Europe and amongst Native Americans as a potent remedy for many sicknesses. The elder tree was written about Hippocrates (as in Hippocratic oath, father of Western medicine) as the ‘medicine chest’.
Recently science has proven elderberries and elderflowers to be potent health boosters. Most relevantly in wintertime however, elderflowers have been shown as potent antiviral agents.
Natural pharmaceutical products such as sinusitis medication,Sinupret, have used elderflower to mitigate sinusitis. Elderflower has also been shown to be excellent agents against different influenza strains.
Additionally, the Commission E (German scientific board approving traditional, folk and herbal treatments with scientific backing) approved elderflower for colds.
Elderflower is a delicious and versatile botanical to comfort you during cold and flu season.
Lemon
My mum told me when I was young that her mother would make her eat a whole lemon if she got sick.
Long have we known Vitamin C is key to a healthy immune system.A rich source of Vitamin C, lemons are a great food to stack on top of other winter foods to keep you healthy.
Vitamin C has been shown to aid cancer, age related macular degenerations and cataracts, cardiovascular disease and the common cold.
Consuming a lot of natural Vitamin C can help shorten the duration of colds and get you back on your feet so a food like lemon is a must have for winter.
Terms and Conditions of coupon code:
- Minimum $40 spend
- Only for Ginger Turmeric Lemon, Lemon Myrtle and Elderflower flavours
- Offer expires on the 31st August 2019
ABOUT AUTHOR: Jack Lewis is a keen researcher, writer and health enthusiast. Jack aims to communicate evidence based, accessible strategies to optimise health for everyday people. In his spare time, Jack likes to home brew kombucha and is a competitive martial artist.