In times of health crisis, plants have frequently been relied upon to support human health and well-being. Medicinal herbs such as Echinacea, whose reputation as an immune enhancer have made it one of the most widely used herbal medicines in the world, speak to the growing global interest in supporting immunity naturally.

There are many different “biotic” products on the market, and it can be hard to know the difference between them. These products are designed to support the billions of microbes that live in the human body, each with unique characteristics and functioning via different mechanisms. The microbes in the digestive tract are commonly referred to as the gut microbiome, and they play essential roles in human health, from regulating the immune system to producing vitamins the body needs. Providing proper support to these microbes is important for good nutrition and health.

In this episode of the Medicinal Herbs podcast, naturopath and medical herbalist Berris Burgoyne joins our host Sara Le Brun Blashka, MS, to talk about specific herbal approaches to bolstering immunity for the winter. This includes approaches for chronic immune depletion, prophylaxis, acute infection, recovery, and more.