engleski

Mild plant and dietary immunomodulators

Plants and minerals have been used since ancient times for the treatment of many ailments and diseases. Most were used for mystical reasons and others relied on the "doctrine of signatures", which stated that the shape of the plant reflected its potential medicinal use. The root of the mandrake or ginseng, for instance, is shaped like that of the human body and has been used as a general tonic for a variety of illnesses [1]. It is claimed by herbalists to have immunostimulant properties. Siberian ginseng or Taiga root (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is also used as a tonic and has been reported to exhibit immunostimulatory properties. The pharmacological bases of these actions are unclear, so these plant medicines cannot be considered unequivocally as immunostimulants. In recent years, many folklore remedies have been subjected to intensive pharmacological study and some have been shown to exhibit therapeutic immunomodulatory properties in experimental and clinical studies. Antioxidant dietary constituents also have been shown to exert immunoprotective and/or immunostimulant properties and are widely sold as prophylactic nutritional supplements. Some of the compounds for which clear immunomodulatory actions have been described are discussed in this chapter. Combination products are not considered, since little scientific basis is available for their efficacy.

mild plants ; immunomodulators ; flavonoids ; vitamins ; minerals ; antioxidants

3rd revised and extended edition