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Top 8 Supplements to Support Immune System Health

By Dr. Josh Axe

October 8, 2022

We know the importance of a healthy immune system. In fact, there’s never a bad time for supporting a healthy immune system.

The great news is there are relatively simple ways you can boost your family’s immune system health, and many of these immune system “assisters” have been utilized by different cultures for centuries. (Of course, an overall healthy diet and lifestyle are crucial.)

Why is this so important? Because our immune systems are our built-in first line of defense for our bodies. It’s always important — but especially in an age where we move and connect faster than ever before.

Thankfully, nature provides us with a treasure trove of botanicals and other ingredients to support a healthy immune system.

Here are the top healthy immune system-supporting ingredients nature has to offer, in my opinion, along with one-of-a-kind ingredient pairings Ancient Nutrition and I formulated to bring what we believe are the best immune-boosting supplements out there.

1. Vitamin C Optimized for Absorption

How many times growing up did your mother remind you to get enough vitamin C?

Known as “the immune system vitamin” in studies, vitamin C works with other amino acids like proline to strengthen areas of your body, including connective tissue, too.

Kiwi fruit, citrus fruits, bok choy, cabbage, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, papayas, spinach, strawberries, oranges and black currants serve as rich natural sources, but for times when you need more, we created a body-ready capsule version that also includes tough probiotics to bring immune defense support like you’ve never seen it before.

Our vitamin C supplement is delivered in a gold-standard, liquid metabolite form that maximizes absorption for more sustained benefits, including a healthy response to inflammation. This means your body is retaining more (and you’re generally urinating out less).

2. Multi Collagen Protein Immune

One of our most uniquely and soon to be popular products, this easily mixable powder features collagen types I, II, III, V and X along with 2 billion CFU of soil-based organism (SBO) probiotics and 1,000% daily value of vitamin C. Talk about getting your day off to a good start when you add this your morning smoothie!

Multi Collagen Protein Immune promotes both healthy immune defense and antioxidant activity on top of a healthy gut, skin, hair and nails.

3. Enzyme-Activated Zinc

An essential trace mineral involved in hundreds of enzymatic functions in the body — including supporting healthy immune system functions — zinc plays a crucial role in overall wellness.

Generally speaking, zinc catalyzes nearly 100 enzymes and is essential for proper protein synthesis in the human body. Zinc supports immune system health in its own right, and also relies on vitamin C to maximize its role in the human body.

As humans, we need to take in zinc each day because our body doesn’t manufacture it. Zinc-rich foods, including pumpkin seeds, lentils, chickpeas and cocoa powder, can help us get the zinc we need, although animal sources like grass-fed beef, liver or kefir are often more bioavailable in the body. Oysters also contain zinc, but they can also contain unwanted substances.

Supplementing is often necessary to hit your zinc goals. Just make sure you’re unlocking the supplement’s potential by sourcing an enzyme-activated zinc — such our Ancient Nutrients Zinc + Probiotics Capsules — that boosts its bioavailability to maximize your supplement investment.

Just like enzymes and probiotics help you break down nutrients in food, sourcing a newer type of zinc in enzyme-activated form means, in my professional opinion, you’ll enhance absorption.

4. Elderberry

With evidence of elderberry-based recipes dating back to Ancient Egypt, historical documents show us elderberry has been a staple of wellness workers for centuries.

Elderberry is a powerful berry high in vitamin C, but it also features unique antioxidants that support our immune health. A lot of people take elderberry today to support different areas of their immune system.

To me it's my No. 1 superfood when it comes to supporting the immune system. I take this one on a regular basis. It’s considered so powerful due to its unique type of polyphenols, which are antioxidants that help activate a healthy immune system.

The problem is this, though.

Most elderberry supplements on the market contain added sugars, which is counterintuitive to immune protection. My team and I sourced the highest quality elderberry on the planet and fermented it, resulting in what I believe to be a superior elderberry supplement containing 0 grams of sugar per serving.

We also paired our unique elderberry formula with probiotics in one convenient supplement to offer immune and gut support unlike any other. The SBO probiotics in this formula are built tough to survive harsh conditions like stomach acids so the benefits make it to your gut.

5. Echinacea

Used traditionally by Native Americans for lung support and respiratory health support, echinacea, also known as coneflower, is the go-to immune herb in the West.

But we went beyond immune health by weaving together the most popular herb for respiratory wellness in Western herbalism with what’s, in my professional opinion, the most powerful immune herb of the East, astragalus. (See No. 5 below.)

And since approximately 70 to 80 percent of the immune system is in the gut, we added the beneficial probiotic Bacillus subtilis, a unique soil-based organisms (SBO) resistant to bile, heat and stomach acid, meaning it’ll make it to your gut to bring benefits like immune system and digestive support. This is the same probiotic used in natto, a Japanese superfood made from fermented beans.

We’re the first ever to combine echinacea and astragalus together in a single formula with a long-revered SBO: Ancient Herbals Echinacea + Astragalus Capsules.

6. Astragalus

Astragalus is an herb treasured for centuries in traditional Chinese herbalism, and in my opinion, one of the most powerful herbs on the planet for supporting immune health.

Astragalus supports gut and immune system health. In fact, of all the things on this list, astragalus is one of my absolute favorites to use on a regular basis. See above how we at Ancient Nutrition combined it with echinacea for a powerful immune product.

7. Ancient Multi Immune

Formulated specifically for anyone seeking to support a healthy immune system, this amazing multivitamin features 100% or more Daily Value of 14 essential vitamins and minerals. With multi-kingdom ingredients inspired by TCM (Traditional Chinese Method), they're also methylated, fermented and enzyme-activated.

Uniquely, Ancient Multi Immune also features bovine liver, which I consider an ancient nutritional powerhouse. One of the most nutrient-dense foods, liver contains vitamins A, D, B12, B2, B3, B5, B6, omega-3s, iron, folate, zinc and more. It's also sourced from pasture-raised New Zealand cattle!

8. Ancient Glandulars Grass-Fed Liver

Speaking of liver, Ancient Nutrition just launched one of our most exciting products: Ancient Glandulars Grass-Fed Liver capsules. Most diets today lack with the No. 1 nutrient-filled superfood on the planet: liver. This wild, grass-fed liver blend — sourced from grass-fed Argentinian beef and wild, free-roaming Icelandic lambs — is packed with vitamins, minerals and more to promote optimal liver health as well as immune health, along with other body-wide benefits.

It also features the highly unusual Six Kingdoms patent, which combines elements from every biological kingdom in order to create a diet that brings you energy and nutrients, optimized for your body to absorb.

Related: See Our Immune Products Collection

Other Ingredients and Practices That Support You!

And just to round out the list, here are some other ingredients and practices known in traditional cultures to help support overall wellness …

• Reishi mushroom (mushroom supplements also support immune system health)

• Schisandra berry

• Ginger

• Ginseng

• Olive leaf extract

• Turmeric

• Noni

• Andrographis

• Sunshine

• Exercise

• Gratitude

And last but not least, let’s take a closer look at those last three. As you are taking care of your immune system, you've got to practice the proper lifestyle, including stress reduction, getting healthy amounts of sunshine, exercising, spending time in nature and fostering feelings of gratitude and hope to overcome fear.

Resetting your mindset to a state of joy, gratitude, love, faith and hope are essential.

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS, is a doctor of chiropractic, doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist and author with a passion to help people get well using food and nutrition. He operates leading natural health website DrAxe.com and is co-founder of Ancient Nutrition, a health supplement company. He’s also author of the books Eat Dirt, Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine, Keto Diet, Collagen Diet and Ancient Remedies.