Tag: herbal immune support

Gentle Reader.

IMMUNE SUPPORT:  NUTRIFERON

I tried to make sense of developing breast cancer at age 34.  One thought was to blame too much use of antibiotics as a child, along with cold and flu suppressants.  No doctor has been willing to go there with me.  My approach to my own health these past 42 cancer free years has been to strengthen my immune system in every way possible.

To my great relief and delight, the man who discovered a key to the immune response, Interferon, developed an herbal compound that stimulates our own body’s ability to make interferon.  Shaklee has the exclusive right to market this herbal complex, Nutriferon.  Herbs provide immune support.

I wish everyone I care about and people I don’t even know yet would take this Nutriferon every day.  We would have a lot fewer sick days if they did.

What is Nutriferon? Scientific results

Individual ingredients in the immune boosting blend include

pumpkin seed (Cucurbita Moschata) extract, which has been reported to induce interferon in cell cultures. It also contains

Plantago seed (Plantago asiatica), which has polysaccharides thought to stimulate non-specific immunity.

Safflower flower (Carthamus tinctorius) polysaccharides have been shown experimentally to prompt macrophages to produce cytokines. And

Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) flower buds have been traditionally used to fight infections.

What does Nutriferon do?

Experimentally, it’s been reported to increase the activity of immune cells. For example, clinical studies demonstrate that this novel, patented botanical blend is effective at inducing the body’s natural production of interferon, a key conductor and activator of immune response processes. Nutriferon activates and increases the phagocytic activity of macrophages and may increase the activity of natural killer cells, immune system defenders that seek out and destroy invaders at the cellular immune response level.

Human Clinical Trials

1. Administration of a Botanical Blend in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

High dose interferon is approved as a treatment for hepatitis C. The investigators in this study chose to look at [Nutriferon] for its potential natural interferon induction and the impact on patients with chronic hepatitis C.

The three month study conducted at Kanazawa University Hospital in Ishikawa, Japan, was an open-label trial of patients with chronic hepatitis C who ingested 1gm of the blend [Nutriferon] daily. Of the 35 patients that completed the study, there were improvements reported in malaise, abdominal bloating, nausea, and vomiting with no adverse changes in hematology or biochemical examination parameters. There was a statistically significant decrease in HCV-RNA virus levels in patients with high viral titers after 1 and 3 months administration of [Nutriferon] and no serious adverse events were observed with botanical blend administration.  The study findings suggest that [Nutriferon] has antiviral activity and may be both safe and useful for administration to patients with chronic hepatitis C, especially in those with high viral titers.

Think about what this implies!

2. Administration of a Patented Botanical Blend in Patients with Pollenosis [allergies like hay-fever]

Allergies such as hay fever are hyper-sensitivities in which immune responses to environmental antigens cause inflammation and damage to the body itself.

Three uncontrolled trials on 113 subjects with mild nasal allergy or hay fever were conducted between 1998 and 2000. In these trials, subjects who used the botanical blend reported specific improvements in subjective measurements such as sneezing, nasal discharge, teary eyes, and nasal blockage. 10 subjects with nasal allergy consuming 2 g daily of [Nutriferon] for 4 weeks showed a statistically significant increase in peripheral blood gamma interferon levels after 4 weeks when compared to the pre-treatment measurement.   Reduced allergy response!

3. Effect of Administration of a Botanical Blend in Menopausal Women

Biological factors including hormones and cytokines, as well as psychological factors determine menopausal symptoms. The negatives associated with hormone replacement therapy are driving the search for alternative therapies. Thirty-two post-menopausal women were given 2g daily of [Nutriferon] for 6 months to measure effects on the immune and endocrine systems. There was a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, significant decrease in facial skin surface blood flow, and a significant decrease in plasma TG and LDL-cholesterol after 3 months administration.  [Nutriferon] appears to have clinically improved menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women and may help to maintain or improve normal biological function and quality of life as measured by these indicators in postmenopausal women.  Think about this!!

4. Some Effects of [Nutriferon]

In a follow up to the previous study, there was a significant decrease in plasma FSH level, and a significant increase in plasma GM-CSF levels and after 6 months administration of the botanical blend in the 32 subjects. It is significant that [Nutriferon] reduced menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women. [Nutriferon] may have acted as an immunomodulator and an endocrine modulator.

5. Administration of [Nutriferon] on Physical and Mental Symptoms Accompanying Premenstrual Symptoms (PMS)

Forty-two women ages 20-35 years old with PMS symptoms took 800 mg daily of the blend for 3 months reported statistically significant improvements for abdominal cramps, low back pain, swollen breasts, acne, breast pain, constipation, nervousness, sleepiness, short temper, and reduction of concentration after one month.

So much for the scientific medical-babble.  What does this mean for you and me?

A couple of testimonies:

My son gets sick a lot and travels for his job. He is usually sick for 4 days.  He took 6 Nutriferon when he started to get sick, took 6 more when he woke up at 4 a.m. By 9 am at breakfast, he was shocked to feel well.

I’m allergic to pollen, dust, grass, weeds, trees, feathers, fur, certain scents, dogs, cats, and certain foods (citrus, fish, cashews or anything processed in a plant with tree nuts). I also have asthma. I suffered oozy itchy rashes on my hands so bad I could hardly bend my fingers and couldn’t work as a nail tech. For years I would break out all over my body every time the wind blew. I was always getting nosebleeds. I was constantly sick with bronchitis, and pretty much had no voice for 4-6 months out of the year. I tried over-the-counter, and every prescription med, inhalers, nose sprays, you name it. Zyrtec worked the best but made me absolutely crazy and I had to quit taking it. I was getting allergy shots for a while and they helped a lot, but the series were sporatic, due to red tape in the MediCal system, and a couple times I had analphylactic reactions to the shots.

I was a non-committed Shaklee user, but decided to give the Nutriferon a try. My God, what a difference! I doubled up on it the first few days, then took two a day regularly for a long time. I did go without it for about a week at one point, and that is where I really saw the difference because the symptoms came back! Other than that, I’ve been basically symptom free since I started taking the Nutriferon.

I have seven children, one with severe allergies who also takes Nutriferon. My oldest daughter who is in college, takes it every day and was the only one in school that didn’t get sick the whole year. The other kids take it when others around them are getting sick at school and work. Tara Colvin