There are quite a number of medicinal plants that go a long way toward boosting your immunity, and many are readily available, especially with the increase in popularity. You might even be able to get some of them out of your own yard or garden.

When talking about giving a boost to your immunity, it is very important to understand that we are actually talking about two things; maintaining your body's natural immunity to fight off disease and infection, and ways to strengthen your body's natural abilities. They are very similar, but they are not the same thing.

Maintaining your immune system amounts to making sure that it has the right things in order not to become weaker. This is done by making sure that you take in the right vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, and Zinc. (Note: If your vitamin C intake is large, but your zinc or iron intake is low, your body can't absorb very much of the vitamin C.)

Fresh vegetables and fruits are the easiest way to make sure that your body has plenty of vitamins and minerals. This is especially true dark green vegetables, members of the cauliflower family, tomatoes, apples, and citrus fruits. These are actually far better than taking supplements, though if your fresh fruit and vegetable intake is low, multiple vitamins do help. B vitamins, including those coming from yeast, also seem to help the immune system in many ways not yet understood.

This is to maintain your immune system to keep it healthy. But at times, like when you are battling illness, or come to a time of year when cold and flu viruses are abundant, you will probably want to increase the effectiveness of your immune system. This is where the herbal medications come in, though it should also be noted that increasing protein intake, such as eating more beans or fresh red meat, can help significantly.

Garlic: Raw garlic has been used for at least a couple thousand years to combat illnesses. Though it has been studied extensively, medical scientists still aren't sure about how it does all that it does. Many studies suggest, though, that part of it's effectiveness is in increasing the abilities of the immune system. All members of the onion family share this trait, though the others do so to a lesser degree. Even cooked or prepared garlic seems to help, though raw garlic is preferable. One clove a day can lessen your chances of getting colds and flu by nearly 50%.

Echinacea: This herb, now widely available

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