Week 4: Immunomodulators Flashcards
What are immunostimulants?
Agents that:
- increase the activity of the immune system
- fortify the body’s response to invasion by a pathogen
- heating, stimulating, and drying
What are the main mechanisms of immunostimulants?
Increased phagocytosis
increased production of white blood cells
moderation of various cytokines
What are immunomodulators?
Agents that:
- have a tonifying effect on the immune system
- are gradual in their action
- “cool” or downregulate immune hyperfunction
- fortify the immune system without overstimulation
Echinacea spp.
Family: Asteraceae
Energetics: Cooling, Drying, Stimulating
Actions: immunostimulator, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, stimulates leukocytes, inhibits hyaluronidase, enhances phagocytosis, lymphagogue, vulnerary
Constituents: Caffeic acid ester – echinacoside, polysaccharides: fucogalactoxyloglucans and arabingalactan, alkylamides, volitile oil, echinolone, caffeic acid. E. purpurea root contains traces of pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
Echinacea spp.
Indications: Infection, sepsis, pharyngitis, prevention of upper respiratory infections, snake bites, ulcers
Contraindications: avoid use in inflammatory autoimmune diseases.
Specific Medicinal Uses: Echinacea purpurea
Compared to Stillingia with lymphagogue properties
30% alcohol tincture.
Specific Medicinal Uses: Echinacea angustifolia
Septicemia.
80% alcohol tincture.
Specific Medicinal Uses: Echinacea pallida
Root used for supportive therapy in influenza infection.
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Family: Asteraceae
Energetics: Cooling, Drying, Earthy
Actions: Stimulating diaphoretic, cholegogue and choleretic, diuretic, antispasmodic
Part Used: Aerial part in bud or flower
Constituents: sesquiterpene lactones, diterpenes, triterpenes, bitter glucosides
Indications/Contraindications: Eupatorium perfoliatum
Indications: flu-like illnesses with pain that sets into the bone
Contraindications: Allergic hypersensitivity resulting in contact dermatitis, pregnancy
Astragalus membranaceus (Chinese Name: Háung Qí)
Family: Fabaceae
Part Used: Root
Energetics: mildly warming
Actions: “Augments the protective qi and stabilizes the exterior.”5 Immunomodoulating, promotes tissue regeneration, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, cardiotonic, helps preserve WBC counts in chemotherapy, hepatoprotective.
Indications/CIs: Astragalus membranaceus
Chinese Name: Háung Qí
Indications: A gentle builder for those with low vitality. It is used for those who are prone to frequent infections, and for those with weak tissues and/or poor digestion. A good herb for children.
Contraindications:
- maybe autoimmune conditions due to immuno-stimulating polysaccharides.
- Antagonizes cyclosphosphamide (transplant rejection drug and lymphomas and leukemias)
Sambucus nigra
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Part Used: flower, berry
Energetics: relaxing
Actions:
Berries – antiviral, immunostimulant
Flowers – diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, nervine
Constituents:
- Berries - anthocyanins: cyanidin 3-glu- coside and cyanidin 3-sambuboside
- Flowers – flavonol glycosides, chlorogenic acid, triterpenes
Indications/CIs: Sambucus nigra
Indications: influenza, colds, cough
Contraindications: the unripe fruit, seeds, bark, leaves and root can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tachicardia and convulsions.
Baptisia tinctora – Wild Indigo
Family: Fabaceae
Part Used: Root
Energetics: Cooling
Actions: Immunostimulant, antimicrobial, febrifuge
Constituents: alkaliods: baptitoxin, isoflavones, flavonoids, coumarins, polysaccharides
Indications, CIs & Toxicity: Baptisia tinctora – Wild Indigo
Indications: infections, protracted fever with severely depressed vital force, ulceration of tissue.
Contraindications: Pregnancy
Toxicity: Large doses are toxic due to phenolic glycosides and alkaloids – 30g induces signs of toxicity2
Andrographis paniculata – Kalmegh
Chuān Xīn Lián 穿心蓮
Family: Acanthaceae
Part Used: aerial parts
Energetics: bitter and cooling
Actions: bacteriostatic, virostatic, antipyretic, bitter, antihypertensive, antihyperglycemic, hepatoprotective
Constituents: lactones- deoxyandrographolide, andrographolide, neoandrographolide, and 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide
Indications/CIs: Andrographis paniculata – Kalmegh
Chuān Xīn Lián 穿心蓮
Indications: upper respiratory infections, dysentery, gipe of infancy, topically for snake bites
Contraindications: Pregnancy
Chinese Materia Medica: Clears and relieves fire toxicity, dries dampness
Trametes versicolor – Turkey Tail
Mushroom
Phyllum: Basidiomycota
Family: Polyporaceae
Part Used: Fruiting Body
Energetics: Sweet and warming, clears dampness
Actions: increases phagocytosis, increases NK response to lethal CMV, increases interferon, free radical scavenger – particular effects with chemotherapy, increases survival of in cancer patients, helps stabilize WBC counts in chemotherapy patients.
Constituents: Beta-sitosterol; triterpenoids, Polysaccharide K (PSK, Krestin), Polysaccharide P (Coriolan)
Indications/CIs: Trametes versicolor – Turkey Tail
Indications: taken with chemotherapy to decrease side effects and provide immune support, stabilizes WBC counts
Contraindications: unknown effects in pregnancy and lactation
Grifola frondosa - Maitake
Phyllum: Basidiomycota
Family: Meripilaceae
Part Used: Fruiting Body
Energetics: bland, mild
Actions: Anticancer, immunomodulating, antiviral (HIV, HSV, HBV), antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant
Constituents: Polysaccharides – beta-1,3 glucan, beta-1,6 glucan, beta-D-glucan; N-acetylgalactosamine-specific lectin; amino acids; grifolin, grifolan
Indications: Grifola frondosa - Maitake
Indications: Immune support during chemotherapy, cancer prevention, diabetes, hypertension
Ganoderma lucidum – Reishi, Ling-Zhi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Family: Ganodermataceae
Part Used: fruiting body
Actions: Antiallergic action of triterpenes, ganoderan is anti-hypertensive, oleic acid inhibits histamine release, hypotensive, decreases platelet aggregation, decreases LDL, decreases arrhythmia, decreases insomnia, decreases angina, protects against ionizing radiation,
Constituents: Triterpenes – gandermic acid, ganoderic acid; Polysaccharides – ganoderan A, B, C, beta-D-glucans, D-6 glucans; Adenosine; oleic acid
Indications/CIs: Ganoderma lucidum – Reishi, Ling-Zhi
Indications: used in cancer treatment to increase immune function and help treat fatigue, hypertension, immune deficiency, insomnia, hepatitis
Contraindications: potential allergy to spores
