What An Herbalist, Midwife & Integrative MD Says About The Coronavirus – mindbodygreen.com

In terms of supplements, needless to say, this herbalist is on board. Romm says there's an arsenal of herbs and supplements we can take to support our immune systemsfrom widely recognized players like zinc and vitamin D to ones we might not be familiar with for immunity, like astragalus and lavender oil.

Let's start with those common supplements: "Nutritionally, if you had to pick the top three we can feel confident about in terms of safety, it would bezinc, vitamin D, and vitamin C. They're safe for anyone at any age, safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding," Romm says.

As for the lesser-known herbs, Romm is partial to adaptogens in order to support the immune system (that includes medicinal mushrooms, like reishi and ashwagandha, and holy basil). She also touts echinacea and astragalus as herbs worth trying for immunitywhile there's no data on them for COVID-19 yet, they do have purported benefits for the common cold.

But Romm's favorite herb in her medicine cabinet is none other than lavender oil, as it helps reduce her anxiety (which, as we know, has quite the impact on our immune systems). "One of my favorites right now is lavender oilit's incredibly effective for a good night's sleep, especially when it's disrupted by anxiety," she explains.

With these herbs and supplements, feel free to take them by capsule, tincture, or even add them to soups and smoothies. While they're great to have on hand, Romm emphasizes that they're not totally necessary (hence the term, supplement). "Don't freak out if you can't find them; just do your best," she assures me.

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