Increase T Cells Activity Using Echinacea

Edited by Ermin, Eng, Lynn

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T cells are another term for T lymphocytes cells, white blood cells that play a very important role in our immune system. White blood cells protect our body from infection brought by bacteria and viruses. The "T" stands for thymus, a body organ inside our body where T-lymphocytes cells become mature. There are major types of lymphocytes cells which are the T cells, memory cells, B cells, and natural killer cells. These cells can combat foreign substances invaded in the body. Below are the functions of each cell:

Functions of T cells

These cells mainly grow in the bone marrow and become mature in the thymus gland. These contain proteins which are called T cell receptors, and these receptors populate and bind the cell membrane. They have the ability to recognize foreign substances or antigens that may invade in the body. T cells have three kinds and these are the following:

  1. 1
    Regulatory T cells
    .
    Otherwise known as suppressor cells, these cells can suppress or hold other cells' responses to antigens.
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  2. 2
    Helper T cells
    .
    These cells can activate the production of antibodies made by B cells and other helpful substances produced by other cells.
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  3. 3
    Cytotoxic T cells
    .
    These cells can accumulate antigens in the body and burst them open.
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Functions of B Cells

B cells first develop from bone marrow stems in adults. Whenever these cells recognize foreign substances, which may affect the immune system, they will then produce antibodies, helpful proteins in the blood that can kill and terminate bacteria and virus. Antibodies flow in the blood stream and fight antigens whenever they encounter them.

Functions of natural killer cells

These cells work similarly to cytotoxic T cells, but these don't belong to T cells. These cells also play a vital role in the immune system. They don't have antibodies around them, but they can recognize foreign cells from normal cells. Say, for example, cancerous cells that develop gradually in the immune system - whenever natural killer cells encounter these cells, they will bind them to burst open, making cancerous cells terminated. Also, natural killer cells can activate apoptosis or programmed cell death.

Functions of memory cells

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During the initial course of fighting antigens such as viruses and bacteria, some B and T cells may become memory cells. These are called memory cells, because whenever they may chance upon the same antigens again, they will then reactivate quickly and produce more antibodies to combat the same antigens, causing them to die quickly. Memory cells are stored in the spleen and the lymph nodes, and they can become permanent fighting cells to regulate the immune system.

What happens if our T cells are unhealthy or low

If you have low T cells or white blood cells, you are likely to get acute to chronic diseases.

  1. 1
    A person carrying low T cells probably has one of the serious diseases below
     
    1. Leukemia
    2. HIV/AIDS
    3. Kostmann's syndrome
    4. Malnutrition
    5. Parasitic diseases
    6. Hypersplenism
    7. Lupus
    8. Myelodysplastic syndrome
    9. Myelokathexis
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  2. 2
    Other reasons that may cause low T cells count
     
    1. Vitamin deficiencies
    2. Radiation therapy
    3. Autoimmune disorders
    4. Congenital disorders
    5. Infectious diseases
    6. Chemotherapy
    7. High intake of diuretic and antibiotic medications
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How to increase T cells in the immune system

Echinacea plant.jpg

There are actually many ways to increase T lymphocytes in the immune system. You may even buy medications for it; however, these may cause you serious negative side effects. The echinacea plant is a potent herb and renowned for increasing the T cells in the body. It has active interferon-like property that can produce more antibodies to protect the immune system from diseases. Interferon is also called the antibodies, proteins that T cells also produced. If T cells cannot produce a lot of antibodies, the active interferon-like property in echinacea plants will do the work.

Echinacea can be taken or used in many forms, but for increasing T cells in the body, you may want to do the following:

  1. 1
    Take echinacea medications
    .
    Most drug stores sell echinacea capsules. These can be taken orally for treating acute infections.
    Echinacea-pills-emin.jpg
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  2. 2
    Drink echinacea tea
    .
    There are two options for this. You may either make a homemade echinacea tea and juice, or buy herbal echinacea tea bags at the local supermarket. If you want to make a homemade echinacea herbal drink, it may be difficult because you need to have fresh echinacea plants for making a tea. Echinacea is difficult to find in some countries, but if you have your own echinacea plant, it would be easy for you to make your own herbal tea.
    Echinacea-tea jpg emin.jpg
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How to make a homemade echinacea tea

If you have your own echinacea plant, then it would be great. But if you don't have any, you may choose dried echinacea which can be bought at the supermarket. Follow the steps below to make a homemade echinacea tea:

  1. 1
    Ingredients
    :
     
    1. Two tablespoons of dried echinacea herbs
    2. Lemon juice
    3. Honey to taste
    4. 500 ml of water
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  2. 2
    Materials
    :
     
    1. a small sieve
    2. a funnel
    3. an empty glass jar
    4. a pot
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  3. 3
    Procedure
    :
     
    1. Add the two tablespoons of Echinacea and water into the pot.
    2. Boil them for 15 minutes.
    3. Get the empty glass jar and place the funnel on top of it.
    4. Place the small sieve on top of funnel.
    5. Strain the substance from the pot through the sieve on top of funnel and the jar. Now you have your own jar of echinacea herbal drink.
    6. Pour some into a cup of tea, and add honey and lemon to taste.
    7. Serve and enjoy. You may drink it twice daily.
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  4. 4
    You may also take echinacea extracts for increasing T cells in your immune system
    .
    This will be a lot more effective than drinking a herbal echinacea tea. However, you have to take the right dosage of echinacea supplements to avoid any adverse effects later on. You may ask your doctor about the right dosage for you.
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Tips Tricks & Warnings

  • Do not give children below the age of 2 echinacea or any other forms of herbs.
  • High consumption of echinacea can cause side effects, such as dizziness, nausea, and even male infertility temporarily.
  • A person with kidney disorder should refrain from taking echinacea medications for more than a week.
  • Children and adults may experience allergic reactions from echinacea , especially if they are sensitive to daisies, ragweed, marigolds, and mums.

Questions and Answers

How much echinecea do I need to increase my CD57 t-cell due to Lyme?

I have Lyme Disease and my CD57 is only 23

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Article Info

Categories : Echinacea Usage & Benefits

Recent edits by: Eng, Ermin

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