5 Tips on Supplements for Autumn and Winter

Autumn and winter are seasons when we are surrounded not only by fluttering leaves, but also by torrents of stress produced by imminent deadlines or the preparations of a “peaceful” Christmas.

In my previous article I shared a few tips for helping the “front line” of our immune defence for a more effective battle against enemy bacteria or viruses. Personally, I trust my body a lot, but I still prefer to have something up my sleeve in case the front line of my defence fails. In this article I offer you a short overview of supporting supplements worth having at home, just in case you or your neighbour “are coming down with something”.

“I’m coming down with something.” A sentence that has probably confused many foreigners. This idiomatic expression is used frequently, however. Among the symptoms of “coming down with something” is headache, sore throat, lethargy, and tiredness. In general, activities that usually do not require a lot of energy suddenly feel a lot more challenging, even draining. Our body is sending us a signal: “I request your attention, something is wrong.”

What can you expect from this article?

1. Inspiration for creating your own mini army of supplements for autumn and winter.
2. Systers’ tips on supplements that we take ourselves.

Curcumin

Curcumin, a polyphenol contained in turmeric, can help maintain proper functioning of the immune system. Its probiotic properties and ability to lower cortisol levels (for example, as a consequence of chronic stress or Christmas shopping at the last minute) contribute to the body’s ability to produce optimal immune response.

Curcumin has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal effects in the human body (1). And that can prove useful in flu season.

Systers tip: Liposomal Curcumin 3Complex

How will it support you?

• [curcumin + dimethoxycurcumin + bisdimethoxycurcumin ] = A triple power of three curcuminoids from a turmeric extract
• [ LipoCellTech™ liposomal patented blend ] = It will ensure that the active substances will not pass through your digestive tract unused, but up to 95% of them will be effectively absorbed directly by the cells.
  
  If you would like to include this complex in your immune kit, take a look here

Shiitake

Functional mushrooms have been getting more and more attention lately and I hope that they will soon be part of every household. If you don’t know where to start, I can recommend a tincture with the adaptogenic shiitake, for example.

How will it support you?

Studies show that a regular use of shiitake mushrooms has positive effects on the immune system. Among other things, shiitake improves cell proliferation (= the growing number of cells as needed) and increases the production of sIgA (= supports the function of mucosal immunity) (2).

Systers tip: KÄÄPÄ Mushrooms - Organic Shiitake, tincture

Careful. When choosing adaptogenic mushrooms, it is important to pay attention to the quality. The Systers team has explored the market and in the end we have chosen shiitake from KÄÄPÄ Mushrooms for our e-shop. Why? Because their products are:

• Made with the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms, not the mycelium.
• Produced using the special double extraction method.
• Concentrated and easy to digest.
• Made with mushrooms grown in sustainably farmed forests of Lapland.

This tincture fits in your handbag, backpack or pocket, and you can use it in any way you want - in your coffee, porridge, or just pop a few drops directly in your mouth.

You can learn more about shiitake here

Plant-based Immune Support

How will it support you?

• [ Niacin and vitamin C ]

You will appreciate their help especially if you need to reduce tiredness and fatigue.

• [ Oyster mushroom and maitake extracts ]

You will treat your body to some beneficial extracts, such as that of oyster mushroom or maitake.

• [ Elderberry and zinc ]

A boost in the form of antioxidants and a support for your immune system + help with reducing inflammation in the body. 

If you would like to include this complex in your immune kit, have a look here. 

Vitamin C

Regular supplementation of vitamin C will help you reduce the duration of the common cold, rather than prevent it. According to an extensive analysis, it reduces the duration by 8% in adults and 14% in children (3).

When weakened (periods of illness and infection), the body draws on its reserves of vitamin C a lot more and faster. If you have caught a cold, increase your daily dose of vitamin C.

Inspiration for the daily dose:

• 1,000 mg every hour for the first 6 hours.
• Then 1,000 mg 3 times per day. Continue as long as the body requires it (5).

Systers tip: Liposomal Vitamin C

The same as curcumin, this vitamin C is also in liposomal form, produced using the patented LipoCellTech™ technology. I think this is worth mentioning since it means up to 20 times higher absorption than its competitors. 

• Have a look here if you consider including vitamin C in your army of supplements.

Spirulina

How will it support you?

Spirulina inhibits, lowers the activity of mastocytes (tissue cells located in close proximity of the mucosa of the respiratory tract). Its effects are supported by the content of vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and vitamin B6. It promotes recuperation and regeneration (4).

Inspiration for the daily dose: If you feel under the weather and have a blocked nose, try treating yourself to up to 2 g spirulina.

Systers tip: Vitalvibe - Crunchy Spirulina, organic

Woohoo, I simply love this spirulina. It comes from the ecological Indian community of Auroville and the production process is carefully controlled in order to ensure the preservation of the maximum of nutrients. The best part is its form. A simple supplement has been transformed into a crunchy treat, and so you can sprinkle it on top of your morning porridge, grilled vegetables at lunch, or New Year’s finger food.

If you are intrigued by this green delicacy, have a look here.

Bonus Systers tip: If you wish to smuggle some adaptogenic boost into the cup of your mum, friend, or gynaecologist, for all I care, you can give them adaptogenic coffee as a gift.

London Nootropics - Adaptogenic Coffee - ZEN

How will it support you (or them)?

First, it will make you smile because the box the coffee comes in is simply beautiful. Inside, you will find a special coffee blend enriched with adaptogens. In the case of ZEN coffee, there is high quality KSM-66 ashwagandha, along with water-soluble CBD.

(I understand that not everybody knows what adaptogens are and what to imagine when they hear adaptogenic coffee. Here you can find Verča’s animated video (in Czech) in which she explains what adaptogens are and why we love London Nootropics adaptogenic coffee so much.)

Bibliography:

1. Hewlings, S. & Kalman, D. (2017). Curcumin: A Review of Its Effects on Human Health. Foods (Basel, Switzerland) 6 (10): 92.
2. Dai, X. et al. (2015). Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) mushrooms daily improves human immunity: A randomized dietary intervention in healthy young adults. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 34 (6): 478-487. 
3. Hemilä, H., & Chalker, E. (2013). Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 31 (1): CD000980.
4. Nourollahian, M., Rasoulian, B., Gafari, A., Anoushiravani, M., Jabari, F., & Bakhshaee, M. (2020). Clinical comparison of the efficacy of spirulina platensis and cetirizine for treatment of allergic rhinitis. Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica, 40(3), 224-229. doi:10.14639/0392-100x-n0139
5. Arina, T., Sovijärvi, O. and Land, S. (2020) Biohacker's Flu Guide. Helsinki.