As the strongest cold wave continued this winter, a red light was turned on for health care. Corona 19 has passed its peak, but it is still ongoing, and the flu is also prevalent. From the 30th, indoor mask wearing is alleviated, so it is more important to manage your immunity on a daily basis.
Experts say that viral diseases are highly contagious, so if the elderly, children, or people suffering from other diseases get sick, they can lower their immunity and cause other diseases. Therefore, it is important to maintain thorough personal hygiene such as washing your hands on a daily basis and boost your immunity.
Enhancing circulatory function with sufficient rest and drinking water, and eating a balanced diet through proper eating habits will help the immune system. Eating foods that boost immunity, such as red ginseng, garlic, and mushrooms, is also helpful.
Cho Jae-yeol, professor of bioengineering at Sungkyunkwan University, said, “In particular, red ginseng binds to receptors on macrophages, which are in charge of innate immunity, and sends an activation signal into cells. It produces substances that can be removed and secretes cytokines, which are immunomodulators, to protect the body from infection by external viruses.”
According to the research results of Professor Lee Dong-kwon’s team at Sungkyunkwan University’s College of Pharmacy, 100 mg/kg of red ginseng and physiological saline were administered each day to experimental mice infected with pneumococcal bacteria and observed for 15 days. The group of mice fed red ginseng survived 100%. The red ginseng-fed rat group showed a significant decrease in inflammatory cytokines and pneumococcal counts compared to the control group.
There are about 20 kinds of health functional food raw materials recognized by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to help immune function, including red ginseng, ginseng, and Sanghwang mushroom extract. Studies on the immune-related effects of red ginseng against various viruses such as swine flu, AIDS, and herpes have been steadily published.