Boost your Immune System with These 4 Pregnancy Safe Herbs
No mama wants to get sick during pregnancy or postpartum, however, sometimes it’s an unfortunate reality. Pregnancy is a beautifully intricate design and process. As such, it requires a lot of resources — nutrients and minerals — to grow a new life in your womb. The same can be said about breastfeeding. And if you aren’t taking the extra necessary care to stay on top of your own health and nutrition, you may be more susceptible to the cold and flu.
We want you to keep your body strong and healthy this season (and always) without compromising the safety of your baby. And we want to give you a way to help your body to recover more quickly and easily if and when you do get sick.
That’s why we are sharing our favorite 4 herbs that can gently and safely help support your immune system during pregnancy and postpartum.
We’re also excited to announce a new seasonal immune support tincture — Mama’s Immune Drops — that is safe for short term use during sickness in pregnancy and postpartum, and great for the whole family!
Your Immune System During Pregnancy
Understanding how your immune system changes throughout pregnancy is key to knowing how to safely support your body. This is especially during the winter months when there’s not as much sunshine or time spent outside, and there’s a heightened risk of exposure to viruses.
Despite what many people might think, pregnancy isn’t a time of “weakened” immunity so much as it is a time of careful re-balancing. A woman’s body adjusts the immune system to protect her while also supporting the growing baby. Immune responses change over the three trimesters: early pregnancy is more inflammatory to support implantation, the middle months are more regulatory to support fetal growth, and the body shifts again around labor.
Because the immune system is working differently (not simply turned down), pregnant women may respond differently to infections — some illnesses can feel stronger or last longer — while other defenses remain strong. Lifestyle and diet will also play a part in this!
For that reason many women prefer gentle, food-based approaches for everyday immune support rather than high-dose, long-term immune stimulants.
Top 4 Immune Supporting Herbs
That’s where we can turn to God’s creation — natural herbs and botanicals that have anti-viral and immune-supporting properties that have been used for generations.
Our top 4 immune supporting herbs and botanicals are elderberry, elderflower, echinacea and lemon balm. We’ll dive deeper into the benefits as well as the safety and efficacy of each one in pregnancy and postpartum.
Elderberry
Probably one of the most commonly used and researched immune supporting herbs, elderberry is rich in antioxidants and flavonoids that can support your cells from damage and boost your immune function.
This botanical also has well-studied antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties that may reduce the duration and severity of colds and flu.
In fact, one study showed that flu symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo.
Elderberry is also considered to be a safe option for treating viral respiratory illness, and there is no evidence that it overstimulates the immune system.
Typically elderberry is used as a syrup, tea or tincture and is even found as lozenges.
In pregnancy it is considered safe for short term use in small amounts, and is safe for use while breastfeeding.
Elderflower
Elderflower and elderberry actually come from the same plant (Sambucus Nora). While elderberry is a small dark purple berry, elderflowers are the white flowers that bloom on the tree!
And unsurprisingly, just like elderberry, elderflower is also rich in antioxidant compounds and has even been shown to help support healthy blood sugar balancing.
Some studies show it has up to two times higher antioxidant activity because of the high phenol content. It also has mild diuretic and diaphoretic (sweat-inducing) properties that can help during the early stages of colds.
It’s generally considered safe in small amounts in pregnancy and is safe to take while breastfeeding!
It is commonly consumed as an herbal tea or in a tincture.
Echinacea
Echinacea is another popular herb for immune support. It’s been used in cultures for thousands of years as a remedy for the common cold and congestion.
This is because studies have shown that echinacea is a wide-spectrum immunomodulator that modulates both innate and adaptive immune responses.
This simply means that it works with our immune system to help us fight infections more efficiently. This herb may even increase the amount of disease-fighting white blood cells in our bodies — so cool!
Echinacea is considered safe for use in pregnancy in small, short term amounts, making it best for use during the onset of a cold or flu.
It’s typically consumed as a tea or in a tincture.
Lemon Balm
Perhaps a lesser known herb for immune support, lemon balm has many incredible benefits and it’s been widely studied as safe for use during pregnancy.
One of the biggest benefits of lemon balm is that it aids in digestion and can calm anxiety. It’s considered a gentle nervine, meaning it soothes the nervous system to promote relaxation and even improve sleep. That’s why it’s one of the herbs we hand-selected for our Calm Nerves Tincture!
Research has shown that this powerful plant can also fight viruses including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Yep, you read that right!
Another study found that lemon balm has antiviral activity that can inhibit the Herpes simplex virus and can help to heal the cold sores faster.
We really think lemon balm is the unsung hero of herbal medicine in pregnancy! It is so gentle yet effective for a variety of things.
Lemon balm is most commonly consumed as a tea or in a tincture.
Our Seasonal Immune Tincture
We believe strongly in harnessing the resources God has given to us, including herbs and botanicals. That’s why we carefully crafted an herbal immune tincture that’s safe and effective for the whole family — including pregnant and nursing women.
The end result? Mama’s Immune Drops — a blend of hand-selected organic and wildcrafted herbs like elderberry, echinacea, elderflower, nettle leaf, lemon balm, chamomile and ginger root that works synergistically to support your body’s immune system.
Our glycerin-based tincture is formulated for short-term, conservative use — meant for use at the first sign of feeling unwell or after known exposure. It can also be used during times of potential heightened exposure as a preventative measure, such as when traveling or attending large gatherings.
This seasonally available tincture can be taken for up to 7-10 days for pregnant and postpartum/breastfeeding mamas. It’s alcohol-free and blended with herbs chosen for short, supportive courses rather than daily immune stimulation.
You can see full dosing for adults, children and pregnancy/breastfeeding here.
In addition to the 4 immune supporting herbs we just discussed, we added nettle leaf, chamomile and ginger root for their additional calming, nutritive, anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Ginger has even been shown to boost the immune system, as has chamomile.
All of the ingredients we’ve used have a long standing history in botanical medicine education and uses within cultures, some dating back even before Christ.
We’d love for you to try it today or share it with a friend in need!
Conclusion
We think that Mama’s Immune Drops will be the perfect addition to your seasonal wellness arsenal, and we hope that you love it as much as we do.
Try our Blessed Belly digestive aid tea for more holiday-inspired goodness!
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
REFERENCES
Behzadi, Amirhossein, et al. “Antiviral Potential of Melissa Officinalis L.: A Literature Review.” Nutrition and Metabolic Insights, vol. 16, 12 Jan. 2023, p. 11786388221146683, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9841880/, https://doi.org/10.1177/11786388221146683
Clinic, Cleveland. “What Is Lemon Balm Good For?” Cleveland Clinic, 7 Mar. 2025, health.clevelandclinic.org/lemon-balm-benefits.
Harvard Health Publishing. “The Health Benefits of 3 Herbal Teas.” Harvard Health, 21 Oct. 2021, www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/the-health-benefits-of-3-herbal-teas.
Wieland, L. Susan, et al. “Elderberry for Prevention and Treatment of Viral Respiratory Illnesses: A Systematic Review.” BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, vol. 21, no. 21, 7 Apr. 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8026097/, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-021-03283-5.
Zakay-Rones, Z, et al. “Randomized Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Elderberry Extract in the Treatment of Influenza a and B Virus Infections.” Journal of International Medical Research, vol. 32, no. 2, Apr. 2004, pp. 132–140, https://doi.org/10.1177/147323000403200205.
Zhai, Zili, et al. “Enhancement of Innate and Adaptive Immune Functions by Multiple Echinacea Species.” Journal of Medicinal Food, vol. 10, no. 3, Sept. 2007, pp. 423–434, https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2006.257.
