Fortify Your Immunity
Organic Merchant founder Chalimah Jeanne reveals the many ways you can increase your immunity, her health protocol and her personal goals.
- Discovering health and wellness
- Tips for increasing immunity
- Organic Merchant products to support immunity
- Winter wellness activities
From Wellbeing Magazine
When did you first become interested in health and wellness?
I’ve always been drawn to nature, even as a little girl. I grew up in a remote coastal town in Western Australia, which instilled immense reverence for the Earth’s natural beauty and cycles of life.
I find the role that nature and plants play in health and wellbeing inspiring and realised early in life that my purpose was to facilitate health and healing while respecting and nurturing our planet.
This led to me studying horticulture and naturopathy to combine my passion for plants and healing utilising their empirical, clinical and scientific teachings.
After completing my studies, I started to create tea blends for my clients with wellness in mind. Given my clients would be drinking these regularly to support their health, two other factors came to mind — taste and sustainability.
Quickly my teas became popular, all through word of mouth. I realised I wanted others to benefit outside my clinic from the healing properties of my teas, so I began selling them at Paddington Markets in Sydney on the weekends. Then, in 2011, Organic Merchant was founded.
I started out with 12 tea blends and now have over 52 teas along with ethically sourced cacao, bath soaks and tea wares. Our teas and cacao are 100 per cent certified organic and all our packaging is sustainable.
What are your tips for increasing immunity? 
Your immune system is designed to protect your body against many diseases. There are a number of ways you can support your immune system, such as maintaining good hygiene and nutrition, incorporating healthy activities and managing stress.
Going into the cooler months, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that your immunity can be supported by plants and herbs, which we have formulated across our tea, cacao and bath soak product range. Some specific herbs that support immunity include:
- Ginger — studies of ginger show it has both antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects that may provide protection against chronic diseases and cancer. A review of studies on ginger provides evidence of its anti-inflammatory effects.
- Elderberries — this fruit contains phytochemicals that may help minimise the effects of viral infections. A 2019 study at Sydney University indicates an antiviral effect of elderberries against influenza symptoms.
- Echinacea — a plant often made into preparations to fight colds and flu symptoms through its immunostimulant effect.
- Ashwagandha — sometimes called ‘Indian Ginseng’, this plant has adaptogen effects that help protect against stress.
- Astragalus — this herb has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for its immunomodulator, apoptogenic and antioxidant activities.
- Reishi and Shiitake — traditional Chinese medicine has long used both medicinal mushrooms for their immune-modulating, adaptogenic, antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Turmeric — plant compounds in turmeric have been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and
antiviral properties. - Rosehip — this plant is very high in Vitamin C and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. A meta-analysis of studies on rosehip powder demonstrated it may have a role to play in reducing arthritic pain.
Do you have a health protocol for your immune system?
In addition to a wholesome organic naturopathic diet, supportive herbs, vitamins and supplements, the following three protocols provide holistic support the immune and nervous systems.
Jihwa prakshalana or tongue-scraping is an important daily health and hygiene routine I complete first thing every morning. The oral and nasal cavities are our first point of defence in support of our immunity. In Ayurveda, the accumulation of toxins in the body is called ama. By removing this ama, the dead bacteria and toxins from your tongue, it protects your body from these
toxins entering your system on a daily basis.
I adore the remedial and ritualistic power of balneotherapy (bathing therapy or mineral and mud) and thalassotherapy (sea therapy or water and weeds) to cultivate wellbeing and immunity. This ancient therapy has been widely practised since antiquity, in multiple cultures, on every continent. The daily or weekly practice of bathing deeply replenishes the body’s mineral stores, while also relaxing the muscles and refining the skin, delivering a multi-remedial experience for both acute and chronic immune conditions.
Abhyanga or Ayurveda self-massage has many benefits to enhance wellbeing and longevity, but in terms of immunity, abhyanga moves the lymph — this is the transport network through which our immune cells travel, including white blood cells, macrophages and suchlike.
The lymph is also involved in detoxification, assisting in elimination of impurities, including the cellular waste and microbial die-off caused by infections. Basically, the lymphatic system delivers immune support and relief and removes waste and by-products, and a daily or weekly practice of abhyanga gives us the opportunity to directly support this process.
What products in the Organic Merchant range focus on boosting immunity?
In our wellness tea range, we can recommend our Immune, Lemongrass & Ginger and Golden Turmeric teas. Our Immune Tea is a fortifying tisane combining soothing floral mint tones with vitalising citrus notes and a touch of ginger spice. All of these teas have been formulated naturopathically and have traditional benefits that support and fortify the immune system. The plant
compounds are decongestant, antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral, which may naturally aid respiratory infections, ease congestion and inflammation, shorten duration and severity and enhance recovery and resistance.
What’s next for you personally?
Like many of us, these last few years have been challenging, both professionally and personally. While the future may remain unstable and out of our control, there is one thing that is within my remit: the ability to cultivate gratitude and kindness, towards myself, towards others and the natural world. In the famous words of Leo Tolstoy, “Nothing can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness.” To this end, a continuing personal devotion to kindness.