When it comes to breathing it should be something that you do not really think about. You just automatically breathe air in and out. However, for those who have damaged their lungs, breathing can become almost a challenge. Every time you take in a breath it seems to hurt.

Our lungs are a vital organ to keeping us alive and well. Not only do we need air to breathe, we need our lungs to filter oxygen into our blood. Since we know how important our lungs are, the question becomes, how can we keep them healthy?

If you are a smoker or if you live in a highly polluted area, chances are your lungs have become damaged over time. While in some cases the damage may be severe, in many circumstances it is possible to clear your lungs of toxins and even repair the damage that has been done.

Eat your Veggies

You have probably heard throughout your life how important it is to eat your vegetables. Well, this is said for a reason. Vegetables have many vital nutrients that are necessary for keeping our bodies healthy. One vegetable in particular has shown to help clear out damaged lungs. This special vegetable is broccoli.

Broccoli not only helps the immune system of the body, but it also helps to clear out harmful bacteria from your lungs. Many of the compounds that are found in broccoli can actually help with a number of different diseases of the lungs.

When your lungs are functioning properly, macrophages, which are white blood cells, remove bacteria and debris that build up in the lungs and can cause infections.

The NRF2 is the chemical pathway of the lungs that activates macrophage. If this pathway is damaged, sulphoraphane, which is a chemical in plants such as cauliflower and broccoli, can actually help restore the path.

Growing Broccoli

Eating broccoli regularly can actually help improve the health of your lungs. Not to mention all of the other health benefits that the vegetable has to offer.

While you can readily purchase broccoli from the store, it is also easy to grow your own. The plant will grow in almost any climate and the best part is that once it starts producing, it will produce over and over again all season long. Simply trim off a serving from your garden and wait for it to grow back.

Starting with a plant as opposed to seed is typically the best option as this will provide you with the fastest results.

Herbs with Lung Cleansing Benefits

Along with broccoli, there are several herbs that you should add to your diet in order to help cleanse your damaged lungs. Some of these herbs include:

• Licorice Root
• Cannabis
• Coltsfoot
• Thyme
• Osha root
• Oregano
• Lobelia inflate
• Eucalyptus
• Mullein
• Lungwort
• Sage

A healthy diet that includes fresh broccoli along with a combination of herbs can help you repair damage that is done to your lungs.

Sources:
http://www.lung.org/your-lungs/
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/02/20/15-plants-herbs-that-can-boost-lung-health-heal-respiratory-infections-repair-pulmonary-damage/
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/9-best-herbs-lung-cleansing-respiratory-support/
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20378-broccoli-helps-clear-damaged-lungs.html#.VXZCL89Viko
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9
http://thatgreenstuff.com/copd.htm