Natural Remedies for Hay Fever
Natural Remedies for Hay Fever
Hay fever symptoms can take a variety of forms, from sneezing to itchy eyes, a streaming nose, and even irritability and sleeplessness. If your symptoms are mild and shortlived, great! But if you, like many, suffer for days, or even weeks on end, natural remedies for hay fever can help.
Allergy Relief (Pollinosan) from A. Vogel
Allergy Relief (Pollinosan) from Alfred Vogel is a homeopathic medicine for the treatment of sneezing, itchy nose, and burning eyes. Sound familiar? Those common symptoms of hay fever and other allergies are the prime target of this remedy.
As a homeopathic remedy, Pollinosan was designed based on the belief that exposure to a tiny amount of some plants and minerals can prime the body to begin healing and keep inflammation in check. As such, Pollinosan contains 7 tropical herbs including luffa, khella, American Spikenard, Galphimia and others.
Pollinosan can be used alongside other anti-histamines and is non-drowsy, with no reported adverse effects. It can offer support for those suffering with hay fever and for individuals with allergic rhinitis related to other airborne allergens.
In a clinical trial conducted by A.Vogel, 88.5% of people using Pollinosan Allergy Relief tablets or drops reported an improvement in their allergy symptoms.[1] This trial involved 199 people aged 34 in the Netherlands who had suffered with seasonal allergies, dust allergies, or allergy to pets for nearly a decade. The participants took 2 tablets or 20 drops three times a day before meals, starting in April until the end of July. During the trial, 56.8% of patients reported a distinct improvement in symptoms, and another 31.7% reported partial improvement. There were no reported side effects.
In another clinical trial, participants over 18 who had suffered with allergic rhinitis or hay fever for at least two years used Allergy Relief spray 3-5 times a day for two weeks, with 1-2 puffs in each nostril. Self-reported allergy symptoms decreased by 30-50% with the use of the spray, with a notable decrease in sneezing attacks and nasal congestion. Only 12% of participants didn’t notice an improvement, with 55% of participants rating the spray as good or excellent.
Local honey for hay fever
Local honey is one of the best natural remedies for hay fever. Made by your friendly neighbourhood bees, right around the corner from where you live, local honey can work prophylactically for hay fever and has tons of other medicinal benefits.
Because the bees make their honey using pollen from local flowers, eating this honey can help to desensitize your immune system and reduce symptoms of allergies to local pollens. Honey also contains quercetin, the bioflavonoid found in apples and onions that helps reduce production of histamine.
Naturopaths typically recommend eating honey all year round or beginning to include it in your diet a few weeks before your allergy symptoms usually appear.
Local honey is also a great choice because it’s not usually pasteurized or refined. The result is honey with all the good stuff left in: traces of pollen, propolis, and even royal jelly in some cases. Local honey is also more likely to be the handwork of happy, healthy bees visiting a diverse range of flowers grown without pesticides and herbicides.
Other strategies for natural hay fever relief
While specific remedies are a good idea for hay fever, there are many additional ways to keep your allergy symptoms in check:
- Give the booze a break – alcohol increases histamine and makes hay fever symptoms worse!
- Avoid high histamine foods such as processed meats, avocado, spinach, aubergine, shellfish, matured (aged) cheeses, dried fruits and some pickled and fermented foods
- Avoid foods that stimulate histamine release in the body, such as cocoa products (chocolate!), bananas, tomatoes, papaya, citrus, beans and pulses, nuts, wheat germ
- Stay hydrated to help your body clear histamine faster
- Use an air filter to remove any mold and fungal spores, and other allergens from your living space
- Take a daily probiotic proving Lactobacillus plantarum, a bacterium well known for effectively breaking down histamine[2]
- Eats apples, onions, and other good sources of the antioxidant bioflavonoid quercetin which inhibits the production and release of histamine and helps stabilize mast cells involved in allergic responses.[3] Quercetin is well known for being helpful against allergic rhinitis and seasonal allergies.[4]
- Have a quick shower and change your clothes when you come home after being outside and exposed to pollen (and don’t forget to clean your glasses too!).
[1] Laboratorium Biohorma B.V.: Clinical investigation of the efficacy of the hayfever remedy Allergy Relief (1989), unpublished.
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814611008090
[3] Thornhill, S. M., & Kelly, A. M. (2000). Natural treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis. Alternative medicine review: a journal of clinical therapeutic, 5(5), 448–454.
[4] Juríková T., Mlček J., Sochor J., Hegedűsová A. (2015). Polyphenols and their mechanism of action in allergic immune response. Glob J Allergy, 1, 037–039.