June Allergies

I have chosen the timely topic of allergies for this month’s article.  There are many wonderful herbs for dealing with this seasonal misery.  Allergies can be debilitating, making one feel exhausted, foggy headed, and sluggish.  Watery eyes, runny nose and itchiness are also classic symptoms.

I used to suffer horribly from allergies.  I always had tissues with me, and had a few emergency Sudafed tablets just in case.  It was actually Co-op acquaintances who kept saying “You must eliminate dairy from your diet to deal with allergies”.  I loved cheese and yogurt so much I wanted to stay in denial as long as possible.  Finally, in 1988 I started weaning myself from dairy.  The results were amazing! I was no longer carrying tissues with me, and in the month of August, usually total misery for me, I was symptom-free.  Gluten allergy/intolerance can also contribute to allergies as well.

There are a whole host of herbs to use for allergies.  Nettles is my favorite, it is a mild antihistamine.  Some folks swear by it for allergies, other folks seem to notice no real difference.  The only way to tell if it will work for you is to try it.  Nettles has many other wonderful properties.  It is loaded with iron, calcium, magnesium and an array of minerals.  It is like a liquid vitamin pill.  My favorite form is in a tea.  For allergy sufferers, another excellent thing to practice is keeping hydrated.  Water will thin out the mucous and keep things circulating out of your body that need to exit.  So drink tons of water! By taking herbs in a tea form, such as nettles, you have the added benefit of increasing your total water intake.  Drink up to one quart a day.

There are many herbs called “immune system amphoterics”, which means they help balance the immune system, either calming it down when it is overactive, as with allergies, or will stimulate it build it up when it is under-active.  They are truly amazing.  Reishi mushroom is one excellent immune system amphoteric.  The dried mushrooms are available (probably by special order), and so is the liquid extract.  The black reishi is more potent than red reishi, and it tastes bitter and horrible.  You would break a piece off a little bigger than a quarter, and simmer in a quart and half (6 cups) of water.  You can also add licorice, also an immune amphoteric, which is pretty handy if you like the taste of licorice, as it helps make the reishi taste palatable.  I would only add one or two licorice root slices for 6 cups water.  It is very sweet.  You can sip this blend throughout the day, or chug 4–6 ounces 3 times a day.

Ashwaganda is another herb that is an immune amphoteric.  I have not used it yet but will be trying it soon.  It is best mixed with other herbs, and should not be taken if you are hyperthyroid.  All of these three herbs are also anti-inflammatory.  Ashwaganda is also used a lot for arthritis and other autoimmune conditions that affect muscles and joints.  Any of these teas can be drunk hot or cold.  Same benefits apply.

Turmeric extract also may help with allergies.  It is one of the unsung herbal heroes, quietly doing its job and never getting credit.  Turmeric is mildly anti-inflammatory, and helps build the integrity and strength of the intestinal wall.  This helps folks with poor digestion and food allergies to build strength in their digestive tract.  This is key, because those with food allergies and poor digestion often have ‘leaky’ gut wall, which means larger proteins, before being broken down, can seep through the wall into the blood stream.  These large chunks of proteins wreak havoc in your body, and I believe this leads to a histamine release…  I may have gotten the exact mechanics of this process wrong, but I believe the basics are there, and if you have allergies trying turmeric is a good idea.  Turmeric is also a free-radical scavenger, reducing cancer-causing agents in your body.  Yay, turmeric! But remember, dried turmeric has no medicinal properties.  You must take the fresh plant extract, because the medicine is lost in the drying process.

Other herbs to try for short-term symptomatic relief are osha root and eyebright, often found in combination extracts.  Look for my ads for my autumn classes on herbal medicine!

For more information, contact:
vaherbalist.com
732-745-7455
virginiaahearn@earthlink.net