The Sneezin' Season

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Traditional herbs for fighting allergies

Sage (Salvia officinalis) and eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) are two herbs that Sunny Mavor, A.H.G. and coauthor of Kids,Herbs, & Health (Interweave, 1998), recommends for drying excessive nasal secretions. Chinese sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza), also called dan shen, has been shown in test-tube studies to inhibit release of histamine from mast cells. Whether the same holds true for garden sage remains to be seen, but you can try all three of these herbs in teas or tinctures.

David Bunting, staff herbalist at Herb Pharm, a supplement manufacturer in Williams, Oregon, likes to use eyebright as a tincture in combination with the mucous-membrane tonic goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), astringent and anti-inflammatory yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and decongesting, antimicrobial horseradish (Armoracia rusticana). Wiancek recommends blending equal parts of sage, eyebright, and stinging nettle tincture; take 40 drops of this blend three times a day.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has a sweet taste that belies its potent anti-inflammatory and anti- allergy power. It contains glycyrrhetic acid, which acts in two ways. First, it simulates the body’s own cortisol, a multi-function hormone that suppresses inflammatory response. Second, glycyrrehtic acid blocks the enzyme that degrades cortisol. As a bonus, it’s demulcent and expectorant. No surprise, then, that this herb often shows up in both Asian and Western herbal blends for asthma and hay fever.

Because licorice can cause retention of sodium and water and loss of potassium, do not use it internally for more than six weeks without your doctor’s supervision. Don’t use it if you’re pregnant or nursing or if you have high blood pressure, kidney or liver disease, or diabetes.

For allergic skin conditions such as eczema and hives, licorice can also be applied externally as a compress. To use it this way, brew a tea from the dried, chopped root and let it cool. Dampen a clean cloth in the tea and lay the cloth atop the affected area.

Treating symptoms at the source

Herbs can help relieve symptoms, but no single remedy will cure allergies. Those inescapable basic principles of health—eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest—are even more crucial during allergy season. It helps as well to avoid the thing that you’re allergic to, but it’s not always possible.

“With allergies,” says Hobbs, “a one-remedy-fits-all approach is rarely successful.” His strategy is to make a Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis, then track down and eliminate food allergies. He finds that many of his clients who have respiratory allergies also have food allergy symptoms, usually due to incomplete digestion—a deficiency that results in the release of IgE, the antibody that triggers mast cells to release histamine. While removing this potential source of irritation, Hobbs corrects imbalances with acupuncture and Chinese herbs. “I find patients have much better results with this deeper process,” says Hobbs. He suggests that people take action to reduce seasonal allergies a month before the season begins and continue treatment through its end.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print