If you have seasonal allergies, you know they can be challenging, the symptoms can become difficult to tolerate.
Allergic rhinitis is increasingly common. Although this shares the same symptoms as hayfever, these can occur all year round rather than just through the pollen season. Allergic rhinitis can also be triggered by house dust mites, animal hair, traffic fumes, plant moulds, feathers in pillows, cleaning materials, air fresheners, perfumes, aftershaves and deodorants.
Allergies are an immune response to an otherwise harmless substance that comes into contact with cells in the mucus membranes of your nose, mouth, throat, lungs, stomach, and intestines. In a person with allergies, this ends up triggering the release of the chemical histamine. Histamine is a part of the immune system that causes all the symptoms you associate with allergies. Antihistamines block histamine activity, seeking to stop the allergic reaction.
Many allergy medications on the shelves of the drugstores work as antihistamines. But there are also certain foods and plant extracts that may similarly block the effects of histamine.
Did you know that stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a natural antihistamine?
If allergic rhinitis brings out itchy skin, bumpy red rashes or inflamed skin you may benefit from nettle. Nettle tea and nettle tincture are widely available. But nettle soup made from freshly harvested nettle leaves is also a great help to ease allergy symptoms.
For a nettle tea, measure one teaspoon of dried nettle to one cup of boiling water. Allow it to steep for 10 minutes, then strain and drink.
3 cups of nettle tea a day gonna blow your allergy away! 🙂
