THE MOUNTAIN HERBALIST
Allergy Relief
NOTE: Moon is taking the month off, so here is a "classic" column from a previous issue.
L.C. Moon (Naturalist & Herbalist )
Spring
is a glorious time of year filled with flowers budding and blooming. The
fruits of the Earth begin forming. The birds greet us with beautiful songs
we missed all winter long. The miraculous bees are hard at work. The
sun warms the air, our skin, and lifts our spirits. Within all this glory
of creation and birth, we also get the double edged sword of the spring
breeze. Spring breezes feel divine, though pollen is also carried on the
breeze which may not feel like such a blessing to some of us. Fortunately
nature offers remedies to balance our bodies when we have an imbalance.
Stinging nettle sounds like a nuisance; to the contrary, I have seen nettle offer great relief in treating allergies and congestion. About 7 years ago I had a first hand experience with nettle’s awesome potential. I was very congested yet did not consider the possibilities of allergies since they never seemed to affect me in the past. During this first allergic reaction to pollen, I thought I had a cold that I could not beat. However when my regular cold routine simply would not work- nor would other viral and bacterial remedies- I concluded that I should try allergy relief.
I began drinking large cups of hot nettle tea 6 – 8 times per day. I also loaded it with local honey. The first day was a very slight difference. The second day I felt a noticeable difference in my watery eyes and sinus drainage. Within 3 days I felt like a new person. I continued to drink the tea and local honey regularly at least two times a day for two weeks.
Darryl Patton
Zoe, my daughter, was having a reaction to the pollen as well. I made her toast with local honey. She would not drink the tea but she was still nursing at the time. Through my milk she also got the benefit of the nettle tea though it took about 4 days to see a substantial difference in her. I believe the nutrients within nettle were also a large part of helping the relief of the allergies.
Over the years I have experienced even better results with allergy relief when nettle is combined with chickweed and peppermint. A tea of this combination has helped congestion in people and animals. A friend of mine Beverly Ashley gave it to her “hacky snotty cat” and he got great results. Beverly now tells everyone she knows about the many wonderful results of this herbal combination.
I have heard of people getting congestion relief from the nettle, chickweed, peppermint blend whether the congestion is in the sinus and/or in the ears. Some say that it has helped within hours of drinking the tea. The effectiveness of the treatment is very dependent on how much and how often you drink the tea. Cold drinks can increase mucous in your body so drinking the tea and any other fluids warm is helpful. Eyebright is also helpful used in combination with nettle for allergy relief. Both Eyebright and chickweed bring forth a lot of help in clearing up the sinus and watery eyes. Eyebright however will not be as easy as chickweed to find on Lookout.
Cleansing the blood and giving the liver a boost is also a great way to help remedy allergies as well as prevent them. A tea of yellow root and/or the root and leaves of dandelion helps clean the blood and boost liver function. I have had the best results with yellow root.
Yellow root does a great job at cleansing the blood while aiding in liver function and digestion. The better the body can eliminate toxins the better it is able to heal itself. Yellow Root is also helpful if a sinus infection develops as a result of allergies. Yellow root contains the compound berberine which is helpful in ridding the body of bacterial infections.
When I consider what herbs to use for prevention or for remedies, I factor in the body as a whole. The holistic approach is about bringing the body more into balance rather than just treating the symptoms. So next time you know it is your time of year to get allergies, your eyes begin to water or you feel a tickle in your throat that is familiar to the dreaded allergies- it may be wise for you to begin an allergy combination and/or begin a cleanse of the liver and blood.
As always it is wise for me to tell you to contact your health care provider before making and changes to your health regimen even though I have not seen or heard of any side effects regarding the plants mentioned. LV
