Herbs for Allergy Relief

What exactly is an allergy? Many people are under the impression that they are allergic to dust, pollen, mold, and other things. The simple fact is that your body is over-reacting to these invaders release and causing the sneezing, itching, watery eyes and runny nose. Some people are more sensitive to these air borne allergens than others.

Allergies are simply abnormal reactions to everyday things. The immune system overreacts to the release of histamine and causes the allergic reactions.

Some allergic reactions can be life-threatening and they are in a class by themselves. This type of reaction is known as anaphylaxis. If you are having this type of reaction you should seek medical attention within 30 minutes or it could be fatal. The symptoms of these reactions include difficulty breathing, collapse, and convulsions. It develops suddenly after ingesting a substance that you are severely allergic too. If you call 911, be sure to tell them that it is "suspected anaphylaxis". Injectable epinephrine may be prescribed by your doctor to carry with you at all times if you have a severe allergy to certain things like foods or insect stings.

The following herbs may help reduce your allergy symptoms instead of using decongestants and antihistamines.

Garlic (Allium sativum) and Onion (A. cepa) contain high concentrations of quercetin that retard inflammatory reactions. These items can be added to your cooking for a tasty herbal remedy.


Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) has several substances called ginkgolides that interfere with the chemicals the body produces called platelet activating factors that trigger allergies, asthma, and inflammation. Ginkgo works best for more severe allergies and its benefits may not be noticeable if you suffer from mild allergies. A daily dose is 60-240 milligrams. Doses higher than that have caused diarrhea, irritability and restlessness.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) may be effective in treating nasal symptoms. Many cultures around the world use nettle to treat nasal and respiratory ailments, coughs, runny noses, chest congestion, asthma, whooping cough and tuberculosis.