Honey as a natural remedy for hayfever?
In celebration of National Honey week and the hayfever season in full swing, I wanted to talk about using honey as a natural remedy for hayfever.
The idea is that by taking a teaspoon of honey every day, you’ll build up an immunity to pollen which will reduce the severity of your symptoms.
Ideally, you would begin this earlier on in the year, around February, but there’s no harm in having a go now. As I said yesterday, honey has lots of other health benefits, so it’s great as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Some people suggest getting hold of as local honey as you can; believing that this will allow you to build up immunity and desensitise you to your own local pollens.
Other people say you should use the best quality raw manuka honey because it has not been heated and the goodness has not been filtered out. You might need to experiment to see which works for you.[amazon-product align=”right” small=”1″]0007307136[/amazon-product]
Honey has the added benefit of soothing a sore throat, if this is one of your annoying hayfever symptoms. You could make a pot of soothing and decongestant mint tea and add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes, strain and sip while inhaling the vapours.
Alternatively, try honey dissolved in a teaspoon of warmed apple cider vinegar and topped up with hot water if your throat feels scratchy and raw.
For other ideas for treating hayfever naturally, try “8 natural remedies for hayfever“, “more natural remedies for hayfever” and details about the Qu Chi acupressure band.
Have you ever used honey to treat hayfever? Did it work for you?
Great article. I know for a fact that my allergies got way better when I stopped taking all the antihistamines and nasal sprays.
If you really want to fight power with power, try finding a local supplier of be pollen nuggets! We take them year round for a power boost in the morning and to help with our immunity to not only allergies but colds in winter.
Just a warning though : All you pregnant ladies out there : No raw honey while you are expecting! That was one of the first things off my menu (sad me) when I found out I was preggers a few months ago!
Again, great article!
Great Article! I have been doing a lot of research on food and the relationship it has with our allergies, especially hay fever. You should check it out!
http://biovedawellness.com/2010/05/hay-fever-immune-system-in-overdrive/
@Yanic A.: Hi Yanic; great to hear you have had success. pollen nuggets is something I’d never heard of before. And congratulations on your pregnancy – have a wonderful time!
@Liz: Thanks for the link to your article Liz; it’s always great to read other people’s work 🙂
As a hayfever sufferer, I can tell that taking a tablespoon of honey before each meal really helps to prevent hay fever.
If you’ve already caught it, the best way to treat it is to chew a piece of honey comb at least 5 times daily. This treatment should be followed at least 10 days to avoid a relapse.
@Cori: Hi Cori, thanks for sharing your experiences, especially as this years season will be upon us soon!