more natural remedies for hayfever
Following on from yesterday’s article, here are 4 more natural hayfever remedies
5- AROMATHERAPY
There are several essential oils that can be beneficial. You might like to make up a blend, put a drop on a handkerchief and carry it with you, or put a few drops in a base oil and rub on your wrist to smell. If your sinuses are blocked, you can give yourself a gentle face massage around the eyes and nose (this has the added bonus of draining some of the acupressure sinus points). If your breathing is effected, you can massage some oils, dispersed in carrier oil into your chest to help ease symptoms.
Benzoin and frankincense help you to breathe more deeply.
Eucalyptus and peppermint are useful if your nose is blocked.
Chamomile reduces inflammation.
Lavender is calming and soothing and is valuable if your hayfever causes you stress or effects your sleep.
Melissa soothes and calms allergic reactions; it is especially effective to vapourise a couple of drops of melissa in the bedroom at night.
6- HONEY
Honey from as LOCAL a source to you as possible can help you to build up immunity. Hayfever suffers have reported amazing results from taking just a teaspoon of local honey every morning. However, you do need to start this BEFORE you get to your hayfever seasons to start to build up your immunity – say around the end of February. Honey has the added benefit of soothing a sore throat if that is one of your symptoms.
7- TISSUE SALTS
There is a New Era tissue salt combination specifically for Hayfever and rhinitis. It is available from chemists or online. Tissue salts are homeopathic remedies and safe for children as well as adults. In acute cases, you can give a child a dose every half an hour until symptoms subside.
The hayfever and rhinitis formula contains the following homeopathic remedies:
i) Mag Phos. (antispasmodic)
ii) Nat Mur. (balances water in the body – so perfect for either blocked noses or runny noses and watery eyes)
iii) Silica. (blood cleanser and general purifier).
They are easy for kids to take because they are tiny, dissolve in the mouth and taste of sugar!
8- HERBS
Compresses made from chamomile or witch hazel can help soothe itchy eyes.
Soothe irritated mucous membranes with warm infusions of hyssop, lavender, marjoram or thyme.
To relieve excess mucous, drink infusions of mullein or eyebright.
Nettle infusions can relieve the symptoms of hayfever.
Elderflower (Sambucus) is an old remedy for hayfever, which calms and soothes
A peppermint infusion helps to clear the sinuses – inhale the cleansing vapours as you drink.
Remember, you may need to work at a combination to suit you. A shower before bed, a nightly massage, a change of diet and using a barrier method might be required to get things under control.
The good news is that you CAN find a solution to deal with hayfever symptoms the natural way, without resorting to drugs.
Do you have a winning formula? Please share it here.
another alternative is acupressure.I am an acupuncturist, based in Leeds, and I invented the Qu-Chi acupressure band as a drug-free, clinically-proven way to relieve the symptoms of hayfever and allergic rhinitis.
The Qu-Chi band works on the acupressure point that relieves symptoms of hayfever. Unlike medications, Qu-Chi does not cause drowsiness, is fast acting and does not interfere with other medications. It is also kinder to the environment, as one Qu-Chi band lasts for years.
Suitable for all ages, Qu-Chi can be worn all day and night and has no side effects. It can even be used all year round for non-hayfever related allergic rhinitis – it may even help with other allergies such as house dust-mite or pets.
Flushing your sinuses with a neti pot is an excellent way to get some relief from seasonal allergies. The only problem is that you cant use it everywhere. On a recent visit to my allergist she recommended a new “all natural” nasal spray called Sinol Allergy/Sinus nasal spray.
For the last two months I have used this product and I love it. Sinol has no harsh side effects but it does a little bite to it when you first begin to use it. Like eating horseradish or wasabi but I like that nose clearing feeling. It will also keep your sinuses drained and bacteria free. I wish I found Sinol years ago.
Andrew and Allie – hi! I’m just catching up with comments on the blog. Andrew, I love acupressure and use it a lot on myself. I’m very interested in your Qu-Chi bands and will look into them further – are they popular with your clients?
Allie, many of my friends love their neti pot – I’m too chicken to try one! I’ve never heard of Sinol; I’ll look into that too 🙂 Thank you both for sharing your ideas here.
Hi Mrs. Green,
My son gets quite bad hayfever at times but does not like the taste of honey. Could you tell me if it has the same effect if it is used in cooking or in tea.
@candy taylor: Hi Candy; that’s a good question. I would assume that if the honey is pasteurised then it won’t make any difference, but if you are giving him raw honey you’d need to keep it in its raw state for maximum benefit. Not sure this really answers your question :/