Seasonal-type allergies bloom when the plants do, in spring to early autumn. During breezy days, tiny pollen particles drift through the air - and straight up your nose! If you suffer from seasonal allergies, natural medicines can reduce the severity of your symptoms and prevent illnesses such as lingering respiratory infections.

Pollens that are lightweight, dry, and designed to be wind-dispersed are responsible for most seasonal allergies. The pollen of birch, oak, mugwort, ragweed, olive, and most grasses are wind borne.

Mold allergies are also seasonal. Mold, mildew, mushrooms, and yeast are all fungi, which reproduce with tiny, powdery spores that are airborne or carried about on clothing, pets, etcetera. Spore counts generally peak in warm, humid weather, but dry windy conditions can also blow fungal spores into the air. A damp home or basement is the primary source of allergenic fungal exposure.

In a study by Drs. Huang and Kimbrough of the University of Florida, children with persistent cold-like symptoms were treated with numerous courses of antibiotics, but failed to show improvement. A strong correlation between the severity of symptoms (runny nose, post-nasal drip, bloodshot eyes, headache, mouth breathing) and high mold counts in their homes was found. Surprisingly, mold counts in many homes were higher in winter than summer, due to closed windows and doors. Condensation on metal window frames was a significant cause of dampness and fungal growth near a child's bed. Mold counts were also very high in bedrooms where children were allowed to eat regularly.

Regardless of the allergen, seasonal allergies respond to relatively high doses of certain supplements and medicinal plants. The doses given here are for treating acute allergies during allergy season and should not necessarily be taken all year. Use half doses for children eight to 13 and one-third doses for children four to eight. I also recommend doubling your multivitamin and antioxidant doses during allergy season.

Key Supplements

Vitamin C is the most critical supplement for allergies. Everybody with allergies can be helped by vitamin C, even if they ignore every other issue that could be affecting their condition. Vitamin C is the primary antioxidant in the lungs, and is a powerful antihistamine that does not cause side-effects.

Allergens provoke certain cells in the body to produce histamine, a biochemical that is responsible for the characteristic tearing, excess mucus, and runny nose of allergies. This response is the body's means of flushing out offenders, however the prolonged response due to seasonal allergens becomes uncomfortable. Vitamin C prevents the formation of histamine, as opposed to common antihistamine medications that work by interfering with the binding of histamine after it is already produced. Vitamin C also normalizes our immune responses, helping them work together instead of antagonistically. Recommended dosage: one gram three to five times per day or to bowel tolerance.

Pantothenic acid: Taking extra pantothenic acid, a B-vitamin, may reduce the severity of allergic reactions and relieve sinus congestion that occurs upon awakening (500 mg one to two times per day).

Magnesium: To relax the bronchial tubes and smooth muscle of the esophagus, take 400 mg magnesium per day.

Medicinal plants also offer relief for the following seasonal allergy symptoms.

Sneezing, Watery Eyes, Excess Mucus Drainage

Quercetin is one of the most effective antihistamine/antiallergic flavonoids. It's concentrated in onions, garlic, cayenne, apples, and tea and is nearly ubiquitous in medicinal plants. Both quercetin itself and preparations of plants rich in quercetin have been proven effective for allergies, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, sinusitis, cold, and flu. Recommended dosage: 1,000 mg two or three times per day.

Other antiallergic flavonoid-rich herbs are chamomile, feverfew, yarrow, baikal skullcap, lemon balm, perilla, grapes (leaf and fruit), pycnogenol, and most mints. Use six to eight, 300 to 500 mg capsules, or four cups of infusion per day.

C. Leigh Broadhurst, PhD, is a research geochemist with a US government agricultural research facility in Maryland and a consultant to the natural products industry. She is the author of many books and articles, including Natural Relief from Asthma (alive Books, 2002), Health and Healing with Bee Products (alive Books, 2000), and The Whole Family Guide to Natural Asthma Relief (Avery Penguin-Putnam, 2002).

Source: alive #258, April 2004