Natural Remedies for Allergies: Effective Relief at Home

Lemon Juice

Posted by Stephanie (Georgia, Usa) on 08/30/2013
★★★★★

I haven't seen much on this but lemon juice can stop an allergy attack in its tracks... Almost instantly. Depending on the severity of the attack and how long you have allowed it to go, you may have to take two or three shots of lemon juice. That's how we do it. My husband has severe allergy attacks and most allergy meds doesn't even help him. If I hear him sneezing and blowing his nose I run and grab the lemon juice, he takes a big swig from the bottle and the attack will usually stop, sometimes if it's a bad one he will have to take a second swig. This has worked great for our family.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Miked (Exeter, Nh, Usa) on 05/29/2013
★★★★★

Just wanted to post this b/c I am a teacher and I believe in helping people. I have suffered from allergies all my life. In the last 20 years it has been really bad. I started seeing an allergist. Got allergy shots for 10 years. Developed nasal pollyps which is inflamed sinus tissue that forms into little balloons that block your nose. I saw my allergist three weeks ago and I couldnt breathe through my nose and I had an ear infection. He gave me antibiotics and my ear healed but my nose was still plogged up. He also gave me more nasal sprays. Last week I got an infection in my face that felt so bleeping bad it brought me to tears. I went to my regular Dr. and he gave me antibiotics and my nose cleared up.

On Saturday I ate some broccolli in a bag and shrimp and my nose swelled up. I have been trying natural rememdies for about a year now and what I have discovered is that I diagnosed myself opposite and my remedies were hurting me even more and made me toxic.

Your body makes histamines in response to allegies or foreign material that freaks your body out. It causes inflammation and then mucus gets trapped in there and causes you to get stuffed up. Food high in histamine naturally are a lot of surprising bad foods and good foods like soda, spinach, tomatoes, cheese, alcohol, vineger and lots more. Ressearch if you would like. I dont seem to need medicine and doesn't seem that allergies bother me after eating foods low in histamine.

I eat bananas, fresh turkey (foods processed and bagged are not good for you at all), watermelon, apples, ricotta cheese, grapes, eggs were ok, potato salad without prapika.

If you have health problems there are answers for you that maybe your Dr. doesn't know about or just wants to pump you up with medicine. But, my problems might not be yours. But if someone feels better from cutting out histamine foods...... Great.

Common reactions to histamine are also skin rashes and hives. My 5 year old nephew suffers from this so I told my sister.

I also tried the ACV and GFSE. Vinegar is not good for histamine intolerance. I also tried all that sinuswars stuff. If I eat right I feel great and don't need anything. Here are some general pointers:

Avoid or reduce eating canned foods and ready meals
Avoid or reduce eating ripened and fermented foods (older cheeses, alcoholic drinks, products containing yeast, stale fish)
Histamine levels in foods vary, depending on how ripe, matured or hygienic the foods are
As much as it is possible, only buy and eat fresh products.
Don't allow foods to linger outside the refrigerator - especially meat products
Ensure that your food preparation area (kitchen) is always kept clean - but don't be manic!
Everyone has their own threshold; you will need to find yours
Consult a certified dietician about working out a balanced diet
Learn to cook! It can be loads of fun once you get into it

Low histamine level foods:

Fresh meat (cooled, frozen or fresh)
Freshly caught fish
Chicken (skinned and fresh)
Egg yolk
Fresh fruits - with the exception of strawberries, most fresh fruits are considered to have a low histamine level (also see histamine liberators below)
Fresh vegetables - with the exception of tomatoes
Grains - rice noodles, yeast free rye bread, rice crisp bread, oats, puffed rice crackers, millet flour, pasta (spelt and corn based)
Fresh pasteurised milk and milk products
Milk substitutes- coconut milk, rice milk
Cream cheese, butter (without the histamine generating rancidity)
Most cooking oils - check suitability before use
Most leafy herbs - check suitability before use
Most non-citric fruit juices
Herbal teas - with the exception of those listed below

High histamine level foods:

Alcohol
Pickled or canned foods - sauerkrauts
Matured cheeses
Smoked meat products - salami, ham, sausages.
Shellfish
Beans and pulses - chickpeas, soy beans, peanuts
Nuts - walnuts, cashew nuts
Chocolates and other cocoa based products
Most citric fruits
Wheat based products
Vinegar
Ready meals
Salty snacks, sweets with preservatives and artificial colourings

Histamine liberators:

Most citric fruits - kiwi, lemon, lime, pineapple, plums
Cocoa and chocolate
Nuts
Papaya
Beans and pulses
Tomatoes
Wheat germ
Additives - benzoate, sulphites, nitrites, glutamate, food dyes

Diamine Oxidase (DAO) blockers:

Alcohol
Black tea
Energy drinks
Green tea
Mate tea

Debatable:

Yoghurt - depends on the bacteria culture used
Egg white - it is a histamine liberator only when in its raw state

Other:

Yeast - even though it does not contain histamine as such, yeast serves as a catalyst for histamine generation during manufacture. There is no yeast in the end product.

Sources include:

http://www.nahrungsmittel-intoleranz.com/histaminintoleranz-informationen/symptome-histaminintoleranz.html
Maintz L, Novak N: Histamine and histamine intolerance, American Journal of Clinical

MSM

Posted by Tina (Houston, Usa) on 10/04/2012
★★★★★

YEA - I have been taking 1000mg MSM each evening to help with hair loss due to low thyroid, but am simply AMAZED at it's efficiency to eliminate seasonal allergy symptoms like runny nose, congestion, itchy eyes, coughing, etc.

If I take it in the AM, I do feel tired through the day, but taking it in the evening aids in sleeping through the night, and eliminates allergy symptons. Who knew?

Nettles

Posted by Sue From Wa State (Bellingham, Wa) on 10/29/2011
★★★★★

Hi, I have had complete success with nettles eradicating a springtime pollen allergy, it was a completely miserable stuffy nose, but not at all a cold, etc. I made a nettle infusion actually, which is easy, just steeping 1/4 cup of dried nettles in hot water in a pint jar overnight, then strained and you drink it over the next two days. It's not bad, kind of an acquired taste and sure worth doing. I kind of learned this accidentally, from Susun Weed's book on menopause. Somewhere she mentioned nettles as helpful with allergies, so I gave it a go. Nettles seem to have many amazing properties.

Bee Pollen

Posted by Lisa (Closter, Nj) on 05/02/2011
★★★★★

Take a full dropper of Bee Propolis in a tablespoon of Manuka Honey (also containing 85% bee pollen). It TOTALLY cured my allergies! Also gastritis.

I used to need antibiotics at least 5-7x pr yr. for chronic rhinitis/sinusitis. Comes from a yeasty gut. Allergic nose sinusitus=chronic sinus infections! .... NO MORE!!!

Clean out yourself also- and eat clean. Get rid of the yeast too- and you'll be better in NO time.

Honey

Posted by Amanda Rene (Anderson, California, USA) on 10/17/2008
★★★★★

Try using local honey to alleviate allergy symptoms. Look for it at health food stores or your local Farmers' Market. This saved me from terrible eye pain caused by my allergies. From what I understand, using the honey is kind of like having a vaccination. Local honey works for allergy symptoms because it is made using the same plants you are having an allergic reaction to. Include a tablespoon of local honey in a cup of hot tea two or three times a day to begin with. When your symptoms are alleviated, maintain with one dose daily.

MSM

Posted by Tim (Berkeley, CA) on 07/07/2008
★★★★★

I have had seasonal allergies for the past 6-7 years. Earlier this year I read about how MSM can alleviate the symptoms of seasonal allergies, so I decided to give it a try. The allergy season was just starting and I could feel my eyes getting a bit itchy. I started taking 1000 mg of MSM and within 1 hour I was feeling better. It works as well as any OTC allergy medicine with out the negative health effects. As a matter of fact it is supposed to have beneficial health effects. I now take 1000 mg of MSM twice per day and have not had any more symptoms of allergies. I love this stuff.

Vitamin E

Posted by Elpidio (Lompoc, CA) on 02/15/2008
★★★★★

For dust and pollen allergies I have to say that vitamine E saved me frome years of itchy eyes runy nose and lots of missery I was taking 800mg a day until I was 100% ok I finished the botle of 100 caps.I was good for like 3 years then they came back but now I know the remedy.

Address Dehydration

Posted by Cindy (Ililnois, USA) on 03/19/2023 554 posts
★★★★★

It occurred tome that sneezing = histamine = dehydration and, so, thought that perhaps the 2 cup cure for indigestion and headache might work for that and, SO, to make a long story short, drinking a large glass of water stopped both the sneezing and the running nose.

For one who is forever telling people to hydrate, when I get busy, I don't. ROFL! I'm often dehydrated. Not to the critical degree that got me interested in hydration in the first place but the body DOES slap me upside the head to remind me. Whether with that "Oh no! " approach of indigestion or a headache or, duh, SNEEZING!

Nettles

Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 05/19/2020
★★★★★

I have posted about nettle many times in the past. I have used it for my children for allergies for years. My allergies this spring have been very bad. I think having an indoor cat this year has really aggravated my allergies in general. But this cat is part of the family. If she jumps in my lap my nose starts running. We did get a HEPA filter for our central air/heat unit. And I started to take nettle. I take once capsule morning and evening. This reduces my symptoms at least 90%. ~Mama to Many~

Nettles

Posted by Catlyn (Washington) on 08/21/2016
★★★★★

I've been using nettle capsules for years for seasonal allergies. Before I started using it, I literally hated spring and fall. Now, when my eyes get scratchy, I get stuffed up or my ears itch way down inside, I take a nettle capsule. I don't hate spring and fall anymore. It's the one thing I consistently stay with.

Zinc

Posted by Misty (Indiana, Usa) on 05/04/2016
★★★★★

I've recently had an increase in allergies, which I've read could be related to copper toxicity. Note that vegetarians are particularly susceptible, as most zinc-rich vegetarian foods are also high in copper. High-zinc/low-copper foods are mainly animal products, which I haven't been eating much of lately! Sure enough, I was eating a lot of copper-rich foods and taking copper through my B-complex and multivitamin!

Well, I reduced those supplements and added a 50mg chelated zinc tablet. My skin is less dry, is clearing up, and I have more energy! I also have noticed an increase in libido, which apparently zinc has been known to do.

Address Dehydration

Posted by Denise (MA) on 04/17/2024

I would suggest using Redmond's Real Salt, which is unrefined and packed with minerals. Better for you than theH imalayan pink salt.

Niacin

Posted by Gean (Salina, Kansas) on 09/17/2012
★★★★★

My husband has had ragweed allergies for many years, and we've tried everything. Many times he had to sleep sitting up in a chair during the ragweed season because he couldn't breathe lying down, because of nasal congestion. This year he tried niacin, and within 20 minutes of taking it he has no more symptoms whatsoever. It has to be nicotinic acid, the kind that makes you flush. He takes 750 to 1000 mg twice a day. If the pollen count is very high he has to take the higher dose, otherwise 750 will do it. Do not take the no-flush kind, or the slow release kind. Has to be nicotinic acid - you can get it at health food stores. Do not take it more than twice a day, otherwise it can be harmful to the liver. Take at least as much mg vitamin C as niacin per day.

Nettles

Posted by Sheila (Cork, Ireland) on 10/27/2011
★★★★★

I have used nettles as an allergy cure for many years. In "The Healing Power Of Rainforest Herbs" By Leslie Taylor ( the book is online ) nettles are the number one cure for allergies. Fresh is best. I put mine in salt water for a minute to kill any insects. They can be used as a salad vegetable, added to soup or made into a tea. For emergencies I keep dried nettle leaves in store. These can be purchased cheaply at most health food stores.

I searched online for the list of vitamins and minerals and came across Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy: www.herballegacy.com

He lists nettles as containing:

Vitamins A C D E F K P B complexes, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, selenium, zinc, iron, magnesium, boron, sodium, iodine, chromium, copper and sulfur.

Good Luck and God Bless You.

Love Is The Answer.

Quercetin

Posted by Jr (Coloma, Mi) on 05/03/2011
★★★★★

My husband has had bad allergies all of his life and has been on prescription anti-histimines since he was about 17 (he's 64 now). The homeopathic person that's helping him out put him on Quercitin. He is absolutely astonished that he has no trouble with allergies now. She recommended a particular brand which I guess I can't mention but it has 500mg of Vit C, 1000 mg of Quercetin, 140 mg Bromelain, 100mg Citrus Bioflavonoids, 25 mg Acerola, 25mg Rose hips and 20 mg Rutin. She recommended he take 2 a day. It seems it only took a month or so and he was allergy free. Now he only takes them once in awhile when he feels he needs them. He also takes MSM for his knees but it isn't helping much.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Turmeric, Local Honey

Posted by Lee (New York) on 05/28/2010

Hi Rob,

I have experienced NY spring allergies for years. This year I have been inhaling a little bit of h202 a few times a day (first thing in the a.m. - then, as needed) and it has helped tremendously. I think I will up my ACV/cayenne intake as well. Thanks for the reminder. Lee