A Natural Alternative to Allergy Relief
Allergies are one thing that you have to learn to deal with. They don’t just go away after a few days, like the common cold, and there is no break from allergies until the season ends (if you have seasonal allergies). Some people are allergic to things that are around year-round, offering no reprieve.
The standard response to seasonal allergies is to take an antihistamine, which counteracts the histamines in the body that appear as a part of the body’s immune response. By suppressing the actions of histamines, antihistamines help to lower allergy symptoms.
However, antihistamines can also cause many side effects, such as:
- dry mouth and eyes
- drowsiness
- headaches
- rapid heart rate
- dizziness
Not only that, but histamines only offer temporary relief, requiring those with allergies to take them and experience the negative symptoms over and over again.
Anyone who has ever had seasonal allergies knows about the lose-lose situation that antihistamines can place you in. Should you take an antihistamine but feel too tired to accomplish anything, or should you hold off on taking an antihistamine but then have to endure the watery eyes, itchy throat, and sneezing from your allergies?
This scenario can leave many people searching for an alternative way to relieve allergies that is more natural and will not cause these unpleasant side effects. Luckily, there are some options available.
Managing Your Allergy Symptoms
When you have allergies, one of
the most important things you can do is manage your surroundings to reduce allergen exposure.
Avoid Going Outside
For those with seasonal allergies, avoiding going outside can go a long way in managing your symptoms.
This does not mean that you need to remain inside for months, but if you do have to go outside, try to plan it for days when allergy counts are low.
Additionally, on a day-to-day basis, pollen counts are often lowest before dawn and in the late afternoon. Going outside only during these times can help to reduce the allergens you come into contact with.
Shower After Being Outside
Not everyone can avoid going outside when allergen counts are high, so if you find yourself having to do this, make sure to shower when you get back inside. This allows you to wash away any allergens that might be clinging to you or your clothes.
Putting on a clean set of clothes after being outside also helps to keep the allergens away from you.
Use An Air Filter
An air filter can help remove allergens from the air, but for it to be the most effective, it is best to use it in a room where you can close the door, such as a bedroom. This also ensures that the air you breathe in while sleeping has fewer allergens to irritate your respiratory system, leading to more restful sleep.
Wash Your Pets
For those with allergies, pets can harbor many allergens. To help relieve your symptoms, wash your dog regularly, at least once a week.
For those with pet allergies, this helps to remove pet dander, and for those with seasonal allergies, it helps to remove the pollen that can become trapped in their fur.
How to Relieve Allergies Naturally
While the above methods of managing allergies can help limit your exposure to allergens, in many cases, removing them entirely is impossible. Because of this, it is helpful to have an additional allergy relief method.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a field of medicine in use for centuries because of its potent and natural ingredients.
Harnessing the powers of TCM is Natural Allergy Relief (NAR), a natural and non-drowsy solution to your pesky allergy symptoms.
The ingredients of NAR help to:
- reduce snoring
- relieve nasal congestion
- soothe ear discomfort
- repair dry, itchy skin
Let’s take a closer look at some of the ingredients NAR features.
Ginseng Root
Ginseng offers benefits for those with allergies, primarily due to its ability to inhibit IgE production. IgE is a type of antibody that travels to the site of an allergic reaction, which is often the lungs, nose, skin, or throat. IgE then releases histamines, so by inhibiting IgE, ginseng also inhibits histamine release.
Multiple studies have seen the benefits of ginseng for allergies. One 4-week study comprising 59 patients with allergic rhinitis showed improvements in nasal congestion, quality of life, and skin reactivity for those who took ginseng.
Mume Fruit
The benefits of Mume Fruit for allergies stem around their benefits for mast cells. Mast cells play important roles in immediate allergic reactions because IgE antibodies for a certain type of allergen bind to IgE receptors located on the mast cell membrane. This then induces degranulation of the mast cells, which leads to the release of allergic chemical mediators such as histamine, cytokines, and proteases.
However, a study on Mume Fruit found that oral supplementation lessened allergic reaction and mast cell degranulation, which shows that it may reduce allergy symptoms.
Licorice Root
Licorice has long been used to help treat coughs due to its ability to soften phlegm in the airways, making it easier to remove.
Licorice root has also been linked in multiple studies to anti-inflammatory properties. In particular, it is able to reduce the production of TH2 polarizing cytokine IL-4 and IgE antibodies.
Zizyphus
Yet another extract with anti-inflammatory properties is zizyphus, which shows promise in treating many chronic inflammatory diseases, allergies included.
Rice Bran
Research has shown that rice bran is able to down-regulate NF-kB, which is an inflammatory transcription factor. This then leads to the reduction of inflammatory enzyme and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Ginkgo Biloba
This Chinese herb helps to reduce asthmatic symptom severity while also offering a reprieve from allergy symptoms, including watery and itchy eyes.
Natural Allergy Relief
Allergies are never pleasant, and they are one condition that cannot be ignored, often requiring some intervention to make day-to-day life more manageable. However, the traditional allergy relief method of antihistamines often produces unpleasant side effects, leaving many searching for other options.
For those with allergies, prevention is key. This can include avoiding the allergen and, for those with seasonal allergies, showering immediately after being outside to limit the amount of time spent around the allergen.
In addition to these prevention methods, Traditional Chinese Medicine uses potent and natural ingredients that offer many benefits to the body. NAR: Natural Allergy Relief comprises six ingredients common in Traditional Chinese Medicine that show immense benefits for allergy sufferers, including the inhibition of antibodies that cause allergy symptoms and throat soothing properties that also relieve congestion.
When you suffer from allergies, there’s an option for relief without drowsiness, and it can be found with NAR.
References
Jung, J., Kang, H., Ji, G., Park, M., Song, W., & Kim, M. et al. (2011). Therapeutic Effects of Fermented Red Ginseng in Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Allergy, Asthma And Immunology Research, 3(2), 103. doi: 10.4168/aair.2011.3.2.103
Kono, R., Nakamura, M., Nomura, S., Kitano, N., Kagiya, T., & Okuno, Y. et al. (2018). Biological and epidemiological evidence of anti-allergic effects of traditional Japanese food ume (Prunus mume). Scientific Reports, 8(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-30086-5
Ramalingam, M., Kim, H., Lee, Y., & Lee, Y. (2018). Phytochemical and Pharmacological Role of Liquiritigenin and Isoliquiritigenin From Radix Glycyrrhizae in Human Health and Disease Models. Frontiers In Aging Neuroscience, 10. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00348
Yin, L., Guan, E., Zhang, Y., Shu, Z., Wang, B., Wu, X., Chen, J., Liu, J., Fu, X., Sun, W., & Liu, M. (2018). Chemical Profile and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Total Flavonoids from Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Fisch. Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR, 17(2), 726–734.
Alsayari, A., & Wahab, S. (2021). Genus Ziziphus for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. Saudi Journal Of Biological Sciences, 28(12), 6897-6914. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.07.076
Lee, S., Yu, S., Park, H., Jung, J., Go, G., & Kim, W. (2019). Rice bran oil ameliorates inflammatory responses by enhancing mitochondrial respiration in murine macrophages. PLOS ONE, 14(10), e0222857. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222857
Chu, X., Ci, X., He, J., Wei, M., Yang, X., & Cao, Q. et al. (2011). A Novel Anti-Inflammatory Role for Ginkgolide B in Asthma via Inhibition of the ERK/MAPK Signaling Pathway. Molecules, 16(9), 7634-7648. doi: 10.3390/molecules16097634
