If you’re among the 20 percent of the general population who suffer from allergies, dealing with a runny nose, tickling throat, and red itchy eyes may be all too familiar. Thankfully, there are natural ways to reduce the impact of allergies on daily life, including these supplements to relieve symptoms.
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Probiotics
Your microbiome, including the good bacteria in your gut, skin, and airways, plays a major role in your immune function—such as your response to allergens. Allergies are on the rise, partly due to our changing lifestyles and its effect on our microbiomes. The good news is, taking a probiotic supplement or eating probiotic-rich foods along with prebiotic fiber from unrefined grains daily are simple ways to re-establish a healthy microbiome.
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Quercetin
This antioxidant pigment, found at especially high levels in onions, shallots, and apples, works as a natural antihistamine by inhibiting the body’s release of histamines during an allergic reaction. Supplementation with quercetin has also been found to improve symptoms of rhinitis and reduce allergy sufferers’ reliance on conventional treatments like nasal drops and inhalers.
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Butterbur
Thanks to butterbur’s antioxidant profile and a unique compound called petatewalide B, this traditional Korean, Japanese, and Chinese medicine has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic activities that have made it a go-to remedy for seasonal allergies and bronchial asthma. Butterbur is commonly taken as a natural supplement made from its leaves, buds, roots, and stems.
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Beta-glucans
Beta-glucans, commonly found in mushrooms, are powerful activators of the immune system and have been found to help people with ragweed allergies reduce the severity of their symptoms by 52 percent when taken as a supplement.
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A cup of tea
Rooibos, a caffeine-free herbal tea with high mineral and antioxidant levels, has bronchodilator effects that widen the airways and has been found to reduce allergic inflammation in allergy patients. The Benifuuki variety of green tea, recognized for its exceptional epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) levels, has also been shown to relieve runny nose and itchy eye symptoms in people with cedar pollen allergies.
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Propolis and pollen
Propolis, also called “bee glue,” and bee pollen are natural sources of vitamins, minerals, and flavonoids with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-stimulating activities. Although more research is needed, studies show that propolis may help suppress allergic inflammation from food allergies. Anti-allergic compounds have also been found in bee pollen. The catch is: bee products should not be used by people with bee or pollen allergies.