How to treat Hayfever with Herbal Medicine

But sadly, some people will spend a lot of energy avoiding all those things because of hay-fever.

The medical term for hay fever is allergic rhinitis. Symptoms include streaming, itchy nose and eyes, sneezing, sore and tickly throat, headaches and tiredness. The last two symptoms are usually brought on as a result of dehydration and lack of good sleep due to all that sneezing, coughing and constant rubbing of eyes.

Anti-histamines are the conventional medicine for treating hay fever. These aim to reduce the amount of histamine released by cells in the mucosal layer which are responsible for the production of all those symptoms.

Happily, the plant world is full of natural medicines which also reduce histamine and other body chemicals involved in the development of hay fever.  Some of these are very easy to get hold of :- nettles, chamomile and elderflowers. These are also very safe and can be really helpful for children.

Nettles and chamomile both contain anti-histamine and elderflowers are anti-catarrhal.

Herbal tea

You can make a tea out of all of these or even just one of them.

Use a good handful of cleaned and chopped plants, put in a tea-pot and pour on boiling water. Leave for 5 minutes, strain and drink. You may like to sweeten with honey.

Tips

Use gloves while collecting fresh nettles(!) – you can use fresh nettles or dried. The stalks can be used as well, no need to strip off each leaf.

Chamomile – there are two types of chamomile. German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) has a stronger effect but Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)  will also do.

Elderflowers – will only be flowering May-June, so it is worth collecting some flower heads and drying for use later in the summer. Just tie in a bunch and hang upside down or lay out on brown paper somewhere warm and dry.

Elderflower cordial

This is a lovely summer drink. To serve, use a couple of teaspoons in a glass and fill with cold, sparkling water. Keep the cordial in sterilised plastic bottles (such as mineral water bottles) and freeze to enjoy throughout the year.

Recipe (to make approx 2 litres)

30 elderflower heads, rinsed

1 ¼ litres water

1 kilo of sugar

50g citric acid powder ( comes in boxes of sachets from the chemist)

2 lemons sliced roughly

Put the elderflowers, lemons and citric acid in a clean bucket or jam pan. In a separate pan boil the water and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Once this mixture is COOL pour over the flowers and lemons in the bucket. Cover with a cloth and leave for 48 hours, stirring occasionally.  Take out the flowers and lemons. Strain the rest of the mixture through a muslin cloth and decant into sterilised plastic bottles. Keep in the fridge. If you are freezing the bottles then leave them one-third empty to allow for the liquid to expand in the freezer.

Another top tip

Keep a bottle of distilled Witch Hazel water (available from chemists including Boots) in the fridge. Soak a cotton wool pad with the witch hazel and use to wipe eyes. Or you can lie down and leave pads on eyes for five minutes – refreshing, cooling and soothing.

More on herbal medicine

There are many other, extremely effective plant medicines which can treat hay fever and some can only be prescribed by a professional medical herbalist. No two people with hay fever will be exactly the same. But a qualified medical herbalist will be able to blend plant extracts uniquely suited to your condition, dependant on your symptoms, the kind of pollen you are allergic to, and other health factors.