If you are like me, allergies come out to play when the weather gets warmer. They can be a real pain.
Over-the-counter treatments are good in their own ways, but many people swear by their own home remedies.
When there is no chance of getting to the pharmacy, there are some natural remedies you can use to help keep you lucid and relatively allergy-free. Some of these won’t work for everyone, but give it a try and see if any of these work for you.
Honey: Local honey is actually a very interesting idea. There aren’t a lot of studies to back this up, but many people swear that eating a teaspoon of raw local honey every day helps stave off allergy symptoms. Many of the local honey sources have antibodies to the plants in the area. Eating local honey is a good choice for reducing allergens.
Vitamin C: This is one remedy that everyone swears by. When you are sick, get more vitamin C. When you are worn down, get more vitamin C. When you are exercising, more vitamin C will help your recovery. Vitamin C can actually be found in numerous places and can be quite delicious to get your extra daily dose. Citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit, orange), peppers (cayenne, chili), greens (spinach, broccoli), potatoes and strawberries. It couldn’t hurt to boost your intake of these items when winter turns into spring.
Peppermint: This herb can be dried and brewed into a tea to help with allergies.
From personal experience, peppermint grows very well in Idaho. Peppermint can help soothe your scratchy throat and mucus membranes when ingested in a tea. Some people love adding it to their water and drink it throughout the day as a refreshing wake up. No matter how you use it, peppermint would be a great thing to keep the allergies (and other ailments) at bay during a survival situation.
Elderflower: This is one remedy that I heard about from a little old lady who lived next door. She would dry the elderberries and flowers and then put them into a tea. Sometimes she would even turn it into a tincture to help with stomach aches. The flowers and berries are the only parts of this bush that have been known to help with immune support. The stems, roots and leaves have been known to cause a toxicity in the blood. If you decide to plant this in your vicinity, make sure you know how to take care of it and use it to your healthful advantage.
As you can see, there are some great natural remedies to help stave off allergies this spring. I am not claiming that they will cure your allergies, but the research I have come across has proven hopeful to those allergy sufferers in the world.
Don’t take my word for it, give any or all of these remedies a try. It is always good to keep on track with local remedies.
Emily Thornton is an English Teacher at Pocatello High School and is working on her Master’s Degree at Idaho State University.
