Nourishing Simplicity

Made From Scratch Living With A Measure of Grace

Fighting Allergies Naturaly

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Spring is in the air! The whole area seems to be coming alive once again! It is my personal favorite time of year. unfortunately my body doesn’t like it so much. I have suffered from allergies for years now. I depended on prescription nasal spray and a clarity of brand for over ten years. I was tired of putting those drugs in my body on a daily bases. I got to a point where I just stopped using them but then suffered horribly as a consequence. A couple years ago  I was introduced to the idea of eating a tablespoon of raw honey daily for at least two months before allergy season started. Last year I did that, it did help some but not as well as I had hoped. That lead to more research and trial and error. Now I have few things that I have found that help protect my body against the attacks of pollen and dust that I would like to share.

 

1. Raw Honey


Raw honey that is from a local source is full of pollen from that area. Taking a tablespoon a day at least two months before allergy season starts will help your body build up a resistance to the pollens. You can’t substitute heated honey, which is what you regularly will find in stores, it has been pasteurized, killing all the good bacteria and filtered, depleating it’s nutritional value. Raw honey is straight from the hive. It’s normally cloudy, partially crystalized and may contain wax. The darker the honey the higher the mineral and vitamin content.

2. Allergy Tincture


A few months ago I made a tincture out of stinging nettle, dandelion root and rose hips. I take 15 drops up to four times a day. For younger children give 1/2 to 3/4 the amount. Two great sources for dry bulk herbs are Bulk Herb Store and Mountain Rose Herbs. My Allergy Tincture recipe is at the end of this post.

3. Neti Pot

This is something that I never thought I would use but have come to love. It is a little “tea” pot has spout that use to pour a saline solution through one nostril and runs out the other. I mix 1/2 a teaspoon of salt (Real Salt or Celtic Salt or the preferred options) with warm water. I tilt my head to the side and slowly pour half the water/salt solution through one nostril and allow it flow out the other. Then I repeat the process tilting my head to the opposite side. It helps remove the dusts and pollens that get in your nose. Relieving you from that horrible irritation. Initially when using a neti pot you may feel a slight discomfort that goes away after a few uses. I use mine almost every day. I purchased mine from Azure Standard but you can might than at almost any health food store.

Hay fever Allergy Tincture/Gylcerite
2 parts dried stinging nettle
1 part dried dandelion root
1 part  dried rose hips
3 to 4 parts vodka, glycerin or apple cider vinegar
1/2 part water (if using glycerin)
Vodka/Apple Cider Vinegar Method:
 
Mix herbs together filling a glass jar 3/4 of the way full. Cover with vodka or apple cider vinegar and give it a good shake. Store in a dark place such as a cabinet for at least four weeks. Shaking every day. Strain through a cheese cloth or old t-shirt, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Store in a glass jar. The tincture will retain it’s potency for at least two years. Store in a dark location.
Glycerin Method 1:
Mix herbs together filling a glass jar 3/4 of the way full. Pour just enough hot water over the herbs to dampen them. Fill the jar with glycerin and give it a good shake. Store in a dark place such as a cabinet for at least six weeks. Shaking every day. Strain through a cheese cloth or old t-shirt, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Store in a glass jar. The gylcerite will retain it’s potency for at least one year. Store in a dark location.
Glycerin Method 2:
Mix herbs together filling a glass jar 3/4 of the way full. Pour just enough hot water over the herbs to dampen them. Fill the jar with glycerin and give it a good shake. Place a towel in the bottom of a crock pot, nesting the jar in the towel. (This is to prevent the jar from breaking.) Add water until just a inch of the jar remains uncover. Place on the lid and cook in warm to low for three days. Strain through a cheese cloth or old t-shirt, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Store in a glass jar. The gylcerite will retain it’s potency for at least one year.

Mexican Wildflower is an affiliate of Mountain Rose Herbs and Bulk Herb Store, I may receive a small compensation for purchases made these links.




This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday, Homemaker by Choice,  Domestcily Devine, 

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Comments

  1. Kelly, go for it they are wonderful!!

    Paula, I forgot all about ACV! I should make my tincture with that some time.

    Courtney- I used dried herbs in mine. I’m going to go back and fix my post right now.

    Andrea- Sounds good, I’ll have to look into it!

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  2. The mesquite trees are in full bloom here in AZ and I don’t have any allergy symptoms at all unless I don’t take my Quercetin/Vitamin C capsules. I take 2 every morning no matter what time of year it is and a couple more in the afternoon if it is allergy season. The brand that I take is TwinLab.
    If you are not familiar with Quercetin, it is a bioflavinoid that is made from things like onions and apples. TwinLab mixes it with vitamin C which works perfect for me.

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  4. Don’t forget about raw apple cider vinegar. My husband’s allergies are usually awful but 1/2 tbsp twice a day and he is sneeze and sniffle free. (It may take up top 3 days to work if your allergies are really bad) We know it works because if he stops taking it after a few days he is sneezing so badly that he starts looking at Benadryl a little to lovingly.

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