How to Get Ahead of Allergy Season

We’re on the brink of a big seasonal shift right now – it’s palpable. We just turned our clocks forward an hour (yay daylight), we’re approaching the Spring Equinox, the air has less of a chill in it, and buds are beginning to emerge! Yet, all of these factors contribute to one major spring phenomenon: pollen. For many of us,  these seasonal shifts mark the unwelcome arrival of itchy eyes, scratchy throats, congestion, sneezing, and fatigue. So, instead of reacting to bothersome allergy symptoms as they arise, take a proactive approach this year to help build up your body’s resilience and minimize those aforementioned discomforts.

Let’s dive into allergy-busting herbs (like those found in Spring Defense Tonic), liver-supporting foods, and easy lifestyle practices to help you enjoy spring without wanting to claw your eyes out.

Strengthen your immune system with herbs

Stinging nettle – this immune-modulating allergy staple acts as a natural antihistamine, helping to block your body’s production of histamine and/or metabolize histamine that’s building up. Since histamine is the pesky hormone responsible for triggering allergy symptoms, nettle can help alleviate these and even prevent them from occurring in the first place. 

Ambrosia (Ragweed) – as one of the most common triggers of allergies, ragweed might seem counterintuitive to include in this list. However, you can think of taking ragweed pollen as good old hair of the dog. By microdosing it, you’re continually exposing your immune system to the allergen and desensitizing it over time so that when you do encounter ragweed pollen in nature, your body doesn’t react as intensely nor rapidly. 

Turmeric – curcumin, an active compound in turmeric, is well-studied for its potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that, in turn, significantly improve allergy symptoms. This is because it supports your liver’s detoxification pathways (crucial for processing allergens) and reduces histamine-related inflammation specifically, making it a dual-purpose herb for allergy relief. 

*You can find all of these herbs in Spring Defense Tonic

Support your liver 

A sluggish or overburdened liver can drastically make allergies worse as histamines and inflammatory compounds accumulate in your body and wreak havoc on your immune system. Some of our favorite ways to keep your liver functioning optimally are leaning on liver-loving herbs, loading up on certain foods that support detoxification, and adopting a few simple lifestyle practices. 

Herbs that enhance liver detoxification:

• Dandelion root
• Milk thistle
• Burdock root
• Turmeric 
• Artichoke
• Red root
• Bupleurum 
• Oregon grape root

*You can find all of these herbs in Liver Juice

Foods that enhance liver detoxification:

• Beets 
• Artichokes
• Citrus
• Cruciferous vegetables (Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, etc)
• Leafy greens (dandelion greens, arugula, spinach, collards)
• Asparagus
• Bitter foods (endive, radicchio, bitter greens)
• Green tea
• Fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill, oregano, mint, sage, chives)
• Garlic
• Onions

Lifestyle practices that support liver detoxification:

• Taking digestive bitters before/with meals 
• Doing castor oil packs weekly 
• Limiting things that burden your liver (like processed foods, alcohol, and sugar)
• Drinking plenty of water, bonus if it’s lemon water

Get out your air purifier!

Reducing your indoor allergen exposure is JUST as important as supporting your body from the inside out with all of the foods, herbs, and lifestyle tips that we just went over. You can create a clean breathing environment with the help of a HEPA air purifier that traps dust, pollen, pet dander, and other airborne irritants that make their way into your home.

Another sneaky way to improve the air quality in your space (and make it way cozier and cheerier) is by adding houseplants. Look out for peace lilies, spider plants, and snake plants specifically when you’re perusing the garden store. Lastly, when you recognize that you might be in a high pollen count week, try to keep your windows shut to prevent excess pollen from floating into your home – because air purifiers can do a lot, but they can’t get everything!

Enjoy local honey

Honey bees typically forage within a one to two mile radius of their hive, collecting pollen from the plants that grow in their immediate environment. Therefore, if you source honey from as close to your home as possible, you’ll consume teeny tiny amounts of local pollen and will essentially build up a tolerance to it over time. It’s the same concept as microdosing with Ragweed for allergies, called immunotherapy. Technically speaking, some studies suggest that regular consumption of local honey could reduce allergy symptoms by supressing IgE mediated hypersensitivity reactions and inhibiting mast cell activation (1). The kicker is, you really want your honey to be local. So check out your nearest farmer’s market and support the beekeepers in your area!

Use a humidifier or nasal rinse

Have you ever visited a dry climate or flown on a plane and noticed that your ears, nose, and throat feel out of whack afterward? That’s because dry air is notorious for irritating your nasal passages, which can worsen allergy symptoms. Keeping your sinuses hydrated throughout the seasonal shifts (especially if you live in a dry climate) can help reduce congestion and inflammation. Two easy ways to do this are to add a humidifier to your bedroom, or, to incorporate a Neti port rinse or saline spray into your daily routine to help flush allergens out of your sinuses before they even have the chance to trigger those pesky allergy symptoms.