Home remedies for spring allergies
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Spring is in the air! House finches sing as they build their nests and purple and golden crocuses are in bloom. All of us look forward to the longer, warmer and sunnier days. But with the beauties of spring come the challenges of spring allergens—tree pollens and moulds. To make matters worse, your cats and dogs are shedding their winter coats, and possibly triggering allergic reactions for many of us. Here are some tips to help you enjoy the season without red itchy eyes, a runny nose and stuffy sinuses.
Spring is kapha season. As the snows melt and paths turn to mud, we experience mucusy kapha conditions like spring allergies. So, the first thing we have to do is get on a kapha-soothing diet emphasizing the bitter, pungent and astringent tastes and avoiding heavy oily, sticky foods like macaroni and cheese. As we’ve stressed in our last two articles, the most important taste for spring is the bitter taste.
Next, use a neti pot to keep your sinuses open and to wash out pollens and dander that have stuck to your nasal mucosa. This involves washing the nasal passages with salt water which is poured into the nostril and exits out the other nostril or through the mouth. The water used for the purpose should be pure, free of chlorine, while the salt should be either pure sea salt, or better still, Himalayan salt or Utah salt. Classically, a brass vessel with a long spout is used, although an indoor plant watering can with a spout makes an excellent substitute. The water should be salty as tears, two teaspoons of salt to a quart of water or half a teaspoon to a cup of water.
Like any other part of the body, the nose, after being washed with lukewarm water of the same salinity as tears, must be carefully dried. Do this by vigorous breathing exercises and forward bending yoga poses which allow any excess water to drain from the sinuses.
As well as doing neti, we can also use nose drops to help our allergies. Ideally, get a nasya oil from your Ayurvedic Doctor, who will suggest something that’s just right for you. Alternatively, you can make your own ginger, rose, jaggery nasya. Jaggery is a sugar cane product you can get from your local Indian store.
To make ginger, rose jaggery nasya, mix a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, a teaspoon of jaggery and a teaspoon of rose petals in boiling water and steep for ten minutes. Strain it and allow it to cool to room temperature. Instill five drops into each nostril on an empty stomach. This nasya can be stored for a few days in a screw top glass jar in the refrigerator. The jaggery balances vata, rose balances pitta and ginger balances kapha, allowing for a healthy nasal cleanse for all body types.
Another option is a herbal smoke. Combine rose petals, chamomile flowers, a few drops of ghee and a pinch of nutmeg as a herbal smoke to combat nasal and sinus symptoms.
If your throat feels sore, a gargle may help. Mix some Himalayan salt and turmeric in hot water and gargle.
If you have a headache due to allergies, a face paste may help. Make a paste of half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon mixed in water and apply it to the temples or the area of pain.
Next, here are a couple of home remedies you may like. Try cilantro juice for hay fever and allergic conjunctivitis. Drink two tablespoons of cilantro juice twice daily and gently bathe your eyelids with cilantro juice. For hives, drink the cilantro juice and apply the pulp to the hives.
And my favourite remedy for allergies—turmeric! Mix a teaspoon of turmeric in honey and eat for almost instant relief.
For swollen, sticky or itchy eyes, use hexane free castor oil. Apply a drop in each eye before bed and your symptoms will soon vanish.
If you like to use local herbs or things from your own garden, here are a few suggestions.
You might be growing catnip for your kitty. Catnip leaves can be made into an infusion. Let the infusion cool and then bathe your eyelids with it if they are red and itchy due to allergies.
You can also try drinking dandelion tea or nettles tea to relieve allergy symptoms.
There are some special Ayurvedic herbs you might like as well. Remember to drink your triphala tea during allergy season. It’s chock full of antioxidants. You can also soak a cloth in triphala tea and apply it over your closed eyelids for red and itchy eyes. And for coughing and sneezing, you can take sitopaladi churna, a sweet mixture that helps with coughs, colds and congestion.
With the BA 2 variant of COVID, (Omicron 2) beginning to make itself felt, you’ll want to make sure that your runny nose, sneezing and sore throat really are due to allergies and not to COVID. So be sure to test if you have symptoms, wear a mask when indoors, even if mandates are lifted. Stay safe and help protect others.
Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.
Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!
