ThoraThinks

Yesterday at the post office I stood in line next to a guy whose right eye was red like mine. He said he noticed my Ohio license plate. He’s from Michigan. It was quickly established that (like just about everyone who moves to Nashville from someplace north/east/west) we are both allergic to this place! Ayayay.

I’ll skip the part where I complain about how yucky I’m feeling and go straight to the good stuff. I feel so lucky to have herbalist, doctor, midwife, and other wellness-friends here who are happy to help out when I need some guidance. I called up my dearest Heather (experienced doula, nurse-midwife-in-training, and daughter of an herbalist/naturopathic doctor… what a resource!) to ask what she recommends for relieving environmental allergy symptoms. Other than using my neti pot, I didn’t really know what to do. Since many of us deal with allergies this time of year, I want to share some of Heather’s insights with you…

Here are some allergy relief suggestions:

Allergies occur when the body’s immune system treats a harmless substance (such as pollen) as if it’s toxic. The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal suggests a regular daily intake of vitamin C to support optimal immunity and prevent/treat the haywire activity that occurs in the body and results in the allergic reaction. I’d suggest 500-1000mg of vitamin C daily. For reference, one orange = 70mg, one medium tomato = 23mg, cup of kale = 80mg (!!!!!), cup of parsley = 79mg vitamin C. A good vitamin C supplement (with bioflavonoids) may help you achieve the recommended amount.

The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal also recommends using Elderberry. This makes sense to me, because Elderberry is a premier immune tonic. Tincture or syrup are the best preparations.

Garlic, garlic, garlic. The Green Pharmacy recommends Garlic because of its high concentration of quercetin, a compound that retards inflammatory reactions. I’d suggest several cloves garlic daily, preferably raw.

Nettle is another plant The Green Pharmacy recommends for allergy relief. As well, Herbal Healing for Women includes it for hayfever treatment. I can attest to its power wholeheartedly. The dried leaves are used to make a strong tea (known as an infusion) of 1 part Nettle to 8 parts water steeped covered for 4-8 hours. The tea turns dark brown and should be strained at the end of steeping and stored in the fridge until being used. I fill a quart-sized mason jar with 1-2 inches plant material and cover it with almost boiling water. Drinking a quart a day seems to be an effective dose. Alternatively, freeze-dried Nettle leaves in capsule form seem to be quite helpful for many folks. Both the dried leaves and capsules can be found at Whole Foods. I get my Nettle from Mountain Rose Herbs

Ingvar with nettle leaves

Chamomile is also suggested by The Green Pharmacy. It contains compounds that are anti-histamine (histamine is what the immune system produces that causes inflammation) and anti-allergic. Drink it as a tea and massage the diluted essential oil on itchy places of the skin.

(follow up)
Doing some more research, I’ve found that many folks encourage higher doses of vitamin C than I suggested…anywhere from 3000-5000mg/day, with the dosage split and spaced in even intervals several times daily. Also, Magnesium is a natural antihistamine…400-800mg/day seems to be the common dose. Parsley seems to have some antihistamine properties, too…I’d suggest making a strong pesto and incorporating several heaping tbsp into your meals. Finally, Reishi mushrooms are touted as a plant remedy for allergies…a compound in the mushroom called Lanostan appears to inhibit the release of histamine. They also happen to be a wonderful adaptogen, and thereby offer general support for the adrenal glands and immune system. I think Mountain Rose has Reishi…like any tonifying plant, effects are generally seen after taking the plant for a period of time…immediate results are less common than those appearing after several weeks.

THANK YOU, Heather! If anyone else has suggestions for folks with seasonal allergies, please feel free to share! In the meantime, here’s a very tasty recipe for parsley pesto. Gotta get that vitamin C. YUM!

Parsley Pesto
INGREDIENTS

-1/2 lb. fresh parsley, rinsed and drained
-1/2 c. olive oil
-1/2 c. hemp seeds
-4 cloves garlic
-1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
-1 tsp. sea salt
-1 tsp. nutritional yeast
-1/2 c. water

Combine oil, hemp seeds, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast in food processor and blend well. Slowly add parsley and continue to blend. Scrape down the sides of the food processor to incorporate all ingredients, and add water as needed to create a smooth, creamy spread. This is delicious enough to eat on its own, or serve with… well, pretty much anything!  Store in the fridge in the sealed container.

served with balsamic-rosemary tempeh, quinoa, and a mizuna/arugula salad

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