Nettles for allergies?

[TwirlyTresses]

Does anyone have any experience taking stinging nettles for seasonal allergies?

I used to take prescription Zyrtec, but my allergies significantly improved when I moved to CA and I haven't needed it since then. I still have occasional mild problems, though. Benedryl knocks me out so I can only take it at night. I've had some good success with Alavert, but it's rather expensive.

I've read that stinging nettles can help with allergy symptoms. Anyone use them? Are the freeze-dried capsules best or should it be made into a tea? Any ideas on dosage?

Thanks!

[eiyela]

I've never heard that. Here, we make soup with baby nettles in the spring. Some people sprinkle dried nettles in their cereal for the vitamins, too. It doesn't have a strong taste, but I've never liked the smell.

[kimberlily]

What about raw honey? If you get local honey (from an apiary within a 10 mile radius of your home, preferrably) that is raw and unpasturized, you'll get a dose of the nasty pollens you're allergic to and it will desensitize you to them. It works wonders for me, and my girlfriend on the coast swears by it, particularly when the acacias are blooming since she gets so congested she can hardly breathe.

More info on raw honey: http://www.reallyrawhoney.com/healthfacts.php

Be sure it is unpasturized though, because the pasturization process kills the stuff that will help with your allergies! A tablespoon a day is plenty. I usually put it on granola, or in yogurt. Not in tea though... the heat problem again ;)

[TwirlyTresses]

I've never heard that. Here, we make soup with baby nettles in the spring. Some people sprinkle dried nettles in their cereal for the vitamins, too. It doesn't have a strong taste, but I've never liked the smell.

I've had wild ones in soup and tea, too, and liked them (for anyone interested, fresh nettles need to be heated to destroy the stinging hairs). I don't think I've ever seen them fresh here in regular grocery stores, though, but we have them in dried tea and capsule form.

What about raw honey? If you get local honey (from an apiary within a 10 mile radius of your home, preferrably) that is raw and unpasturized, you'll get a dose of the nasty pollens you're allergic to and it will desensitize you to them. It works wonders for me, and my girlfriend on the coast swears by it, particularly when the acacias are blooming since she gets so congested she can hardly breathe.


That's interesting. Aren't I already being exposed to the things I'm allergic to, though? (If I weren't being exposed to them I wouldn't be having the allergy problem.) I thought it was the exposure that can cause the allergies, too--my allergies are worst in the area where I grew up in Pennsylvania (where I had the most and longest exposure to the local plants), but are much better in California, where I've had the least amount of exposure.

Is there something different about pollen/dust/mold allergies than others like food allergies? I guess I would never think that someone with peanut allergies, for example, should be given more peanuts to desensitize them, since it's more likely to send them into anaphylactic shock. But maybe these work differently.

I'll have to look into this. Unfortunately I live in the middle of Los Angeles, so I'm not sure if I can find an apiary within 10 miles. :notsure: Maybe. But I'm moving back East at the end of the summer and am already worried about the allergy issue. I'll definitely do some more reading on the honey.

Thank you for the advice!

[kimberlily]

TwirlyTresses, the honey works like a homeopathic medicine. By giving you a teensy dose of the stuff that you're allergic to, you become resistant to it, and your allergies improve. Think of it as a vaccine for your pollen allergy ;) It works the same way!

You can get raw honey from an apiary that is farther away, but local honey works best because the bees are collecting their pollen from the plants you live close to. If you ordered your raw honey from another city, you don't know if the right pollens will be in the honey.

More info... http://www.beeguys.com/allergies.html

If grass pollen is the culprit though, honey won't help because bees don't collect grass pollen, or that of non-flowering trees.

[TwirlyTresses]

TwirlyTresses, the honey works like a homeopathic medicine.

Ah ha! Ok, that I understand the theory behind.

If grass pollen is the culprit though, honey won't help because bees don't collect grass pollen, or that of non-flowering trees.

Yeah, and sometimes I suspect it's mostly the smog anyway. :Sigh:

Thanks again!

[eucalyptus]

I have heard that stinging nettle tea helps for hives. I haven't checked it out though. I've been randonly breaking out in hives for over a year and a half now and I should see a naturopath once I get around to it.

[henderadams]

I don't have any idea regarding to this matter but I think you are taking complete precuations for getting yourself out by this problem.

[Natalia]

Nettle does wonderful for my allergies. My body sort of had a breakdown and is now hyper reactive to basically everything :(. Before i was taking about 5 bendryl a day now i just take nettle as needed which is usually right after breakfast and again at about 6 - 7 pm. I am rather small so i take a half dose and it doesme just fine :). I prefer herbpharms glycerite as it tastes better but its slightly more expensive than other brands. The new brand i have now works fine but tastes bitter. Both are glycerites so ya know. I dont do well with pills. Good luck!

[Madame J]

I did start drinking strong nettle tea every day a couple of months ago, and I realized that everyone around me has been sniffling lately, and complaining about allergies, and I'm still clear-of-nose.

I had tried nettle-and-eyebright tincture a couple years ago for acute allergies, but it didn't work. Perhaps if I had started a low daily dose before allergy season it would have helped. For now, I'm going to continue drinking nettle tea every day.

[Purdy Bear]

Nettle is known for its antihistamin properties. I have mine in a tea form which is available here in the Uk from Asda, health food shops etc.