Spring Allergies

There are a lot of supposed allergy cures/relievers out there. I have tried many (though not all) of them, and this year I may have found one that works. I can't say for sure yet because we're not deep enough into allergy season, but I'm just saying - usually I am among the first to start sneezing and trying to scratch my eyes out... but this time there are many people ahead of me in that line. For now, I chalk that up to

Nettle Tea with Local Honey

I have tried to research this (not very hard, I'll admit) and no one seems to really have any 'scientific' answers about why this should work, but many people have confirmed that it does wonders! The claim is not that it will make your allergies go away, but that if you drink at least one cup of long-steeped nettle tea a day, starting a month or two before you expect your allergies to arrive, it will dramatically lessen your symptoms. I think for people with severe allergies 3 cups a day is recommended, but I just can't drink that much tea. You can also drink it while you're having an allergy attack and it should calm it down in 20-30 minutes.

Local Honey is also supposed to help because the bees are making honey out of the pollen that you may or may not be allergic to - exposing your body to the suspects in a different way is supposed to build up your immunity to it, or something like that. Again, haven't found much in the way of science to back that up.

The point is, I have been drinking nettle tea with a generous dollop of local honey (you really should have the honey - the tea is kind of unpleasant without it) since February, and so far the worst I've had is a couple sneezes a day and a very mildly irritated nose now and then. And I've been doing a lot of work outside pulling weeds!

Give it a try - it's certainly easier than getting allergy shots!

Nettle Tea can be found at most Health Food stores, and most towns have their own Honey centre.