Enjoy Spring Season With a Hay Fever Remedy

Use ingredients from your pantry and refrigerator to make a hay fever remedy that works for you and allows you to take benefit of the season without taking expensive medications.

Who wouldn't want to make the most of spring season? With the wonderful weather comes promises of picnics, barbecues and outdoor activities that are enough to make anyone happy. Unfortunately, for the 25% of people allergic to pollen, spring just means another few months of sneezing, coughing, itching and headaches. Luckily, these and other symptoms of the much-dreaded hay fever can be kept at bay with a few simple hay fever remedies you can make in the comfort of your own home. Use ingredients from your pantry and refrigerator to make a hay fever remedy that works for you and allows you to take benefit of the season without taking expensive medications.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, a major component in many citrus fruits, is a natural antihistamine and helps reduce mucus production and inflammation. Try incorporating fruits and vegetables with large amounts of vitamin C into your diet. Try the following recipe for making a citrus mixture with large amounts of vitamin C:

• Simmer peelings from grapefruit and lemon with a small amount of water for about ten minutes.

• Sweeten the mixture with a little honey.

• Eat one teaspoon of the mixture up to three times a day to reduce symptoms of hay fever.

Saline Irrigation

If you go out in the morning or evening, you may breathe in pollen which triggers your allergy. Irrigating your nose with a saline solution will help get any pollen residue out as well as any inflammatory cells that cause the symptoms. Although you can buy ready-made saline solution at a pharmacy, you can make your own by mixing a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of baking soda into a pint of boiled water. Make this fresh daily and use it to irrigate your nasal passages. Bend over a sink and sniff the solution in, one nostril at a time. Allow it to drain back out through the nose and mouth. Do this twice daily to feel better immediately. Note: if you have asthma, check with a doctor before using this hay fever remedy.

Peppermint Tea

Having a hot drink when you're suffering from allergies feels great, but there's a reason why people have been using tea as a hay fever remedy for centuries: it's great for irritated mucous membranes and stuffed noses. Peppermint acts as a natural decongestant and it even contains chemicals which act as anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agents. Although you can purchase peppermint tea at your supermarket, it is sometimes more effective to make fresh peppermint tea. Use the following recipe to make your own cup of this magical hay fever remedy:

• Put half an ounce of dried peppermint leaves in a quart jar.

• Fill two-thirds of the jar with boiling water, cover and steep for five minutes.

• Allow tea to cool, strain and drink.

Other Remedies

Try some of these other hay fever remedies that have worked for people in the past:

• Mix 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar into 500ml of water and sip throughout the day to get rid of hay fever.

• Desensitize your system to pollen by eating 1-2 tablespoons of local honey every day for two months before hay fever season.

• Inhale steam daily to help get mucus out of the system.

• Have a cup of ginger tea daily. This strengthens the immune system and acts as an expectorant, easing pain caused by dry cough.

Try any one of the hay fever remedy and find immediate relief!