Spring Allergies

[Guest guest]

Hello!

 

I've just joined, and I know very little about ayurveda. I was

wondering if anyone had any advice or could direct me to a good

resource.

 

I have awful springtime allergies. My allergy tests show that I am

extremely allegic to grass pollen and english plantain (a common weed

here in NE Ohio. My symptons include severe nasal congestion,

sneezing, sinus pain, itchy watery eyes, itchy skin, puffy face.

They run from late April/ early May until the end of June. I cannot

go outside for very long and am nearly incapacitated by a bad

attack. My father and my brothers have similar symptoms.

 

Claratin, allegra and other OTC meds helped a little. Homeopathic

remedies did not help at all. THEN I read some articles by Dr.

Andrew Weil which recommended the fllowing herbal capsules:

Ashwagandha, stinging nettle, quercetin, butterbur, licorice, dong

quai and chinese scullcap. Dong quai and chinese scullcap made me

sick to my stomach, but I tolerated the others well.

 

I took the herbs along with some claratin D and had the best allergy

season I have ever had. I felt nearly human! The symptoms were

reduced to a tolerable level, although not cured.

 

Dr. Weil mentioned that some of these remedies were ayurvedic. Are

there others I should be taking? Are there any good books on this

subject?

 

Thank you!

Natasha

[Guest guest]

dear natasha

 

haridra khand avleha , or fresh juice of haridra with

cow ghee will help you a lot

[Guest guest]

Natasha

 

At least as important in what supplements to take are the things that

cause or aggravate the allergy. Do not eat white flour, white sugar,

anything with names you cannot pronounce (chemicals). Also, cut down

or eliminate wheat and dairy. Eat garlic. Try this in the morning

for breakfast. Make toast, spread ghee on. Make a mixture of

ginger, black pepper and honey and spread it on the toast. It should

help a lot.

 

GB

 

 

> I have awful springtime allergies. My allergy tests show that I am

> extremely allegic to grass pollen and english plantain (a common

weed here in NE Ohio. My symptons include severe nasal congestion,

> sneezing, sinus pain, itchy watery eyes, itchy skin, puffy face.

[Guest guest]

> Eat garlic. Try this in the morning

> for breakfast. Make toast, spread ghee on. Make a mixture of

> ginger, black pepper and honey and spread it on the toast. It should

> help a lot.

>

 

except that toast contains wheat, wheat contains gluten, and there is

an immunological cross-tolerance between grass pollens and wheat

protein - best avoid it altogether

 

i have " cured " patients of hayfever with nothing more than a strict

avoidance of dairy, flour and milk, nasya/neti/nadi shodhana (i.e.

what I call the " 3Ns " ), and a few key supplements like cod liver oil

and b-vitamins - in one recent case, i used only diet and the 3Ns to

very good effect

 

however, my preference is to use herbs as well

 

one needs to visualize hayfever as being caused by an underlying

'toxic' slime (ama) that invades the nasal and sinus passage

 

anti-toxin therapy, i.e. bitter-tasting detoxifiers are very helpful,

e.g. neem, goldenseal, baical skullcap, along with pungents (e.g.

cardamom, pepper) and astringents (e.g. goldenrod, mullein, bayberry)

are all key

 

in some cases, where mucus membranes are fragile and irritated (vata-

pitta), the judicious use of demulcents such as licorice, mallows,

and slippery elm can be helpful as well

 

for e.g., i might use something like this as a standard formula

 

Goldenseal 20 (pittakaphahara, pramathi)

Bayberry 20 (pittakaphahara, amapachana, pramathi)

Mullein 20 (tridoshahara, kasahara, chedana)

Licorice 20 (vatapittahara)

Ginger 10 (vatakaphahara, amapachana)

 

as fresh ground herbal powders, 2 " 00 " caps thrice daily, or as

tinctures, 5 mL (1 tsp) thrice daily

 

in other cases the situation relates to a heightened stress response

(which is why i use the bvitamins), and thus i might add in herbs

that modulate the stress-induced immune response and support the

adrenals, e.g. American Ginseng, Milky Oats, Eleuthro, as well as

Skullcap, Jatamamsi etc.

 

meditation and relaxation techniques are also key to the above

 

Caldecott

todd

www.toddcaldecott.com

[Guest guest]

Thanks everyone for your responses. It will be so nice to actually

enjoy springtime!

-- would it be alright to put the honey/ginger/pepper mixture

into oatmeal or to have gluten-free bread made of oats instead of

wheat?

 

Isn't ghee made from butter? Is it acceptable because it has been

clarified of milk solids?

 

I've been using a neti pot-- it's fantastic. It really helped me

through flu season.

 

Thank you again.

 

__________________________

 

except that toast contains wheat, wheat contains gluten, and there

is

an immunological cross-tolerance between grass pollens and wheat

protein - best avoid it altogether

[Guest guest]

-- would it be alright to put the honey/ginger/pepper mixture

> into oatmeal or to have gluten-free bread made of oats instead of

> wheat?

 

better to have the honey/ginger/pepper remedy first thing in the AM,

followed by a glass of warm water

just prepare and lick it off the spoon

 

oats DO have gluten, but it is typically not as potent an allergen -

but you should watch closely to see

but partly it relates to the _quality_ of the food - avoid anything

sticky or gooey like bread

 

>

>

> Isn't ghee made from butter? Is it acceptable because it has been

> clarified of milk solids?

 

yup - pure butter oil is ok

 

Caldecott, Dip. Cl.H, RH(AHG)

Ayurvedic practitioner, Medical Herbalist

203 - 1750 East 10th Ave

Vancouver, BC V5N 5K4 CANADA

web: http//:www.toddcaldecott.com

email: todd

tel: (1)778.896.8894

fax: (1)866.703.2792