Do you suffer from allergies or know someone who does? These seasonal allergies can be crippling, and here's how I know:

It’s called personal experience. LOTS of personal experience.

When I was a child, I suffered terribly from extreme allergies that lasted from spring through summer, all fall, and only stopped during the wintertime, and that's when I'd get ear infections, sinusitis, tonsilitis, bronchitis, and many times, pneumonia. Looking back, I guess you could say I was a respiratory system wreck even as a very young child.

And....nobody knew what to do about it other than remove my tonsils, which didn't help and which we now know is usually a big mistake for the lymphatic system.

I remember a little red pill called Polaramine that my mom would hand to me on the daily that upset my stomach and also the allergy shots stabbed in my arm every two weeks each spring and summer. I vividly recall the super nice nurse with flaming red hair and a big red sweet smile named Gertrude who brandished this needle that was about five inches long---in my child's memory.

Allergies didn't end in my childhood.

Oh, no. Allergies made me miserable until I found herbal medicine in my forties. Decades later!

Click here and I’ll send you this 12 page remedy guide on 10 easy to find medicinal herbs + a cheat sheet!

After the childhood daily Polaramine ended, I became the Sudafed Queen! (Sudafed also helped keep me thin, but I didn't feel all that great when I took these daily either. I didn't see a choice, though, as they were great at covering up the inflammation in my head---not fixing it, mind you, just covering it up.)

And then, when the drugstores started asking for my driver's license to buy those little red jittery wonders, I had the thought, "Hmmm....maybe these are bad for me?"

Um....."HELLO"....

Afrin was another OTC friend until I discovered through experience how addictive and dangerous to the mucous membranes of your sinus cavity it is, then I weaned off as fast as I could.

Seriously, over-the-counter drugs (OTC's) are NOT our friend! They're filled with fake colors, dangerous toxins ranging from semi-narcotics to stimulants, and sometimes tons of sugar.

When I FINALLY was so blessed to make the investment to learn about medicinal herbs, and I made my very first mullein-marshmallow tincture, and then experimented with upper-respiratory supportive essential oils that WORKED for my allergies, well I was MAD!

SO MAD.....

But also SUPER grateful. SO very grateful that I had actually stumbled upon the old traditional ways of medicine AND that I was learning to work with my own unique body.

Why was I angry?

It's because herbal medicine is the medicine of the people! It's traditional knowledge passed down in EVERY culture for millennia. It's knowledge we ALL deserve to know and have.

But this VITAL knowledge has been stripped away from us since the early part of the 20th century by the combined efforts of Big Pharma, the AMA (American Medical Association--very threatened by the Eclectic Herbalists of the time), the Health Insurance Industry, and of course, our very own government in the guise of "protecting the people" through the FDA.

And now most people are reliant on drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, for their wellness.

Let's not even go into our food. It's truly S.A.D. (Standard American Diet).

We the People must rise up and re-learn these old traditional skills so we can continue to pass them down! We need to relearn what has been taken from us! We need to leave this legacy to our children and grandchildren... even if they're not quite ready yet. They will be at some point.

There's medicine on your doorstep! Plant medicine at your fingertips, and it's time to start using it.

Now let's talk about herbs and what to do about those seasonal allergies.

Click here to learn more about our courses! From the Family Herbalist Certification program to many short, fun herbal courses, you’ll find something you love!

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I prefer a layered approach for many common ailments and even acute ones. My definition of layering is knowing how to work with different herbs and different types of herbal preparations for maximum benefit and efficacy.

I've found over and over again with clients (and myself) that having a tincture or herbal tea as a foundation, especially one that can be used several times a day safely; then an aromatic helper such as an herbal steam, an essential oil inhaler, or roller bottle; and a daily tonic of some type that strengthens the body and immune system.... plant magic happens.

The plants go to work to support different aspects of our body in the healing process, and they can also potentiate each other in good ways.

Herbal medicine allows our body to heal, and we stop simply masking symptoms.

Here are some herbal and aromatic (essential oil) remedies that have worked for hundreds of my students:

1) Mullein-Marshmallow Tincture or Tea (Article)

Mullein-Marshmallow Tincture (Video) **This video is one of my very first ones, so please forgive the quality. I should do another one.

2) Two Roller Bottle Blends for Congestion, One for Adults and One for Kids (Article)

3) Easy Home Remedies for Congestion (Video)

4) Lung Support Tea Blend (I formulated this 13 years ago for a three year old suffering from asthma. His mom loved it too! It doesn't taste that great, but you can help it with some honey.) This is a video.

5) SEVEN Home Remedies for Sinus Congestion (Seasonal Allergies)

6) 10 BEST Essential Oils for Allergy Season (Article)

10 BEST Essential Oils for Allergy Season (Video)

And there are SO many more remedies on my website, YouTube channel, and especially in Ditch the Drugstore, my Family Herbalist course--over 200 all together in that one course.

Keep reading for more important information on special herbs for allergy season!

Ready to learn herbalism? Take my FREE 5-Day Herbal Foundations email course and start making remedies today! Click here to get started!

A Special Note:

About Stinging Nettle, Goldenrod, and Alfalfa for Seasonal Allergies

Here are some other herbs (along with mullein, marshmallow, and goldenrod, which we cover extensively with many recipes inside the Confident Herbalist Tribe, our herbal village) that may be helpful for some people for allergies.

But there are some caveats to know....

A "big" homesteader made a YouTube video last year about the wonders of these two herbs (nettle and alfalfa) for seasonal allergies without sharing all the facts, and it's gotten quite a few views. Be cautious with herbal information online and always do further research.

Many herbs are considered "GRAS" (Generally Regarded as Safe), but some of these still may have some relatively dangerous contraindications for some people. It's important to mention any safety factors when discussing herbs for therapeutics.

Here are some things to know about these two herbs, though, and this is why you should always triple check information you find on the interwebs (especially with the rise of artifical intelligence, which so many are now relying upon).

Also, find out WHY the herbs work! This is so important. Understanding the phytochemistry, at least at a very basic level, is vital in informing what you'll choose for one person over another, even family members.

A field of alfalfa, photo courtesy of GettyImages.

**Nettle (Urtica dioica):**

As a seasonal allergy helper, stinging nettle can be helpful for some people because it supports the body in the histamine response. It contains high levels of quercetin, which usually takes at least two months of consistent daily use to build in the body and therefore be effective. This fact is often glossed over.

Nettle is a "food" herb, very high in important minerals and some vitamins, and therefore can be used fairly liberally in your cooking, in your smoothies, on your eggs and oatmeal, soups and stews, casseroles etc.

Just eat it! It's highly nutritious when directly ingested or taken as an herbal tea.

**Alfalfa (Medicago sativa):**

Alfalfa is primarily a livestock feed, and it's widely grown throughout the world for this reason. It's a legume, and is considered a "hot" feed, and therefore not good in large amounts for horses. It's also highly nutritious as well.

Some people think alfalfa is helpful for seasonal allergies....

Important Things to know about alfalfa:

1) Alfalfa has no or very few clinical studies on its effectiveness for seasonal allergies, and there's also little traditional use information either. I think this is one of those pieces of information that's been sprinkled around the internet and that has been blithely passed along with little research done.

2) Some people are highly allergic to alfalfa (raising my hand), so taking alfalfa, even little bits in capsules, would not be helpful for a person like me and others who might be unaware of an allergy. Homeopathic use *might* be ok, but there are much better herbs out there for helping with seasonal allergies in my opinion.

3) Alfalfa may be aggravating for some people suffering from auto-immune issues. It's REALLY important to look into any and all contraindications for the herbs you choose to take. Lupus in particular and other auto-immune problems may be affected or aggravated by alfalfa.

4) Alfalfa is also filled with isoflavones, and these may cause or exacerbate hormone issues in some people.

Alfalfa is fairly safe for *most* people, but you can see that you definitely need to know about the person's body you're working with as well as any possible issues that may arise.

Herbalism is an art....and it's a science. It's worth your while, if you want to become an herbalist, to study with good teachers. Please don't make YouTube your go-to for in-depth herbal education.

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Click here and I’ll send along your FREE 12 page Herbal Remedy Guide + Cheat Sheet! It’s perfect for your home apothecary or kitchen!

On Goldenrod (Solidago spp)

If I were to choose a nice herbal complement to nettle, I would choose goldenrod (Solidago spp). It grows practically everywhere, and it has many compatible helping constituents for hay fever. Goldenrod has highly effective decongestant actions especially those related to allergies, cold, flu, and sinusitis. (Wish I had known this when I was eight.)

Another quick tidbit: Some people think goldenrod causes allergies, but this isn't true. This flower has very very large, heavy pollen granules, and these are not carried on the wind. However, it often grows next to ragweed, a smaller and less spectacular flower, and THIS is the culprit during allergy season.

I hope you enjoyed this Wednesday's quick herbal note! I'm trying to be brief, but I do get excited about my medicinal herbs.

If you have seasonal allergies or know of someone who does, be sure to share this!

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Please forward this note along to a friend who wants to be more self-sufficient, is interested in herbal-aromatherapy, gardening, harvesting, etc. And they can pick up my FREE Herbal Remedy Guide and Cheat Sheet by clicking that link!

P.P.S. If you haven't taken Ditch the Drugstore and you want to finally get your home apothecary going, get on the Wait List! The next student enrollment is right around the corner.

Best Herbs and Remedies for Seasonal Allergies and Hay Fever