not so welcome to the allergens floating in the air.
i went hiking with my beloved friends sage and hendrix and experienced a sneezing fit that left me puffy faced and runny. oh what to do!
symptoms; swollen and damp - i need to dry out! i need warm, astringent herbs plus a mast cell stabilizer aka antihistamine. uh oh, my runny nose ran yellow...i also need a bit of immune support, especially if i wanna nip this hay fever in the bud, quick!
i'm starting to really swell, my eyes are on fire! eyebright (Euphrasia officianale) extract in salt (Sodium) water, creating an eye wash...in minutes the burning subsides thank the spirits. i take a shower to wash all of the pollen off, all my hiking clothes go straight into the wash. after the shower i give my eyes a second wash with eyebright and salt water. eyebright is a great antihistamine that also reduces inflammation. salt helps absorb excess moisture and is a natural cleanser! yes! wash out all those renegade allergens.
reach into my apothecary and pull out echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) an incredible immune stimulant, antihistamine and lymphatic, to help move all that water stuck in my swollen cells as well as give my immune system a boost. i include goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea) for its astringening, relaxing antiinflammatory and antihistamine traits. i take echinacea, goldenrod and eyebright internally.
i reach for nettle (Urtica dioica) tea with a bit of ginger root (Zingiber officinale) - i believe nettle has the ability to relax the swollen mast cells that line my reactive lungs, and ginger is warm and a bit drying, plus another great antihisatmine. ahhh tea...sip.
r e l i e f !