Hay fever is nothing, but seasonal allergic rhinitis, which mainly troubles people during the spring and fall season. However, it may trouble you throughout the year as well, if the allergens persist. Hay fever is also known by the name of nasal allergies and pollinosis and results from an allergy to the eyes and nose, mainly because of a reaction to dust, pollen or dander in the air. Its common symptoms include coughing; headache; itching of nose, mouth, eyes, throat, ear and skin; red and watery eyes; runny and stuffy nose; impaired smell; sneezing; sore throat; wheezing; fatigue and trouble in sleeping. In case you have been affected by the problem, try to make use of home treatments, rather than running to the doctor. In the following lines, we have explored some of the best home remedies for hay fever.
Natural Treatments For Hay Fever
- Mince grapefruit and boil it, along with some lemon juice. Add honey to the mixture and consume one tablespoon, three times a day.
- If you are experiencing a lot of irritation in your nose, apply some petroleum jelly on the inside.
- Put some chamomile leaves in water and bring it to a boil. Inhale the fumes of the water, twice a day.
- If you are suffering from hay fever, drinking ginger tea, 2-3 times in a day, would do you good.
- Add 1 tsp fenugreek seeds to a cup of water. Cover the cup with lid and let the seeds steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink 1 cup daily.
- Drink 18 oz of hot coffee every morning. Being a powerful decongestant, it will help open up your airways and allow easier breathing.
- Eat a healthy and well-balanced diet and try to increase your consumption of food items that are rich in vitamin C.
- Add 1-2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water (250 ml) and drink it. Consume the drink 2-3 times daily.
- Peppermint has been known to help treat nasal congestion. So, drinking it once or twice daily will prove beneficial.
- Garlic has proven to be quite effective in treating hay fever. Try to include fresh garlic in your diet.
- Include lots of protein-rich food in your diet, to build your immunity level and keep infections at bay.
Some Precautions
You need to follow all these precautions in the spring and fall season, when there is pollen in the air and the chances of allergy are extremely high:
- Try to avoid going outside your home, early in the morning or late in the evening. This is because, around this time, the amount of pollen in the air is very high.
- If you have been outside the house for a long amount of time in the day, wash your hair after coming back.
- After washing clothes, put them in the dryer or hang them inside to dry, rather than putting them out in the sun.
- Keep the windows of your house as well as car closed at all times, to keep the pollen at bay.
- Clean the filter of your air conditioner approximately once a month, to get rid of the pollens.