Natural Allergy Relief: Effective Remedies for Seasonal Allergies
Struggling this spring?
(or every spring?)
This post is for you!
Seasonal allergies (also called allergic rhinitis) affect millions of people each year, especially during spring and fall when pollen levels are high.
If you’re looking for natural allergy relief, this guide shares simple, whole-food, and holistic ways to support your body during allergy season!
From herbal to homeopathic, to histamine lowering nutrient support, so you can take a deep breath and enjoy this beautiful season!
Some links may be affiliate and earn me a small commission - I ONLY link and recommend products my family has used for years and loved. See my disclosure here!
First - if you’re new here - welcome! Fallon’s Table blog is your home for nourishing recipes, whole-food desserts, escaping diet culture, attainable holistic living, and seasonal comfort meals made with real ingredients. My heart is all about family-friendly recipes inspired by REAL food and ancestral cooking designed for modern kitchens!
I’m a Certified Nutritional Practitioner and recipe developer who helps women feel empowered in their health journey, learn how to confidently eat well, find healing and support during chronic illness, and gain kitchen confidence through simple, delicious recipes for you and your family!
What are seasonal allergies?
If you’re asking this, you may not even need the following info, you lucky dog. But let’s talk about it just in case!
Allergic rhinitus is most common in spring, summer, and fall (especially during those season-transition phases), when pollen levels are higher, and is classified as an actual immune response (which also means - we need to look at supporting the immune system in trying to alleviate symptoms!). It can involve sneezing, airway restriction, sore throat, watery or itchy eyes, coughing, and even other high histamine symptoms like headaches, migraines, fatigue, and more. It can be caused by pollen, but also by mold, grasses, trees, and other environmental allergens.
If are ARE an allergy sufferer, you likely already know the general drill - keep your windows shut, wash your clothes and hair after outdoor exposure, use medication, etc - but what if there was a more sustainable, natural way to not just put a bandaid on your symptoms year after year, but actually work toward uprooting those reactions as a whole?
Today, I’ll share clinically-backed options for not only acute use, when your symptoms are flaring, but tools that also work toward supporting lowering your histamine bucket so that you can truly reduce and even heal from your seasonal allergies!
My favorite natural environmental allergy support tools
These are not just random influencer-y items.
These are things I'm telling my real life in person friends about constantly. (And using in my own home!)
They really do work to support your overall histamine response - in both a short-term and root cause sense!
Nasal spray for allergy relief
It’s not sexy, *insert awkward nasal spray snort*, but it’s POWERFUL. My favorite is this Xclear brand (we use the same brand for my kids, here’s the kids’ version!)
Clearing out your nasal passages as a daily practice can help reduce allergy symptoms and even support staying well (I’m fully convinced this is one of the tools that helped us stay well during the winter, too!).
And unlike medicated over-the-counter nasal spray, these saline options linked above are non-habit forming, have no nasty side effects, and have only clean, body-friendly ingredients!
Propolis throat spray for immune support
Propolis is fantastic for overall immune support, getting in extra antioxidants, and is safe and effective for environment allergen support (as long as you do not have a bee or bee product allergy).
Propolis is a natural anti-histamine and is conveniently great for your oral health, too!
Nettle tea for managing histamine response
Nettle tea is a caffeine-free and kid safe tea that has such a beautiful flavor! Nettle is a natural anti-histamine and can be a great tool in allergic rhinitis responses. This one is my favorite brand!
Nettle is a rare allergen but can be problematic for some, so please avoid if you have reactions to nettle!Nettle tea is also loaded with vitamins like C & K, and is also a great source of trace minerals. It has a high concentration of polyphenols and can be a wonderful tool not only for the immune and histamine response, but also in reducing arthritic symptoms and may be anti-cancerous as well! (source)
Whole food Vitamin C for histamine support
Because Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, it can be a huge help in lowering our overall histamine bucket and immune response. My favorite whole food brand, linked here!
And of course, EAT your Vitamin C rich foods! Bell peppers, citrus fruits, berries, papaya, tomatoes, kiwi are all great sources.Vitamin C intake helps to stabilize our mast cells in order to appropriately break down histamine in the body. It also encouraged activity of the DAO enzyme, which is needed to break down histamine in the gut.
Just keep in mind that citric acid, the isolated and processed version of Vitamin C, is often synthetically produced and derived from black mold. I prefer to get mine from real food sources!
Homeopathic support for seasonal allergies
There are quite a few fantastic choices when it comes to homeopathy remedies for allergens, but here are my top 3!
Allergy Calm - this is a homeopathic blend that can be taken safely by all ages as symptoms arise. Please note that it does contain a small bit of lactose.
Histaminium 30c - this is a single remedy that can also be taken as needed. Also contains a small bit of lactose.
Apis mellifica -Apis is a must-have for your natural first-aid kit! It can be used for insect bites (ants, bees, etc) and we also use it in times of allergic reaction (to food, etc) with my son.
Please note that for a true anaphylaxis response, other tools may be needed as well as emergency medical help. We have successfully used various potencies of Apis to bring my son out of allergic reactions of various severity, sometimes alongside other medicine, and have found that more mild reactions have gone away with dosing Apis. Please use discretion here, this is not medical advice! This also contains a small bit of lactose, however my son who has historically had a lactose allergy can use it with no problem.
Homeopathy has been shown to be hugely beneficial for naturally supporting the immune system and allergic response. A pilot study in 2013 showed a reduction of allergic rhinitus and overall IgE levels with homeopathic support!Include nutrient-dense foods for allergy support
This is always a must! In the spring especially, prioritize Quercetin-rich foods like red onions, apples, capers, and berries. Quercetin is a beautiful plant compound that has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and even some anti-cancerous properties; it’s truly incredible!
So throw together some of my pickled red onions or cucumber pico de gallo (both in Fixin's!), add some capers to that pasta dinner, and grab some organic apples and berries for snacking!
If you're ready to truly take the stress out of nutrient-dense nourishment, grab one of my cookbooks!“Between Batch + Fixin's I have never ever felt so nourished, so grounded, as a mama in her 30’s of 4 kiddos 8 years old and younger! I'm truly so so grateful for your fun, nourishing + delicious recipes! My kids have sat down with me for every recipe l've made which has been several just this week between foods and drinks and they couldn't get enough of them like me!” - Deanna B.
Foods that help seasonal allergies
Having a diet as rich with whole foods, organic and quality meats, pastured eggs, fresh produce, and quality organic grains can be incredible support for both your immune system and your allergy tolerance. Focusing specifically on these pillars will help your body naturally stop seeing these irritants as, well, irritants! Each of these work as natural anti-histamines (and can really jazz up your meals, too!).
Quercetin-rich foods: capers, apples, red onions, fresh berries, red grapes, green tea, and buckwheat are all great sources
Vitamin C-rich foods: oranges, bell peppers, lemons and limes, papaya, potatoes, goji berries, grapefruit, kiwi, and tomatoes are all wonderful sources
Organ meats or glandular therapies including organic and grass-fed sources of thymus, kidney, and liver can help modulate an overactive immune system
My Nourish book is a fantastic help for meeting these daily and weekly nutrient goals - it teaches you how to build balanced meals and snacks, offers tons on inspiration and examples, has over 40 real food, nutrient-dense, and gluten-free (if needed) recipes, meal plans, and more!
Good luck out there my friends, I hope these tips help!
Some Dinner Inspo for your week (From my Fixin's cookbook!)
Mom's Meatloaf (that also has red onions for that good Quercetin support!) (pg 23) + green beans & bacon (pg 42)
Garlic Honey Hot Wings (pg 29) + twice baked potatoes (pg 43)
Salmon Croquettes (pg 25) + cucumber pico (pg 46) with chips
Herb & Lemon Rotisserie* (pg 32) + honey thyme carrots (pg 50) + seasonal garden salad
Ranch Style Chicken Spaghetti (pg 35) + seasonal roasted veggies
*Don't forget to save those chicken bones and make your free bone broth!
Happy Nourishing!
As always, this is not medical advice, see my disclaimer here!
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