If you've ever suffered from seasonal allergies you know how miserable they can be. Your eyes swell up, get red, and water constantly. You take to wearing dark glasses just to hide those red itchy eyes, a nose that is either so stuffy you can't breathe or runs like a faucet and if you add to all this aggravation a fit of repeated sneezing - you have a very uncomfortable situation.
Conventional treatments for such symptoms include oral decongestants, antihistamines, topical steroid sprays and desensitization all of which, after prolonged use might lead to a dry mouth, rise in blood pressure or tend to make you drowsy and groggy.
Fortunately, there are some herbs that can be used as a complementary and alternative (CAM) treatment for seasonal allergies such as hay fever.
One such herb is Butterbur - a perennial shrub that grows in Europe, Asia and North America. It is used primarily as a traditional remedy for asthma, whooping cough, hay fever, migraines etc, and has recently been shown in laboratory tests to be as effective as prescription allergy medicine.
Butterbur, a natural antihistamine, helps suppress symptoms of seasonal allergies including nasal obstruction, sneezing, clear nasal discharge, headache and itchy, watery eyes. These conditions, which occur during the spring, summer and early autumn and usually last for several weeks, are caused by pollens that enter the nasal passages and cause a hypersensitivity reaction.
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