Top 10 Remedies for Airborne Allergies

I was planning to save this topic for March, but the tree pollen seems to have come early this year.

For many, this means miserable allergies that’ll stay for the rest of spring.

Others (raises hand) are allergic to almost everything and struggle to manage their allergy symptoms year round.

I’m severely allergic to tree, grass, and weed pollens; dust mites, mold, cat hair, dog dander, and cockroaches. Growing up, before finding a medication combination that worked for me, my allergies caused flulike symptoms a lot.

Not just itchy eyes or some sniffles, but histamine attacks where I couldn’t stop sneezing for 12+ hours, my nose would swell shut and get raw and start bleeding from the constant running, my neck glands would swell up, my head would throb, and I would get waves of lightheadedness, drowsiness, feverishness, and chills.

This didn’t work out very well, because we live in a world where one or more of these allergens are present everywhere. Literally everywhere.

I embarked on the – harrowing, I’ll admit – journey of getting off my antihistamine and decongestant prescriptions for my allergies in spring, 2014. Tree pollen season was a great time to start. Just kidding.

Looking back, I had very little knowledge to help me at first.

It was worth it to me, though. At the time, my only health concerns were frequent migraines, severe airborne allergies, and recovery from an eating disorder. My antihistamine and decongestant left me feeling really tired and sluggish on a daily basis. Not to mention, they contributed to my migraine frequency and menstrual cramps. So, I decided to go all in.

We use essential oils topically and via diffuser on occasion, for a few purposes, but they did not help in keeping my allergies at bay or lessening symptoms. Now, I attribute this to the fact that most essential oils don’t have the right chemical composition to have strong antihistamine action.

I know plenty of people for whom essential oils mitigated their allergies so well, they no longer suffer from allergy symptoms at all.

In general, essential oils for allergies, like lemon and eucalyptus, seem to work better for people with mild hay fever who need a simple decongestant.

But…I’m not one of them. If you’re in the same boat as me, you’re not alone.

Homeopathic allergy medicine didn’t help either.

The idea behind homeopathic allergy “nosodes” is introducing energetic doses (the active ingredient is so diluted, there are no molecules left, but only its “imprint” on the water or sugar) of the substances you’re allergic to, to your body. Then, ideally, you’ll lose the sensitivity to the allergens in the long term. Similar to allergy shots, on an energetic level.

Unfortunately it didn’t deliver results for me. I tried Dr. King’s Southern U.S. Regional Allergies and BioAllers Animal Hair & Dander, Mold Yeast & Dust, Grass Pollen, Tree Pollen, and Pollen Hayfever.

In 2018, I completely stopped experimenting with homeopathy and I do not recommended it anymore. Maybe one day I’ll share my reasons why in a post, but it’s beyond the scope of this one.

Let’s talk about natural antihistamines and my top 10 remedies for airborne allergies.

Because I successfully nixed all prescription and OTC allergy medication for 4-5 years, which is really saying something for me. Unless I had exposure to high concentrations of an allergen like holding a cat or spending time in a moldy building, I didn’t need allergy medication.

Full disclosure: In July 2019, I stopped treating my allergies naturally and went back to medication. What happened is I got extremely sick with late stage Lyme and a new infection, Tick Borne Relapsing Fever, at the same time as flooding and a black mold situation in our home, pretty much overnight. Between my symptom severity, the month-long course of doxycycline, and starting the Buhner Protocol, I no longer had the focus, money, or energy to focus on treating my allergies naturally on top of everything else. This is even more true now that I have POTS, Autoimmune Encephalitis/PANS, and a weakened immune system from COVID-19 too. It’s not because the natural methods stopped working. On the contrary, they were still working quite well! It’s possible they might work for you, too.

When you take supplements on a regular basis, it’s important to have a convenient place where you can purchase them all at one time.

My priorities when searching for a company like this were pricing, selection, and free shipping. I ended up choosing iHerb! They have a huge selection of products and free shipping on orders over $20, without a subscription fee. As a bonus, iHerb offers global shipping and currently ships to 185 different countries.

I don’t prefer purchasing supplements on Amazon due to ethical and quality concerns, so we only do that if a product isn’t available on iHerb.

My Top 10 Remedies for Airborne Allergies

1. Butterbur with Feverfew

Butterbur and feverfew are two of a few herbs that have been shown in controlled clinical trials to have antihistimine action comparable to Zyrtec (source), without the undesirable side effects.

In herbal medicine, feverfew has antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, emmenagogue, aromatic/carminative, and oxytocic/parturient action.

Butterbur has antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, heart tonic, diaphoretic, and diuretic action. There is some evidence that the pyrrolizidine alkaloids present in butterbur can cause liver damage, so it’s a good idea to stick to PA-free butterbur. Most butterbur products on the market are PA-free, so there’s not much to worry about there.

2. Quercetin with Bromelain

Quercetin is a bioflavonoid typically extracted from fruit, while bromelain is an enzyme extracted from pineapple. Bromelain has anti-inflammatory activity (source) that synergizes with quercetin. In clinical studies, Quercetin has been shown to reduce inflammation and restrain antigen-specific IgE antibody formation (source).

3. Curcumin

Turmeric has an impressive chemical profile, with curcumin being its most studied component. In herbal medicine, curcumin has antioxidant, liver protective, circulatory tonic, cholesterol lowering, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-arthritic properties. Clinical studies have shown curcumin to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects. When taken with black pepper, curcumin bioavailability increases by 2000%. (source 1, 2).

This turmeric supplement includes a higher percentage of the active ingredient curcumin, to make the turmeric more potent in fighting inflammation.

4. Black Cumin Seed Oil

Black cumin seed oil has been clinically shown to have powerful multifaceted health benefits, especially in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. One of these benefits is that it improves symptoms in people with allergic rhinitis and asthma (source).

5. Gaia Turmeric Supreme Allergy

Gaia Turmeric Supreme Allergy contains turmeric, quercetin, nettle leaf, feverfew leaf & flower, goldenseal root, black pepper, and ginger root. As we’ve seen above, these boast powerful anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties.

In herbal medicine, nettle leaf has astringent, diuretic, tonic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive, nutritive, hemostatic, and expectorant actions.

So, with Gaia Turmeric Supreme Allergy, you can get the amazing benefits of these ingredients in one convenient blend.

6. Gaia Liver Health

Sometimes, allergies can be caused or worsen by a liver that is overwhelmed with environmental toxins. The liver is responsible for the breakdown of of histamine, so when the liver is so overloaded with toxins that it can’t break down histamine effectively, histamine gets stored in high amounts. This can result in severe allergy symptoms when a person comes in contact with an allergen. Restoring the liver to its optimal function means histamine can be broken down by the liver once again, resulting in fewer and milder allergy symptoms (source).

Gaia Liver Health contains ingredients like Milk Thistle Seed that have been shown to improve the function of the liver and protect and repair the liver from damage caused by toxins (source 1, 2).

7. Black Currant Seed Oil

Black currant seed oil is one of the highest sources of gamma linolenic acid (GLA, a fatty acid). Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find because growing black currant is illegal in most US states, due to an outdated law.

GLA is highly anti-inflammatory and has been to shown to assist in lowering histamine-induced inflammation (source).

8. Orthomolecular D-Hist

Orthomolecular D-Hist contains quercetin, bromelain, nettle leaf, and n-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC). This supplement is unique because not only does it contain ingredients that we’ve seen reduce inflammation and histamine reactions, it can also help clear excess histamine that has built up in the bloodstream – read more here.
*This product used to be available on pharmaca.com, but Pharmaca Online Pharmacy was bought out by Walgreens, so the product is no longer available. Country Life Aller-Max (linked above) is a nearly identical substitute.

9. Nettle, Mullein, and Eyebright Tincture Blend

I make this tincture blend myself (read how to make your own tincture here). You can also purchase prepared tinctures.

In herbal medicine, eyebright helps with watery, itchy, achy eyes; a runny nose; and incessant sneezing. Mullein leaf is a lung tonic, antimicrobial, expectorant, and anti-asthmatic. Nettle leaf has astringent, diuretic, tonic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive, nutritive, hemostatic, and expectorant actions.

Mountain Rose Herbs (also linked above) offers a huge selection of organic and wildcrafted herbs at the best prices I’ve been able to find anywhere. I also recommend Starwest Botanicals. They’re just as good, but a bit more expensive so I use them as a reliable back up.

10. Xlear Sinus Saline Spray

When one is dealing with chronic allergies, it’s common for the overproduction of mucus to clog the sinus cavities, which can be aggravated further by the weather. Saline sprays like Xlear help thin the mucus so it can be expelled, clear allergens from the sinus pathway, and moisturize the sinuses.

I do not get great results from taking only one of these supplements at a time.

Because my allergies are so severe, I have to take a combination of the above products at a time to get a positive effect. If you’re like me, you might be the same.

I’ve taken as a combination:

Butterbur with Feverfew, Quercetin with Bromelain, Curcumin, and Black Cumin Seed Oil
Gaia Turmeric Supreme Allergy, Gaia Liver Health, and Black Currant Seed Oil
Standard Process Antronex, Orthomolecular D-Hist, and Butterbur with Feverfew
*Antronex is a specific kind of bovine liver fat called yakriton. Since adopting a vegan diet for ethical reasons, I don’t recommend animal based supplements. However, there is research demonstrating its use as an antihistamine.
Nettle, Mullein, and Eyebright tincture blend with Xlear Saline Spray

All of the above combinations have given me positive results.

With severe airborne allergies, it can take some trial and error to find effective remedies, whether natural or pharmaceutical. With patience and persistence, though, it is often possible to find the right combination that delivers results without undesirable side effects.

This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase a product through one of those links, I will earn a small commission that helps me support my family, at no extra cost to you.

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed doctor and do not diagnose, treat, or cure disease. Please do not substitute the information in this educational blog post for the personalized advice of your health practitioner.

References: Prescription for Nutritional Healing Fifth Edition, Phyllis A. Balch; Practical Herbalism, Philip Fritchey