Bushcraft and Hayfever!

[Jackdaw]

Hey guys, been asked by one of my students whether there were any natural remedies for hayfever that can be utilised by a bushcrafter.

To be honest, I didn't have a clue and said that I would find out for her. I do know about plantain being used as a treatment for chesty complaints, but do any of you know anything for hayfever in particular?

Or any natural anti-histamines?

Cheers,

Jackdaw

 

[Nemisis]

I've seen natural anti hayfever pills in a local herbal meds shop but couldn't tell you what was in them. Toddy is your best bet on natural meds.
Dave.

 

[Wayland]

A really really fine mozzie net......



Seriously though, mead made from local honey works wonders.

 

[PhilParry]

Apparently eating local honey is meant to do the trick. I'm a mild sufferer (tree pollen only) and I'm fine in the woods...

Phil

 

[Ogri the trog]

Seriously though, mead made from local honey works wonders.

Wayland,
Is that a genuine cure or does it just numb the senses!

Ogri the trog

 

[JonnyP]

I have a book on folk remedies and you can use apple vinegar for hayfever, clove tea to give relief, due to the antihistamine action. Plantain is mentioned, it reduces the secretion of mucus. Chamomile can be used by inhaling it with steam, it is a natural antihistamine and anti-allergic. Nettle can be used because of its cleansing and astrigent properties which help clear catarr. A hot infusion of lemon balm has antiviral and antihistamine actions. The oil of the seeds from borage is mentioned too.
A few natural remedies for you..................Jon

 

[Wayland]

Wayland,
Is that a genuine cure or does it just numb the senses!

Ogri the trog

Well I heard about the local honey thing so I experimented with the main way I use honey and that's mead.

I've certainly never been bothered by hayfever after half a bottle of my stuff...

 

[Jackdaw]

Mead sounds good mmmmmmmm!

Jon, what is the name of the book you mentioned on folk remedies?

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[JonnyP]

Mead sounds good mmmmmmmm!

Jon, what is the name of the book you mentioned on folk remedies?

Thanks for the info guys.

Folk remedies for common ailments by Anne McIntyre..............Jon

 

[redcollective]

The 100% natural solution: deliberately infest yourself with hookworm:

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2006/4/30/91945/8971



The University of Nottingham needs volunteers to work out the clinical dose!

https://www.alumni.nottingham.ac.uk/News/news.aspx?newsId=368

 

[Wenie]

According to 'The Complete Book of Herbs', sufferers of hayfever may benefit from an infusion of golden rod. The irritated mucous membranes are relieved and soothed by drinking a warm infusion of hyssop, lavender, marjoram or thyme. Cold compresses of witch hazel in boiled water will soothe the eyes. Hot mullein flower tea and eyebright tea will help eliminate excess mucus, and eyebright will reduce redness around the eyes.

 

[Phantom]

Extract of butterbur releives the symtoms of hayfever but is not a complete cure.

 

[bloodline]

local honey seems to work or make things a bit more bearable

 

[JonnyP]

Extract of butterbur releives the symtoms of hayfever but is not a complete cure.

Thats interesting............Where did you find out about that, the only thing I have found out about butterbur is that it is good for wrapping butter.............Jon

 

[Jimothy]

I'm quite a hayfever sufferer - usually start early with tree pollen in April/May and go right through to the end of September with grass pollen. I hate taking anti-histamines so I've experimented a bit with similar remedies.

Local honey does seem to work - but most successful I've found is Bee Propolis, which you can get in tablet form from health stores and some supermarkets. I've been trying it for 2 seasons so far & have had a huge reduction in hayfever signs.

As far as symptom relief goes I've found the steam remedies very good - chamomile works for me but also sage or cedar. In fact just plain steam does seem to help on it's own, but doesn't seem as effective (and doesn't smell as nice).

Witch Hazel for the eyes is brilliant - I couldn't manage without it & often take some form with me. I usually put in on a cloth, dilute & wipe sensitive areas (eyes, under the nose, hands in particular) when I feel the need.

I find the more I can stay on top of it, the less of a problem it becomes. Propolis & Witch Hazel works for me as prevention more than a cure...

Hope that helps some.

 

[torjusg]

The 100% natural solution: deliberately infest yourself with hookworm:

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2006/4/30/91945/8971



The University of Nottingham needs volunteers to work out the clinical dose!

https://www.alumni.nottingham.ac.uk/News/news.aspx?newsId=368

Nasty, but indeed interesting!

Torjus Gaaren

 

[Toddy]

Try vaseline inside your nose and along your eyelashes; wipe off / blow, and re-apply frequently.
Take the *local* honey/propolis three times a day, first thing in the morning, mid morning and last thing at night.
Gently steam your face breathing from a bowl of hot water with a towel gathered around the bowl and your head.....add herb of choice.... lavender, chamomile, hammamelis are all good.
Make fresh rosewater and use it to rinse out your eyes, and old recipe was to use borax but it's 'contra-indicated' today
If your eyes are horribly inflamed take two chamomile teabags and soak them in cool water. Lay these on your closed eyes for ten minutes or so.

Nothing really cures hayfever, (well the hookworm might ) but there are many things that can help make it not so dire. Thanks for all the ideas folks :You_Rock_
Anti-histamines are good things However, if you are really in a bad way, go and sting yourself with nettles. The irritation gives the body a focus for it's histamine reaction and can give you peace for a while. Soothe the stings with gentle massage using a little almond oil and lavender.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Jackdaw]

Fantastic ideas and info there. Have passed them on to the sufferer and see if they help her. I sometimes get a bit sniffly and my eyes itch when I am in the field during hot summer days and think I will give the nettle idea a go. Seems logical enough.

Thanks again.

 

[Doc]

I know that local honey is a popular remedy for hay fever (600 000 google references!). The idea is it expose you to small amounts of local pollen, but I do wonder if it's based on reason.

People with hay fever are allergic to wind-borne pollen, mainly from wind-pollinated plants such as birch and grasses. The pollen is tiny and light, and floats for miles on the wind.

Insect-pollinated plants have big, clumpy, sticky pollen grains (for sticking to bees!), that do not cause hay fever. So it is hard to see how local honey is going to help. Unless, of course, it is some other constituent of the honey. In which case, why does it have to be local?

Mind you, buying local honey is probably an excellent idea from the taste point of view, especially if you're near heather country.

 

[Ketchup]

I was a hay fever sufferer all of my youth (haypollen, cats, house mite...). I remember finding relief in sandwiches with slices of strong (Spanish) raw onion and black pepper but it all was quite desperate (dark sunglasses, forever swollen nose and eyes...) At age 20, I developed Asthma

Then I moved to South America (the Surinam) for my first serious job and I never, never, never had any problems after that day. My puffers and pills lay idle from day one until I threw them away some months later. I have moved back to Europe from different stations in the Tropics fifteen years ago and I still panic when I sneeze more than two times in a row, but it never returned I still treat cats with suspicion. Some (not all) make my eyes itchy, but it doesn't go any futher.

I'm not unique. In Surinam, there were more Europeans who experienced the same. So: a change of climate, more than three or six months in the non-urban wet tropics might do the trick?

If that isn't a bushcrafty answer to your problem, I cannot find any better.