Natural Support for Seasonal Allergies

April showers bring May flowers…along with pollen, grasses, and weeds that can trigger allergies. It’s hard to enjoy the warm spring weather when it keeps you running for the tissue box. How can you support your body to better prepare for allergy season?

Allergies are essentially an immune system imbalance. Your immune system overreacts to the allergen and goes into defense mode, almost as if it’s fighting a cold. It releases antibodies and histamines and ramps up inflammation to fight the perceived threat, resulting in runny nose, itchy eyes, and respiratory congestion.

A healthy, balanced immune response is less hyperreactive and less easily triggered by allergens. That’s why preparing your body for allergy season starts with taking good care of your immune health. Anything that weakens your immune system, such as lack of sleep, prolonged stress, or lack of key nutrients, is also likely to compromise your body's response to allergens.

Along with common sense healthy lifestyle habits like eating healthy and getting enough sleep, you can also take supplements to help keep your immune and inflammatory responses in balance. Emerging research shows that some of the best known nutrients for immune and inflammation support may also help minimize allergy symptoms.

Here are some of the best contenders to help support seasonal allergy symptom relief:

Quercetin + Vitamin C

Quercetin and Vitamin C are an immune support match made in heaven. Often found together in superfoods such as berries and leafy greens, this dynamic duo appears to work in synergy to support healthy immune function and upper respiratory health. Both are potent antioxidants that can help modulate immune responses and manage inflammation.^[1]  They may also help target allergy symptoms at the source by reducing histamine levels.

Vitamin C also appears to have some natural antihistamine properties. Research in animals and humans shows a link between low vitamin C levels and high histamine levels, and a decrease in histamine after supplementing with vitamin C.^[5][6] It's thought that vitamin C helps detox excess histamine by boosting an enzyme that breaks down histamine.

Taking quercetin and vitamin C together helps boost bioavailability.^[7] Try our Quercetin complex with plant-based vitamin C and citrus bioflavonoids.

Probiotics

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that help replenish the good bacteria in your gut and work with your body to support your immune health. Your gut is actually the command center of your immune system, and gut microbes play a key role in regulating your immune responses. An unhealthy or imbalanced gut microbiome is linked with imbalanced immune responses, including allergies.^[8] One recent study found that people with respiratory allergies have unique gut microbial patterns, with less overall diversity.^[9]

Taking probiotics is thought to help with these issues by supporting a healthier and more diverse gut microbiome. Research so far on the benefits of probiotics for allergies looks very promising. Two recent systematic reviews, each looking at more than 20 randomized clinical trials, found that probiotics are generally beneficial for reducing symptoms and improving quality of life in people with respiratory allergies.^[10][11]

Note that it takes time for probiotics to alter your microbiome, so it’s best to start taking them sooner than later. Try our Probiotic supplement with 11 different strains.

Turmeric & Ginger

Turmeric and ginger are spices that complement each other well, both in cooking and in traditional medicine. They are particularly known for helping to support a healthy inflammation response. Since allergic reactions are inflammatory responses, it makes sense that these spices may help with managing allergy symptoms. Animal studies suggest that they may also help by preventing histamine release.^[12][13]

Early clinical research looks optimistic. In one randomized clinical trial, curcumin (the active compound in turmeric) helped ease discomfort and improve nasal airflow in people with sinus allergies.^[14] Another randomized clinical trial found that ginger extract was effective at improving nasal symptoms and quality of life for respiratory allergies.^[15]

Although you can add these spices to your food, a supplement will provide a more potent dose. Try our Turmeric complex with organic turmeric and ginger, bromelain, and black pepper extract.

Remember that it’s always a good idea to discuss supplements with your doctor, especially if you have a health condition. Some supplements don’t mix well with other supplements or medications you may be taking. If you have severe allergies, your doctor can help you find the best solution.

References:

^[1] Askari G.  The effect of quercetin supplementation on selected markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.  J Res Med Sci 2012; 17(7): 637-641.

^[2] Mlcek J, Jurikova T, Skrovankova S, Sochor J. Quercetin and Its Anti-Allergic Immune Response. Molecules. 2016 May 12;21(5):623. doi: 10.3390/molecules21050623. PMID: 27187333; PMCID: PMC6273625.

^[3] Jafarinia M, Sadat Hosseini M, Kasiri N, Fazel N, Fathi F, Ganjalikhani Hakemi M, Eskandari N. Quercetin with the potential effect on allergic diseases. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2020 May 14;16:36. doi: 10.1186/s13223-020-00434-0. PMID: 32467711; PMCID: PMC7227109.

^[4] Yamada S, Shirai M, Inaba Y, Takara T. Effects of repeated oral intake of a quercetin-containing supplement on allergic reaction: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel-group study. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2022 Jun;26(12):4331-4345. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202206_29072. PMID: 35776034.

^[5] Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017 Nov 3;9(11):1211. doi: 10.3390/nu9111211. PMID: 29099763; PMCID: PMC5707683.

^[6] Johnston CS, Martin LJ, Cai X. Antihistamine effect of supplemental ascorbic acid and neutrophil chemotaxis. J Am Coll Nutr. 1992 Apr;11(2):172-6. PMID: 1578094.

^[7] Colunga Biancatelli RML, Berrill M, Catravas JD, Marik PE. Quercetin and Vitamin C: An Experimental, Synergistic Therapy for the Prevention and Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Related Disease (COVID-19). Front Immunol. 2020 Jun 19;11:1451. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01451. PMID: 32636851; PMCID: PMC7318306.

^[8] Riiser, A. The human microbiome, asthma, and allergy. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol 11, 35 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-015-0102-0

^[9] Watts A, M, West N, P, Zhang P, Smith P, K, Cripps A, W, Cox A, J: The Gut Microbiome of Adults with Allergic Rhinitis Is Characterised by Reduced Diversity and an Altered Abundance of Key Microbial Taxa Compared to Controls. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2021;182:94-105. doi: 10.1159/000510536

^[10] Zajac AE, Adams AS, Turner JH. A systematic review and meta-analysis of probiotics for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2015 Jun;5(6):524-32. doi: 10.1002/alr.21492. Epub 2015 Apr 20. PMID: 25899251; PMCID: PMC4725706.

^[11] Luo C, Peng S, Li M, Ao X, Liu Z. The Efficacy and Safety of Probiotics for Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Immunol. 2022 May 19;13:848279. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.848279. PMID: 35663980; PMCID: PMC9161695.

^[12] Kurup VP, Barrios CS. Immunomodulatory effects of curcumin in allergy. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008 Sep;52(9):1031-9. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.200700293. PMID: 18398870.

^[13] Kawamoto Y, Ueno Y, Nakahashi E, et al. Prevention of allergic rhinitis by ginger and the molecular basis of immunosuppression by 6-gingerol through T cell inactivation. August 31, 2015 [epub ahead of print]. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2015.08.025.

^[14] Wu S, Xiao D. Effect of curcumin on nasal symptoms and airflow in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016 Dec;117(6):697-702.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2016.09.427. Epub 2016 Oct 24. PMID: 27789120.

^[15] Yamprasert, R., Chanvimalueng, W., Mukkasombut, N. et al. Ginger extract versus Loratadine in the treatment of allergic rhinitis: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complement Med Ther 20, 119 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-2875-z