What is Allergies?

Ayurveda View of Allergies

In Ayurveda, the typical allergy symptoms in the spring season – congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, and sneezing – are described as an accumulation of the Kapha dosha, which is made up of earth and water elements. This leads to the feeling of “heaviness” and excessive mucus in the head and sinuses.

What is the cause of Allergies?

Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance — such as pollen, bee venom or pet dander — or a food that doesn’t cause a reaction in most people. Your immune system produces substances known as antibodies

• sneezing and an itchy, runny or blocked nose (allergic rhinitis)
• itchy, red, watering eyes (conjunctivitis)
• wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and a cough.
• a raised, itchy, red rash (hives)
• swollen lips, tongue, eyes, or face.
• tummy pain, feeling sick, vomiting or diarrhoea.

Ayurvedic Treatment of Allergies

Other treatments that help relieve acute Kapha allergy symptoms include the use of pungent and bitter (astringent) herbs and spices to reduce Kapha, including ginger, cayenne, pepper, basil, cumin, cardamom, sage, turmeric, and cinnamon. An easy remedy is drinking hot honey water, or ginger lemon tea.

Home Remedies for Allergies

• Though spring is the most beautiful of all seasons, it also brings along with it a handful of health woes. Fresh grass, blooming trees, flowers and weeds release pollen into the air in what is known as the natural process of pollination, which leads to allergies that continue to affect people not just in the season of spring but throughout summer. Runny nose, itchy eyes, hay fever, mood swings, low blood pressure, asthma and congestion are some of the major symptoms. Moreover, with the change in temperature, falling prey to seasonal flu is also common. Every flower, tree and weed releases pollens, but different individuals have different reactions to these pollens. For some people, cottonwood trees and ragweed might cause problems, while for others grass could instantly trigger a few symptoms. Hence it is important to recognise the triggers for your allergy problems. While there are numerous medicines that can help you treat seasonal allergies, resorting to natural homemade remedies can prove to be as effective without any side effects.