Hay fever: Effective home remedies for nasal congestion and itchy eyes

Photo: Colourbox.de

Hay fever is one of the most annoying allergies. With the right home remedies, hay fever becomes more bearable – and without any medication.

When hay fever begins in spring, everyday life becomes an agony for allergy sufferers: itchy eyes, watery nose, headache and sneezing are just a few symptoms of hay fever. Many take action against it with medication. There are effective home remedies that provide relief without harmful chemicals and antibiotics. We have summarized the best home remedies for hay fever for you here.

Traditional home remedy for hay fever: steam baths

An effective home remedy for hay fever is a steam bath with essential oils.
(Photo: Colourbox.de)
An effective home remedy for hay fever is a steam bath with essential oils.

Steam baths help with hay fever – especially when the symptoms are particularly severe. Steam baths moisturize and cleanse the nasal mucosa, which reduces itching.

  • Simply boil water for a steam bath and add about one to two teaspoons of salt.
  • Then remove the saucepan from the stove and inhale the steam for ten minutes.
  • As an alternative to table salt, steam baths with oils or teas are also possible. Are particularly suitable as oils Eucalyptus oil, Fennel oil or peppermint oil.

Homemade nasal spray against hay fever

Many sufferers like to use nasal spray for hay fever. However, nasal sprays from the pharmacy usually contain many chemicals and can Side effects like have dry mucous membranes. If you do the nasal spray yourself, you can check the ingredients:

  • To do this, boil nine grams of salt with a liter of water and let the mixture cool. With the solution you can now rinse your nose.
  • It gets easier if you get a spray bottle (available in the drugstore or online e.g. at ** Amazon).
  • You can find more information about the homemade nasal spray in our article Make nasal spray yourself: Instructions with natural ingredients

Indispensable medicinal herb for hay fever: eyebright

Home remedies help allergy sufferers in the hay fever season.
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / Meineesterampe)
Home remedies help allergy sufferers in the hay fever season.

Probably one of the most important home remedies for hay fever Eyebright. As the name suggests, the herb has a calming effect on irritated eyes.

  • For one brew, let a tablespoon of eyebright boil with about 250 milliliters of water for five to ten minutes.
  • Then filter the herb and let the broth cool.
  • You can use the solution as a nasal rinse or for an eye mask.
  • For the eye mask, put the broth on a rag and put it on your eyes – the itching and the burning sensation in your eyes will stop.

Apple cider vinegar: The tried and true home remedy

A real all-rounder is apple cider vinegar, because it works against inflammatory reactions in the body. As a remedy for hay fever, it can be used in the long term as a cure or specifically against the symptoms.

  • As a cure, drink a glass of water with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar once a day. So that the drink tastes more pleasant, you can honey add. This also has an anti-irritant effect.
  • If the hay fever symptoms are particularly severe, you can also drink the apple cider vinegar drink three times a day.

Tea for hay fever symptoms

Nettle tea is suitable as a home remedy for hay fever.
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / Mareefe)
Nettle tea is suitable as a home remedy for hay fever.

Hay fever irritates the nose and eyes in particular, but it often scratches the throat uncomfortably. Here a well-tried home remedy helps: tea. Make sure Fair trade tea to buy to support good working conditions.

  • It works best Sage tea or a mixture of yarrow, Milk thistle and Nettle.
  • Also Johannis herbsBoxwood turmeric, Pasque flower or lemon balm can provide relief for hay fever tea.
  • You can either drink the tea or use it to gargle.

Leaderboard: The best organic tea

Hygiene measures for hay fever

With hay fever it means: No pollen in the apartment!
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / stevebp)
With hay fever it means: No pollen in the apartment!

If you have hay fever, you should pay particular attention to cleanliness within your own four walls. That sounds paradoxical at first – after all, excessive hygiene is considered possible reasonwhy allergies arise at all. In the hay fever period, however, it helps to take special measures so that the pollen does not become a nuisance at home.

  • Wash your hands, arms, and face as soon as you get home to remove pollen. Lots of pollen accumulates in clothing and hair. Therefore: immediately change clothes at home and take a shower before going to bed.
  • It also helps to clean the living area regularly. You can find out how you can clean in an environmentally friendly manner in our article Clean ecologically with household remedies. If the hay fever is particularly bad, you may also be able to buy a vacuum cleaner with a pollen filter or an air purifier.

Most important home remedy for hay fever: Proper nutrition

In the hay fever period, it is particularly important to ensure proper nutrition. You should avoid foods that contain or release histamine.

  • Histamine is a messenger substance that can promote allergic reactions. The higher the histamine level, the higher the allergic reaction.
  • Allergy sufferers should avoid some foods: Preserved foods, smoked fish or sausage, ripe cheese, ready meals, chocolate, soy products, nuts and some types of fruit such as strawberries, pineapple, pears or oranges are particularly critical.
  • An overview of which foods release histamine and which you can safely eat during hay fever can be found here: Low-histamine foods: A list.

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