Allergies: How to Deal and Overcome

It's my favorite season of the year, spring! Everything is being reborn, rejuvenated, growing, and blooming; it's green and beautiful everywhere you look around here! However, with blooming comes pollen, great for the natural world, but not always for us. So sniffles, runny noses, watery eyes, and sneezes have started to bloom, too, not as pretty. People often ask me what I do about allergy season, so I wanted to share a few things I've learned over the years of my own struggle.
First, let's talk a little about the science of allergies (just a little, I promise). In the most basic sense, allergies are caused by inflammation.  The respiratory and digestive systems and liver process waste and foreign substances in the body and are supposed to protect us from toxins.  However, when these systems are not working properly or are overloaded, they may attack things they usually wouldn't, like pollen. The immune system senses these invading substances and it sets off this vicious cycle: antibodies are created, which create histamines, which produce inflammation of the mucous membranes.
Now the real question, what do we do about it???
First, we want to quell the immediate symptoms, so we can get some relief and get to a place where we can work on the deeper issues.

Options for dealing with acute symptoms:

• 1g of Vitamin C with bioflavonoids (restricts the inflammation), preferably with Vitamin B, and a calcium magnesium supplement (these are all contained in the supplement Emergen-C and mix easily into water)
• 1/2-1 dropperful of echinacea tincture every 1/2 to 1 hour as needed until symptoms begin to abate
• Rinse with a neti pot
• Do an herbal steam over a pot of steaming water with eucalyptus or thyme herbs or a few drops of essential oils
• Take a shower to wash off allergens

Burdock

Yellow dock

 Longer term options:

• Nourish the liver with herbs such as dandelion, burdock, and yellow dock. Put a few tablespoons of roots of one or a combination of the herbs into a pint of water while still cold. Bring to a boil and simmer gently, covered for 5 minutes. Refrigerate and heat up about a half cup at a time and drink several times per day. *Note: these are all bitter herbs and are supposed to taste bitter; the bitter taste stimulates the liver and the digestive system. However, the yellow dock is super bitter, so should be mixed with one of the other herbs.*
• Eat local honey and bee pollen, as recently collected as possible, daily. It's like a mini-vaccination.
• Do a neti pot or two daily during the allergy season.
• This is a new one I just learned about, but seems to work pretty well: eat 1/2 teaspoon of grated horseradish a few times a day until symptoms abate, then eat sporadically during the month as a preventative.
• Drink lots of fluids, including fresh vegetable juices.
• Lay off the dairy. I know this is really tough, but it makes a huge difference.
• Cut down on the sugar.
• Consume warm and hot food and beverages, rather than cold.
• Boost your immune system by eating healthy foods, including lots of fermented foods to improve digestion and medicinal mushrooms.
• Goldenrod tea: 3 tablespoons dried leaves steeped in a quart of boiled water, covered. Drink two cups once to twice daily.
• Stinging nettle: Eat fresh, lightly wilted (the active compound is deactivated once it dries), or take a dropperful of tincture a couple times a day.
• Drink green tea.
• And, saving the best for last: eat chocolate! It needs to be dark chocolate with low sugar, but still chocolate!

Goldenrod

There's so much more to say and explain, but here's a good start. I'll talk soon about collecting some of these herbs. In the meantime, tell me how it goes, what else works for you, or ask questions.

Green Blessings!

Happy Birthday to Me and Rebirth to Spring!

Welcome and welcome back!
Every year on my birthday, I reflect through writing on the year and years past.  This year, I decided to take that writing right here, to the blog.  This also helps me continue on the mission I started last year, my life's purpose: to educate about nature.  This mission became more clear after reading "Last Child in the Woods."  In the book, the author shares the idea that people are not likely to protect what they cannot name.  Once people can name a plant or animal, they start to recognize it, see it's beauty and connect with it, and they are more likely to conserve it.
Last year was full of botanizing (or going hunting for new plants to id and learn about).  I make resolutions on my birthday instead of at the new year; one of this year's resolutions is to get out into the woods even more.  It's been working out pretty good so far and I've already seen some new-to-me plants.
Here's some spring ephemerals (flowering plants that are only around for a short time in the spring) and other goodies that I've seen recently and may be new to you.

A buckeye (Aesculus spp.) bud, these can get huge!

Chickweed (Stellaria spp.) can be a pest to gardeners, but doesn't have to. It's super nutritious and delicious!

So exciting, the first trillium of the year; can't wait to see them flower!

Woah, the first violet of the year, already!

Up close and personal with harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa). It's in the carrot family. Can you tell from the leaves? Yup, spring is here!

So cool, the paintbrush-like terminal bud of the pawpaw (Asimina triloba), that Audubon supposedly used for a paintbrush, and the round, fuzzy flower buds soon to turn a deep maroon when they open.

Amazing yellow spicebush flowers (Lindera benzoin). The bark smells like the spice it was substituted for by the pioneers, allspice.

The first toothwort (Dentaria laciniata/Cardamine concatenata) blossoms of 2012 with their jagged narrow leaves and horseradish-flavored, tooth-shaped root.

Okay, now that you know what they are, get outside and find your own!  Just make sure you tell me about them.  Happy hunting!