Hay Fever Remedies

“Hay fever”, or what is often thought to be allergies to Goldenrod in August, is just around the corner.  These Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) allergies are usually not due to Goldenrod, but to Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), which blooms at the same time.  Goldenrod has large, heavy pollen which generally doesn’t become airborne.  Therefore, the pollen from Goldenrod rarely finds its way into our noses, and is unable to cause allergies.  Ragweed, however, has tiny pollen (and billions of pollen grains per plant) that readily becomes airborne and irritates our respiratory tracts.  So, feel free to frolic through those beautiful yellow fronds.  But beware the green, humble, lacy leaves of Ragweed nearby. Homeopathically, there are two very common remedies for hay fever: Euphrasia and Arsenicum. 

Euphrasia:

Euphrasia is one of the most common homeopathic remedies for allergies in general.  If you need this remedy, you will likely have stinging, watery eyes and the whites of the eyes become bloodshot.  There will also be profuse, watery discharge from the nose.  The eyes can be so clouded by tears that the person wants to continually wipe them or need to blink or close their eyes and press on them.  Euphrasia also has “abortive” sneezes – where you think you are about to sneeze, and may even start, but then the need to sneeze just disappears. 

Arsenicum:

If the discharge from your nose burns and leaves your nose red and irritated, then you likely need Arsenicum album instead of Euphrasia.  Arsenicum is particularly a good choice if you notice you become restless and/or more anxious than usual when your allergies bother you, and you are better from warmth in some capacity – warm rooms or warm compresses or a warm shower.

Allergies or head cold?

A common question I get is how to tell the difference between allergies or a head cold.  An easy way to tell the difference is to look out for any itching.  If your eyes, nose, or throat itch, then it’s most likely allergies.  Rarely do colds have any itching.  Colds are also less likely to create lachrymation (tearing in the eyes), but that is not a hard and fast rule.

People with hay fever often need an “acute” remedy for the hay fever, but also a chronic homeopathic remedy in order for the allergies to truly resolve.  The remedy specifically for the allergies reduces your allergy symptoms, but the chronic remedy makes your whole person more resilient, and less likely to have allergic attacks in the future.