It’s that time of the year that allergy sufferers dread. For many pollen season can be a miserable time having to deal with seasonal allergies and the symptoms they cause. Hay fever is driven by antibodies to specific pollens which-when they get into the eyes, nose or throat-cause a series of reactions leading to our mast cells releasing histamine, which causes a lot of the unpleasant symptoms like sneezing and itching. There are natural ways you can support your defences at this time of year, and Medicinal Mushrooms can help you find hay fever relief by offering a great solution to those dreaded symptoms.
Seasonal allergies often stem from an imbalance in the immune system, so supporting this is our first priority. Medicinal Mushrooms have diverse actions, and can address several underlying factors involved in the allergic response. Mushrooms are immune-modulatory, they can support our immune system to function optimally and lessen our heightened response to allergens providing hay fever relief.
Reishi mushroom appears to offer most benefits for allergy sufferers. It is rich in triterpenoid compounds like lanostan which has anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine activity, helping to stabilise the mast cells which release histamine.
Reishi also contains immune-modulating polysaccharides which reduce the over-reactiveness of the immune response and down-regulate histamine levels and inflammation. It addresses both the symptoms and root cause of imbalanced immunity responsible for hay fever and other allergies.
It’s also important to strengthen other systems in the body which may be linked to allergic responses. Optimal liver functioning is important to clear any leftover histamine from the blood. If the liver is struggling under the weight of other toxins then histamine won’t be removed and allergies can result. Both Maitake and Reishi are excellent liver tonics and help to protect and fortify liver function.
The gut which is often the key to overall health may also play a role in allergies, with leaky gut syndrome linked to heightened immune reactivity and allergic reactions. Supporting our microbiome and digestive function is important and Lions Mane shows promise for supporting the lining of the gut and improving functioning.
Stress can also exacerbate allergies and hay fever symptoms as cortisol released when we are stressed lowers immune function and weakens our defences. Mushrooms are adaptogenic helping the body to adapt to various types of stress and bringing it back into balance, so can help if we are chronically stressed.
A little help from our mushroom friends may help us to target the root cause of allergies rather than just taking pills to mask the symptoms proving hay fever relief. Medicinal mushrooms can regulate our immune system, optimise our detoxification and support our gut health, bringing the body back into balance and strengthening our defences when under stress. Mushrooms can be used safely all year round as prevention and we recommended taking them in preparation for, as well as throughout the season to provide hay fever relief.
