Health Information
Pollen Watch and the Virtues of Nettle
Here at Napiers we are a fan of products containing nettle for Spring time and Summer time. Our herbalists advise that adding nettle to your diet can help you to avoid the worst of the hay fever symptoms. Nettle has traditionally been drunk as a tea, a juice, a soup and can be steamed like spinach (and won't sting once it is heated!).
Herbs for Summer Health
Every season has its associated health concerns. In winter, colds & flus are rife. In the summertime, allergies such as hayfever affect a number of us.
We're also more likely to be taking trips and holidays, so travel sickness rears its ugly head.
Learn more about the herbs that can support your health this summer.
Herbal Prevention for Hay Fever and Summer Allergies
The usual symptoms of hayfever are itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, even sore throats and headaches
The best way to get on top of the problem is to start treatment before the problem actually develops. Once an allergy situation has developed it can be difficult to treat and you are often left trying to manage the situation, rather than cure it. Allergy has a domino affect on the body. You often find that you start off sensitive to one thing and, before you know, it you are sensitive to a whole range of things.
Hayfever
For those of us who have never suffered from hayfever, its worth noting the symptoms, as every year people who have never had so much as a summer cold are coming down with hayfever. The symptoms can range from sneezing, watery eyes, runny noses to some sore throats, swollen glands and headaches. The main culprits are the pollens from grasses, flowers and trees, and daily pollen counts give one some idea how bad the problem is on any given day.
Food allergies and food intolerance
A food allergy is when your body’s immune system reacts to a normally harmless food, cosmetic or other substance. However, a food intolerance is not usually an immune system response. It is when food (e.g. lactose in dairy products) creates a reaction (e.g. diarrhoea) some time after eating.
Learn more about the differences, as well as the most common allergies and intolerances.