From honey to lavender oil to gentle exposure, everyone has a “must-try” home remedy hack for treating allergies. But can honey really help allergies and keep away your dry-eyed misery? Or is it just one big myth?
If allergy season seems longer to you these days, it’s not your imagination. According to climate and health experts, allergy season truly is getting longer and longer each year. (So is cold and flu season!) And when your family is constantly sniffling and sneezing, it’s understandable to get a little desperate for relief.
From all-day allergy medicines to special shots at your allergist’s office, you might have tried just about everything to breathe easy. Somewhere along the way, you’ve probably even wondered if any of those old wives’ tales and witchy remedies might actually work. I mean, Claritin didn’t exist a century ago. So how did Great-Grandpa Hatfield fight the ragweed?
Grab a box of tissues and let’s get into it.
Does honey help combat seasonal allergies?
Alas, honey will not cure your allergies. Though the theory sounds reasonable. The “science” behind this myth is easy to follow. Bees fly from one plant to another, collecting pollen to make their honey. The idea is that, by ingesting that honey in small doses, you’re basically using exposure therapy to treat your allergies.
It’s really not much different than the idea of exposing babies to common allergens in small doses early on. Unfortunately, it’s a little more complicated than that.
Why won’t honey help with allergies?
Easy. Bees don’t actually pollinate the same plants that trigger our allergies.
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the most common pollens that trigger our seasonal allergies are “olive trees, mountain cedar, and grasses like Timothy.” While the AAAAI doesn’t specifically mention ragweed, another common allergen, we looked it up. Nope, bees don’t like ragweed, either. All that pollen is wind-borne, which means they’re not pollinated by bees and won’t make it into your honey.
Plus, the AAAAI points out that there’s also no way to tell how much (if any) pollen that honey contains. “Dosage is critical in allergen immunotherapy. We know from clinical studies what dose of grass pollen is needed to trigger a response in sublingual immunotherapy, and even this controlled dose frequently causes mouth itching as a side effect. The amount of allergenic pollen in honey is unknown and almost certainly too low to produce a therapeutic immune response.”
But will local honey help with allergies?
Again, no. Even hyper-local honey won’t cure your allergies.
The myth here is that when you buy honey from the grocery store, you’re not technically exposing yourself to the right allergens. The strains of plants bees feed on in Texas could be slightly or even drastically different from the plants in Ohio, so you aren’t exposing yourself to the correct allergens.
This can seem disappointing. First, grocery store honey is often way cheaper than the stuff you can buy from Irons’ Farm down the way. Second, you might already have a favorite supermarket honey. Good news: You can keep buying whatever honey you like best, because there’s no documented scientific proof that any honey from anywhere helps with allergies.
Can lavender oil help with allergies?
Your friend selling essential oils in a pyramid scheme isn’t fully wrong here. Lavender can help with allergies. But it’s important to know that it won’t cure your allergies — just lighten your symptoms. Lavender is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its calming scent. While you can’t micro-dose lavender oil and rid yourself of allergies altogether, you can use it to ease your symptoms.
In the midst of a particularly bad attack, you might try putting lavender (usually mixed with a carrier or neutral oil) on your wrists and at your temples. Those are pulse points, usually warmer and have thinner skin, which will help with absorption.
Just remember: You’re not curing anything. You’re simply calming your symptoms. Sometimes a little relief in any form is enough to help you make it through the day, though.
Any other old wives’ tales that help with allergies?
There are actually a lot of super simple things people swear alleviate allergies. Though in almost all these cases, what you’ll get is temporary relief from allergy symptoms and not an actual cure.
- Saline nose spray: Your doctor will recommend this, too. It thins your snot/mucus and helps it clear out of your nose and throat.
- Spicy food: Same concept. Ever notice your nose runs when you eat that level 7 Pad Thai? It gets things moving and will allow you to breathe easier for a bit.
- Staying hydrated: Yet again, this will help thin things out and keep them moving.
- Omega-3 fatty acids (like fish): Like lavender, omega-3s have anti-inflammatory properties and may help give temporary relief. Plus, in most cases, adding this to your diet can be beneficial to your health anyway.
- Cleaning/dusting: OK, yeah. In the moment, wiping six months of dust from your bookshelf is going to stir things up and make you feel worse. But cleaning your home and keeping it dust-free can actually make a big difference. (Though this might be a step too far for some of us.)
Final word? None of those hacks are foolproof or permanent. For best results, you’ll want to stick with modern science. If your current all-day allergy meds aren’t working, talk to your PCP or allergist about trying a different brand, different dose, or different timing. Every medicine absorbs differently depending on the medicine and the person taking it. Keep playing around (with professional guidance) until you find the one that works for you.
And just because honey won’t magically fix your allergies doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy it! Whether you support a local beekeeper or are loyal to a specific supermarket brand, honey’s warm, sweet flavor still feels healing to the soul and is delicious in a ton of recipes.
