Consider natural remedies during hayfever season, for a summer you'll love

You may generally associate hayfever with the spring, but in fact it can occur during Spring, Summer and Autumn, depending on exactly the source of your allergy.

From March to May, pollens from trees are the most common cause of hay fever.

From May to July grass and flowers are in pollen, making these the most common cause of hay fever.

Some people do get hay fever into the autumn months. However this is rare and is usually caused by weeds such as nettles and docks, late flowering plants, and mould spores.

The symptoms are the same no matter when you experience them and include a runny nose, itchy, watery, bloodshot eyes and repeated sneezing attacks.

As with all allergies, the symptoms happen as a result of your immune system overreacting to a normally harmless substance in this case, pollen.

When the body comes into contact with pollen, cells in the lining of your nose, mouth and eyes release a chemical called histamine that triggers the symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Starting on an anti-hayfever programme ahead of when the pollen is in the air, makes a lot of sense.

Fortunately, nature has provided some of its own remedies.

Quercetin is a natural plant extract, known as a flavonoid. It can be found in quantity in capers and onions and also in capsule form. Quercetin is a natural anti-inflammatory that inhibits the release of histamine in reaction to an allergen such as pollen. It is very effective in preventing and relieving hayfever.

Try Quercetin with vitamin B5 as this simple vitamin also eases the body's response to allergens. Vitamin B5 is vital in the production of the stress-regulating hormones in the adrenal glands and is often called the 'anti-stress vitamin'. The adrenal glands are involved in the release of cortisone, the body's natural anti-inflammatory hormone.

Another natural remedy for hayfever is an extract from pine bark called Pycnogenol. This patented extract has powerful anti-histamine activity.

The herbs Bilberry & Eyebright both help to relieve sore eyes and boost eye brightness and clarity.

Words by Richard ThomasDirectorTarporley Health Storewww.healthstore247.com