In general, allergy symptoms are miserable. Some people suffer from different types of allergies; however, whether you are allergic to hay, pollens, molds, animal dander, or things that irritate your skin when you come in contact with them, the irritating symptoms are all quite common.

Most allergy symptoms (not including food allergies, which will be addressed later) include one or more of the following symptoms:

• Itchy throat, nose, eyes, and ears
• Watery eyes
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Tightness in chesst
• Fever

The good news is that your body is still working by giving you a runny nose, watery eyes, and generally making you miserable. As irritating as these symptoms are, they are mechanisms that are protecting your body from accepting what it believes to be a toxin.

Helping your body get rid of these toxins is better than plugging them up with medications and having the toxins settle back into your tissues. Your body will need a little rest and some cleansing if you are experiencing any types of allergies.

Fortunatelly, some herbal remedies can help alleviate some symptoms and boost your immune system, which can raise your tolerance level for new allergens. Let's take a look at which ones!

If I had my choice of only one herb for hay fever or any allergy, I would have to utilize bee polen. Bee pollen has proved to be one of the best foods/herbs that will help with allergies of any kind. Bee pollen is exactly what it sounds like; not a substance made by bees, but a substance collected from bees.

It is usually gathered by gently scraping off the hind legs of the bees after they return home from a day of feeding on flowers and plants. Beekeepers set up special homes for bees that squeeze the collected pollen into a container when the bee enters the hive.

When the bee drinks from a flower, he is naturally dusted with the flower pollen. He spreads this pollen to the next flower or plant he feasts on and, in turn, is instrumental in the reproductive life of plants. When the bee returns home, the beekeepers save up the pollen and bring it to you for your allergies.

Bee pollen is rich in many nutrients. Just a few include these:

• Zinc
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Calcium
• Potassium
• Iron
• B-complex vitamins
• Enzymes

You can consider bee pollen a survival food because it contains every substance needed by the body to maintain life. Bee pollen is most effective when taken before your typical allergy season begins. If you know when your most intensive suffering season is, begin taking bee pollen three months beforehand, and slowly increase your dosages as the season hits.

Maintain dosages during the entire time, or increase as needed. Some believe that bee pollen is more effective if you get local pollen from local beekeepers, but I have seen local and non-local bee pollen work for all types allergies. If you have severe allergies, a local pollen may cause more reaction at first.

Bee pollen works by slowing helping your body to build a resistance to the allergens. Taking it is like inoculating yourself againts allergies. Because bee pollen stengthens the entire body by nourishing you, any bee pollen you can obtain should prove helpful, but your bet it to begin with small doses and work your way up slowly.

Many good herbs for respiratory system exist, such as horseradish, which can clear out your sinuses immediately. Horseradish is a very strong herb (and condiment) and should be used carefully, as it might burn sensitive tissues. You can find hoseradish usually combined with other herbal combinations for the respiratory system, such as fenugreek, mullein, fennel, and boneset.

Vitamin C and pantothenic acid (one of the B vitamins) sometimes have helped to arrest or slow down the allergy attack, and these should be considered in severe cases. Both of these vitamins are water-soluble, which means that excess will leave your body and will not cause a toxic build-up like a fat-soluble vitamin can.

There's no way to eliminate the airbone allergens from the outside, but there are some tips you can use to change your home environment:

• If you are allergy-free during hay-fever season but have symptoms at other times of the year, you could be allergic to mold spores, dust, or other airbone particles. Pinpointing exactly what you are alleric to will be helpful in your recovery, but there is no harm in taking all my suggestions here.

• Clean all linens, bedding, and pillow thoroughly. These tend to harbor dust mites, which can irritate the respiratory system and add to your sneezing. When washing, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the wash water. This natural oil kills dust mites and other pests and will help purify the wash. Allergenic pillowcase covers and other protective covers can be put over your existing bedding to protect your sensitive sinus passages. These can be found in many different natural health product catalogs.

• If you allergic to dust and live in a dry climate, a humidifier will help keep the dust particles from flying around shamelessly. Pure essential oil of lemon or other citrus fruit oil will help purify the air you breathe. If you are allergic to molds, a humidifier may not be the best choice. But if you live in a moist climate and have mold and fungus spores, try diffusing tea tree or eucalyptus oil (both anti-fungal remedies), which can help keep the mold count down in the room you are diffusing.

• For eye irritants, make an herbal eyewash from a tea made from golden seal, bayberry, eyebright, and red raspberry, or any mixture of the four. Be sure to strain all the herbs from the tea. Once it is cool, use a dropper and administer as eye drops for itching, swollen, or infected eyes. This will help tone the eyes and take the itch out. Refrigerate tea, and do not keep for longer than two to three days at a time.

• Lemonade with capsicum is a cleansing drink that can be taken every day to help cleanse the body and push out irritants from the system. Make some homemade fresh lemonade, and add a pinch of cayenne pepper. The combination will taste sour and hot at the same time, an interesting combination. Try it−you'll like it!