Herbal Treatment of Food Allergies

Food allergy is the result of reaction of the body with different types of harmful substances contained in the diet. Food allergy is very common but goes unnoticed in many cases.

Food allergy is quite different from food intolerance. In biological language, it can be said that food allergy is the immunologic answer to consumed food protein.

Some of the common symptoms of food allergy are hives, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, swelling on the face, difficult breathing, nasal congestion etc. There are some natural ways of treating food allergies and overcoming its symptoms.

Tea made of marsh mallow and licorice roots is said to have excellent properties for treatment of food allergy. Both these herbs are considered as good for the mucus membranes in the body and soothe them.

Other components added in the tea are chamomile and fennel. Chamomile relaxes the bowels of a person and thus, is good in treating digestive disorders associated with food allergies.

It also has inflammatory properties. Fennel helps in removal of gas from the body and produces digestive enzymes too. Sometimes, peppermint is also used in this tea preparation. It provides relief from intestinal spasms as well as gas.

All these herbs can also be used in the form of tinctures or capsules.
In treatment of food allergies, bile herbs also prove very effective. All these helps result in better liver functioning, which provides relief from food allergy ultimately.

By consuming these herbs, a person can get the allergenic compounds eliminated from the body, which otherwise can lead to severe food allergies. Some of the bile herbs widely used are burdock root, Taraxacum officinale or dandelion, ginger and licorice roots, leaves of artichoke etc. These herbs can be taken in the form of tea or separately.

It is said that allergies are treated well with bitter substances. This is true with food allergies also. Some of the bitter herbs used in food allergy treatment are cardamom seeds, gentian, ginger, peel of orange, artichoke etc.

All these herbs restore the functions of the digestive system that have been affected and help body in strengthening the immune system. For the treatment, a person can soak these herbs for 12-14 days in brandy and strain off the mixture, which can be used before meals.

Some other herbs that have been proved useful in this treatment are evening primrose or Oenothera, Matricaria, and flax seeds or Linum. Herbs rich in vitamin c are also considered as good for food allergy treatment.