When it comes to getting out and enjoying the good weather during the summer months, being one of the unlucky 18 million people in the UK who suffer from hay fever is never fun.
But a man now claims to have the ultimate cure for the pesky summer affliction, but he admits it’s not for the faint-hearted.
As uncovered by RSVP Live , while most reach for the antihistamines, he claims you should be reaching for a bunch of nettles.
And we’re not talking about drinking nutrient-rich nettle tea, but actually grasping the stinging leaves of the plant.
Goran Pavlovic says he hasn’t suffered from hayfever in three years because he stings himself with nettles – willingly.
He shared his experience on Facebook and said: "All my life I suffered from hay fever . I pretty much chocked to death every summer.
"Then, few years ago, an old man (crazy old man according to my wife) told me to try nettles.
"Basically, as soon as the spring starts, he told me, and the first nettles sprout out, pick a bunch and sting myself with them.
"Do that once a week until the end of autumn. Apparently this would make my immune system concentrate on nettles and forget about the pollen…
"To my wife’s horror and the amusement of the fellow walkers in parks and forests, I soon started the "therapy".
"This is my hand in the nettles bush. And lo and behold it worked…I haven’t had any problems with pollen for 3 years now.
"So there you have it. Just wanted to share with you my experience. Just in case someone is interested in use of herbs for medicinal purposes…
"And as the law requires, here is the disclaimer: don’t do this at home."
We definitely agree – don’t do this at home!
If you are suffering quite badly with hayfever, pop into your nearest pharmacy who will help you find the best treatment depending on your level and what kind of hayfever you have.
But could nettles actually help hay fever?
There is actually some science behind why nettles prevent hay fever.
Stinging nettles are thought to be able to reduce the amount of histamine in the body caused by allergies.
Specifically, the ingestion (remember the tea I was talking about?) of nettle could really help with horrid hay fever symptoms such as a stuffy nose, sneezing, itchy eyes etc.
Nettles are full of iron, Vitamin C and calcium too so they’re a great ‘pick me up’ for when you’re feeling run down.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Centre , preliminary studies they carried out have shown that stinging nettle helped to reduce sneezing and itching in people suffering with hay fever.
Another study showed that 57% of patients rated nettles as effective in relieving allergies, and 48% said that nettles were more effective than allergy medications they had used previously.
You can buy nettle tea from your local supermarket or health store along the herbal tea aisle, but making your own nettle tea is thought to be more effective.
Make your own nettle tea
- Wearing a pair of rubber gloves, pick a bunch of nettle leaves.
- Wash the leaves and steep them in boiling water for a few minutes – has to be boiling water!
- Then simply remove the leaves and enjoy
If you want to add a bit of sweetness, you can put in a drop of honey which is also said to help hayfever.
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