Ayurvedic Medicine And Treatments For Allergies

Introduction

Allergy is an illness that most of us are suffering in our day to day life, especially when it comes to the spring season. People used to undergo a lot from seasonal allergies, they are often helpless. Ayurveda suggests several efficient remedies to heal allergies.

Ayurveda Perspective For Allergies

According to Ayurveda, allergy is caused due to the predominance of substances that cause allergy on different doshas like Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Allergy is a disorder of our immune system.

The factors that cause allergy are food, certain weather, certain medicines, etc. Sometimes allergy can be hereditary in a person. Allergy can be prevalent in people with Ama ( toxicity of the body) in their system.

Allergy is a general problem faced by various people nowadays due to unhealthy lifestyles, weather, weak immune system, etc. Allergies can range from minor to severe.

Causes Of Allergy

According to Ayurveda, Causes of Allergy are:

• Ama(toxin) Accumulation.
• Weak immune system.
• Imbalanced Dosha in the body like Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
• Individuals body constitution.
• Amount of allergens in the environment.
• State of the Dhatu( tissues) and agni(fire).

Types Of Allergy Based On Dosha Dominance

According to Ayurveda, our body type can be classified into three like Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Similarly, allergy can be classified based on our body types like Vata related allergy, Pitta related allergy, and Kapha related allergy.

Vata Related Allergy

Causes of Vata related allergy are all Vata aggravating factors such as dry foods, cold foods, windy weather, overactivity, stress, spicy and astringent foods.

Symptoms:

• Joint pains, bone aches, irregular sleep, abdominal pain, twitching muscles, bloating of stomach, etc.
• Allergy can affect the respiratory system, bones & colons, nervous system, etc.
• Other symptoms are people start suffering from headaches, earaches, asthma, tinnitus, anxiety, etc.

Remedies:
When Vata becomes predominant, we are required to overcome it. Hence, you need to develop a Vata pacifying diet. Conventional remedies are drinking a cup of ginger or licorice tea with a drop of ghee is desirable. Another approach is Dashamula Tea and enema therapy helps balance Vata-type allergy.

Pitta Related Allergy

Most of the pitta-based allergies are skin-based. General indications are hives, rashes, itching, allergic dermatitis, eczema, and may also include bloodshot eyes. Pitta aggravating factors are spicy & salty foods along with citrus fruits, hot weather, etc.

Symptoms:

• We can notice the skin with red marks, rashes, allergic dermatitis, acidity, dilated eyes, diarrhea, urticaria, etc.
• The affected parts are mostly skin, liver, eyes, parts of the digestive system.

Remedies:
To balance pitta disorders, you are required to develop a pitta pacifying diet, try to be relaxed, and avoid exercising at mid-day.

• Khadira

  Applying Khadira leaf’s paste on the affected skin is considered as an ayurvedic approach to cure inflammation or itching. Khadira also helps to balance pitta in your body.

• Neem Oil

  Neem Oil massage is a natural method to moisturise the skin and also helps to relieve pitta's excess heat and makes the skin rejuvenate.

• Fresh Cilantro Juice

  Drinking a glass of fresh Cilantro juice makes the entire system healthy and maintains the temperature and fluid balance in the skin.

• Guduchi

  Consuming Guduchi helps to improve our immune system and purifies blood, kidney, and liver.

• Cilantro Pulp

  Applying Cilantro pulp directly to the skin after separating it from the juice.

Kapha Related Allergy

Kapha-related allergies are mainly arising during spring-season as these are pollan-based allergies. Common Kapha-based allergies are cough, cold, sinus infection, asthma, hay fever, water retention, sleeping disorders, etc.

Causes:
Kapha aggravating foods like cheese, milk, yogurt, wheat, cucumber, watermelon, etc leads to allergic reactions.

Treatment:
Ayurvedic remedies for Kapha-related allergies are:-

• Avoid allergens every day.
• Ayurveda suggests Nidana Parivarjanam( Cause & eradication).
• Using small amounts of local honey as a sweetener serves to cleanse the system of excess Kapha.
• Drinking herbal teas like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, etc lessens excess Kapha in your body.

Popular Herbs For Allergy By Doshas

Popular herbs that are found effective for balancing all three doshas. They are:

• Vata: Ashwagandha.
• Pitta: Shatavari.
• Kapha: Licorice or Pippali.

Allergy can be grouped into Vata related allergy, Pitta related allergy, and Kapha related allergy. Ayurvedic herbs can cure allergies to an extent.

General Therapeutic Strategies For Allergies

The Ayurvedic approach of treatment for allergies can be classified into two categories mainly:

• Shodhana
• Shamana

Shodhana

Shodhana is a method for detoxification that helps to remove the main cause of allergy. Shodhana improves our immune system and also eliminates excess dosha and corrects the Agni imbalances.

The main five actions for detoxification are:

• Basti (Medicated enemas): Vata related allergy.
• Virechana (Therapeutic purgation): Pitta related allergy.
• Vamana (Therapeutic vomiting): Kapha related allergy.
• Raktha Moskhana(Blood-letting ): Blood related and pitta related allergy.
• Nasya (Nasal treatments): Kapha related allergies.

Shamana

Shamana therapy reduces toxins in our body and imbalance between doshas. In Shamana therapy, palliative methods like herbs, foods, lifestyle routines, exercises, etc are used.

How do we manage allergies?
Here are some tips to manage allergies by dosha's and they are:

How To Manage Vata Related Allergies:

• Avoid cold, dry, and windy weather.
• Avoid some foods like potatoes, beans, astringent foods, etc.
• Herbal tea with a mix of ginger, lemon, and orange is good for health and improves your immune system.
• Advisable herbs for Vata related allergies are Trikatu, Triphala, Ashwagandha, Guggulu, Dashmool (ten roots) tea, Tulsi (holy basil).
• Drinking a cup of ginger tea helps to get relief from wheezing.
• Applying hot Mahanarayan oil will also help to get relief from allergies.
• Dashmool enema or Mahanarayan oil enema helps to get relief from allergies.

How To Manage Pitta Related Allergies:

• Avoid the hot season and direct contact with the sun.
• Common herbs for pitta related allergies are Shatavari, Guduchi, Triphala, Brahmi, Neem, and Manjistha.
• Avoid spicy, salty-sour foods, and try to include green vegetables and more salads in your menu.
• Coriander juice is another remedy to manage pitta related allergy because coriander contains various antioxidants and enhances digestion.
• Bitter herbs with ghee is a good remedy.
• Coconut water is rich in various nutrients and antioxidants which helps to improve the immune system.
• Bloodletting is an effective method.
• Neem and Manjistha is a very good combination of skin-related allergies.
• Therapeutic purgation is an effective way to eliminate excess pitta in your body.

How To Manage Kapha Related Allergies:

• Try more bitter, spicy, and astringent tastes.
• Avoid cold and rainy weather.
• Herbs that are good for allergic reactions are Trikatu, Pippali, Guggulu, Triphala, Tulsi (Holy Basil).
• Therapeutic vomiting is a good treatment for Kapha-related allergies.
• Jala Neti(Nasal Wash) is considered as a fine remedy to reduce cold and running nose.
• Avoid heavy foods like cheese, yogurt, milk, cream.

Through proper management and care, we can fight allergies positively.

Yoga For Allergies

Yoga is an effective way to make you healthier and rejuvenate yourself. Here are some tips for all dosha-related allergies and how to overcome them.

• Yoga for Vata

  Sun salutations, Forwards bend, extension poses, breathing exercises like alternate nostril breathing, Right nostril breathing (Surya Bheda) are good.

• Yoga for Pitta

  Moon salutations are very good for Pitta related allergies. Moon position, Spinal twists are good. Breathing exercises are especially helpful. Chandra Bheda or left nostril breathing, Shitali Pranayama (breathing through the mouth and over the tongue), and Shitkari Pranayama are good.

• Yoga for Kapha

  Sun salutations are the natural method for treating Kapha-related allergies. Extension positions along with breathing exercises like Kapalabhati, right nostril breathing, and Ujjayi Pranayama are good.

Yoga is an effective method to get relief from allergies. Yoga and meditation calm our body and mind and improves the immune system. Hence the overall health of the body will improve and diminishes stress and allergies.

Conclusion

The provided information is collected from several ayurvedic resources and always consult an Ayurvedic doctor before you start any herbal treatments.