Common allergies - How to treat them with ayurveda?

These herbs have a warming quality just like spices like ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and black pepper which support the digestive fire. These also reduce the kapha dosha in the body. Stick to warm, cooked vegetarian foods, made with ghee to aid in digestion. In Ayurveda, eating warm and cooked foods gives the digestive fire a chance to rejuvenate. Avoid eating raw foods and non-vegetarian foods during a seasonal change like spring as at this time the digestion is slow, so your body can t digest these foods properly resulting in accumulation of toxins in the body and hence more allergies.

Kapha is the earth and water elements together. Earth and water are cold, heavy, dense, smooth as well as stable and these qualities in excess cause congestion, mucus, phlegm, sneezing and other symptoms like post-nasal drip. Along with the excess of these qualities, there's also a slow digestive fire during an allergy. So the way to turn allergies around is to improve the digestive fire and use the qualities that are the opposite of kapha like warm, light, mobile, and clear in everything you do diet, herbs and daily routine.

Dairy has the same properties as excess kapha and phlegm- it's cold, heavy and dense and so you fall victim to more allergies. Stay away from cold dairy like ice creams and cold milk even in the hot summers and sparingly consume warm dairy products, like a yummy fresh mozzarella cheese over your pizza or a hot cup of milk.

Nasya is the Ayurvedic practice of putting herbal oil drops in the nostril. This practice helps lubricate dry nasal passages and also delivers the benefits of herbs directly to the nose to keep allergens like dust and pollen from directly irritating the nasal lining. Do nasya every night before going to bed for at least a month to see the benefits.