At least once every year I always get bronchitis. I usually take an over the counter antihistamine (Tavist-D, Sudafed, etc..) when I start the sniffles or get a sore throught. (I'm one of these people that if you don't catch it in the sniffle stage, it will very quickly by-pass a cold & go strait into bronchitis or worse.) It usually works (hince I get sick once as apposed to 5 times). I'm not on these pills for long either (3-5 days at most when it works), & no doctor has said one way or the other if I had some problem or not (I think not as I have less incidents of sniffles when I am able to be out side year around rain or shine, then when I'm unable to get out).

Is there an herbal/natural form of antihistamine? As you all know, getting any over the counter medicines can get expensive. I'm hoping to be able to grow what I need (if it exists & works for me). Naturally I would get some to try from an herbal store/pharmacy to see what works best for me, before I'd try to grow anything. Does anyone know?

animalfarms (IN)

-- animalfarms (jwlewis@indy.net), April 05, 2001

Answers

animalfarms,

Go to the healthfood store and get a package of Traditional Medicinal's Breathe Easy tea- it's ephedra and mint -- the natural form of Sudafed. It works quickly, but don't drink too of the tea, you'll get hyper and probably do unkind things to your blood pressure.

Also try 2 500mg tablets of Vitamin C on a daily ongoing basis. It seems to help stave off respiratory troubles for some folks. Some folks also swear by taking echinacea every 4 hours at the start of sniffles or a gram of C every 4 hours at the start of a cold.

Can't tell you much about how to grow ephedra in IN. I have some seeds I need to start, but no prior experience with growing it.

You can grow Vitamin C in the form of rose hips, aronia and assorted other fruits.

Also, the housebrand equivalent of Sudafed at Walmart, Meijers, CVS, Kmart or other big stores works just as well and is much cheaper.

Take care, urth

-- urth (urthmomma@aol.com), April 05, 2001.

I've also heard that taking ragweed can help (is it ragweed? somebody help me out here) in an inoculation-type way...I think there's a tea or something. Good luck!

-- Betsy in NY (sassyweitzel@yahoo.com), April 05, 2001.

Nettles are supposed to have antihistamine properties. I'm battling bronchitis myself right now so I've been drinking a homemade herbal tea of ecchinacea, sage, nettles, mullein, and peppermint. It seems to be helping. I know that all of these will grow in Indiana because that's where I live too.

-- Sherri C (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), April 05, 2001.

For years I have used peppermint tea. I stumbled on to this doing a research paper in school. Drink it hot and inhale the vapor through your nose. You can also chew peppermint gum. It has worked for me.

-- Storybook Farm (mumaw@socket.net), April 05, 2001.

I have gotten the most relief using Quercitin, a bioflavenoid that is ideally started several weeks before allergy season, and an Eyebright/Nettles combination. Since using these, every year seems to get a little better. Laurie

-- Laurie in NC (lepick3@hotmail.com), April 05, 2001.

Vogel carries a homeopathic product called pollinisan,you should start it now though.I have friends who say local bee pollen works too.

-- teri (mrs_smurf2000@yahoo.ca), April 06, 2001.

Just curious about whether or not these alternative rememdies would be OK for a animal, in particular a goat? sometimes antihistimes help with certain problems with goats. Bendrrl is often suggested. Thanks

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 06, 2001.

Urth - I'm new to herbal stuff so bear with me here! How exactly do you use rose hips and does it matter what variety of rose they come from? We have tons of multiflora rose on our property. Not by my choosing of course but since they're here, I have an abundant supply of rose hips. I like herbal teas and would like to be able to make some from home-grown stuff. Any suggestions?

Hoosiermom

-- Hoosiermom (hdnpines@kuntrynet.com), April 07, 2001.

There is a homeopathic remedy called histaminum but it's prescription only. You'd have to find a good homeopath and ask them about it.

I use mullein leaves, scullcap, and calendula flowers (the late Dr. Christopher's formula from his book, "School of Natural Healing." I order the herbs in bulk from

http://www.herbspicetea.com

You can order Dr. Christopher's book from

http://schoolofnaturalhealing.com

-- dmtaylor (dmtaylor@fanninelectric.com), April 08, 2001.

== Traditional Medicinal's Breathe Easy tea- it's ephedra and mint ==

Just a thought....ephedra products have caused a lot of law suits due to causing heart problems. One reason why many have stopped using Ma Huang.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), April 08, 2001.