Fight allergies with butterbur
Need relief from allergy symptoms? In this Health Smarts video, Robin Miller, MD, explains how butterbur extract acts as a natural antihistamine to stop sneezing and sniffling.
Transcript
Butterbur may backfire if you're allergic to ragweed. Though the two don't look related, these plants are in the same family.
If ragweed makes you sneeze, taking butterbur could make your allergy symptoms much worse. [MUSIC PLAYING]
Looking for natural relief from your allergies? Try the herb called butterbur. Hi, I'm Dr. Miller.
A substance found in this plant can dry up your drips as fast or faster than some over-the-counter allergy treatments.
Butterbur's active ingredient called petasin has a solid track record for reducing inflammation which can relieve nasal congestion.
It can also block the action of histamine and other compounds released during an allergy attack that can make you sneeze.
Butterbur also won't make you sleepy the way some antihistamines do, and the ingredients lasts about 4 to 6 hours.
However, here's the "but." Butterbur may backfire if you're allergic to ragweed. Though the two don't look related,
these plants are in the same family. If ragweed makes you sneeze, taking butterbur could make your allergy symptoms much worse.
In all cases, make sure you only try a butterbur extract that's marked PA free. And, as with any herbal supplement,
check with your doctor first to be sure it won't interact with other over-the-counter or prescription drugs you take.
allergies
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