04.16.2016 •

Fight Off Seasonal Allergies with Red Reishi

Budding flowers, blooming trees, and singing birds can mean only one thing—spring is finally here. While many of us enjoy this beautiful time of year, pollen from trees, grass, and flowers can send our immune systems into overdrive. For millions of people, these offending substances (or antigens) can trigger an allergic reaction, causing a number of unpleasant symptoms like sneezing, congestion, runny nose, and itchy, watery, red eyes.

Don’t Let Seasonal Allergies Keep You Indoors

Over-the-counter products, such as antihistamines, decongestants, and nasal sprays often provide some relief, but come with troublesome side effects—drowsiness, dizziness, and confusion—that can actually make symptoms worse if used for long periods of time. Because of this, an increasing number of allergy sufferers are turning to Mother Nature for a safer, alternative solution. If spring is making you miserable, there is a natural solution that will help keep your seasonal allergies under control.

Nature’s Cure All

Used for thousands of years in the Eastern World, Japanese red reishi is a mushroom proven to have phenomenal health benefits. Though there are six different types of reishi (red, purple, green, white, yellow, and black), the red variety is the most medically potent. This miraculous fungus is able to fight cancer, ward off heart disease, support nerve and liver function, as well as regulate the immune system to help fight off infections at the same time as it can prevent it from overacting and resulting in allergic reactions.

Allergy Alleviator

In numerous trials and clinical experiments, Japanese red reishi has been shown to be an effective treatment for allergies and other respiratory ailments. These adaptogenic and immune-supporting mushrooms contain compounds that have strong anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory agents. Researchers discovered that the ganoderic acids found in Japanese red reishi act as a natural antihistamine, helping diminish the symptoms of allergies without any of the harmful side effects associated with over-the-counter medications.

The Right Type of Red Reishi

In order to have the medicinal effects noted by these studies, red reishi must contain the powerful constituents—particularly ganoderic acids—that are found only in the fruiting body of the mature red reishi mushroom. In fact, unextracted reishi powder can actually cause an allergic reaction in some people.

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Dr. Melissa Carr is a registered Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine with a B.Sc. in Kinesiology. In practice since 2001, Dr. Carr has a passion for sharing health information. She has been a nutrition instructor and a health consultant, lecturer, and writer for 24 Hours Vancouver newspaper, Fraser Health Authority, UBC, and the David Suzuki Foundation, amongst others.