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By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Seasonal allergies can be the absolute worst. Your eyes get itchy and watery, your nose gets stuffy, and you can’t stop sneezing, coughing, or both. Typically, our first move when our allergies get bad is to reach for some Benadryl, Zyrtec, nasal spray, or other allergy medicine. But did you know that these standard allergy medicines aren’t the only remedy for your allergy symptoms?

Honey has long been touted as an amazing natural remedy to alleviate allergy symptoms. This sweet and sticky syrup has anti-inflammatory properties that can mitigate some of the unpleasant effects of seasonal allergies. If your airways are congested or if you’re experiencing a rash or other skin irritation, the anti-inflammatory effects of honey can help to reduce some of that irritation.

Additionally, honey is used for immunotherapy, which is an allergy treatment method where the patient is exposed to small amounts of the allergen to build up an immunity to it. Since bees collect pollen as well as nectar, some amounts of pollen from local trees and flowers inevitably get into the honey that they make. Raw, local honey is the best way to expose yourself to the pollen that is in your area since the bees get their pollen and nectar from the surrounding plants that are responsible for your allergies.

Besides being a delicious way to sweeten foods and drinks or to just be eaten by itself, honey offers quite a few health benefits when it comes to relieving allergies and doing so naturally! We have lots of local beekeepers around the state of Arizona, my little brother is one of them! Remember, local honey is the best for treating allergies, as the pollen it contains is the same that surrounds you and causes your allergies!

For more information on local honey, check out the following resources!

Grande Honey Company | Casa Grande AZ | Facebook

Fill Your Plate – Find a Farm Product – Honey

The Healing Power of Honey – Fill Your Plate Blog