If you’ve ever suffered from hay fever, you know that it takes only a few short minutes to make your life completely miserable.
The runny, stuffy nose. The itchy, watery eyes. The scratchy throat. It’s enough to make you crazy. For years, antihistamines have been the most effective choice to block these symptoms, but at the cost of feeling “spaced out” and sleepy.
Now a new study reveals a natural herbal remedy is just as effective as antihistamines, without the sleepy side effects.
Natural therapy proven as effective as prescription drug
Butterbur grows in Europe, northern Africa, and south western Asia. And in a study published this month in the British Medical Journal, it was shown to be just as effective against hay fever as a prescription antihistamine.
In this Swiss study, 125 people with diagnosed hay fever (medically known as allergic rhinitis) were randomly assigned to take either one butterbur tablet four times a day or one 10 mg tablet of the antihistamine cetirizine (aka Zyrtec) each day. (Depending on the treatment group, the participants also took a certain number of placebo tablets, so that each group was taking a total of five tablets each day.) Each butterbur tablet contained 8 mg of petasine, the active compound in butterbur.
Prescription drug caused four times more side effects than butterbur
At baseline and again after two weeks of treatment, the participants completed a questionnaire, which asked them to assess their symptoms on a scale of zero to 100. All of the participants were also assessed at both points by physicians, who assigned them a “clinical global impression score” based on their condition.
Both groups showed improvement after two weeks of treatment. In fact, the effects of the butterbur were almost identical to those of the prescription antihistamine. The only difference was in the side effects; FOUR TIMES as many people in the drug group reported feelings of fatigue or drowsiness.
Butterbur, which is also known as butter dock, bog rhubarb, and exwort, or by its Latin names, petasites hybridus or officianalis, has been around for thousands of years. Today, it’s most often used as a natural remedy for migraine headaches. When comparing butterbur products, it’s important to choose one that has been processed to remove potentially dangerous chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Butterbur can be difficult to find – but in the end, we didn’t have to look any further than our own HSI panel.
When we approached HSI panelist Stephen Morrissey, OMD, about butterbur, we learned his company, Botanica BioScience offers a butterbur product. While Botanica’s butterbur product is in tincture form rather than tablets, it is 100 percent free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. A one-ounce bottle – which is about a two-week supply – costs $14.95. You can order it directly by calling their order center at 888-726-7797, or online at www.botanica-bioscience.com.
Another option to address hay fever – and a special offer
But Dr. Morrissey also had another suggestion for our HSI members and e-Alert readers who suffer with hay fever. Botanica BioScience offers a clinically proven, all-natural allergy product called Allerpro which can also relieve allergy symptoms without causing drowsiness. (See your August 1999 Members Alert for more information.) Allerpro contains a clinically tested formula of Chinese herbs and fruit extracts, including the traditional Chinese herb xanthium, which is a strong reliever of nasal and sinus congestion.
In Dr. Morrissey’s experience, Allerpro is even more effective against hay fever than butterbur. In order to help you try both and decide for yourself which offers greater relief, Dr. Morrissey has offered us a special arrangement – exclusively for HSI members and e-Alert readers. Mention this e-Alert when you order, and you can receive one bottle of Allerpro plus one bottle of butterbur for $16.95, a $12.95 savings over ordering the two separately. In return, Dr. Morrissey simply asks for your feedback; you can e-mail him at info@botanica-bioscience.com.
It’s always our goal to offer you alternatives to choose from. And in this case, both options offer benefits over the mainstream “cure” – namely, eliminating the sleepy side effects of antihistamines. Now, with this special offer from an HSI panelist, you can try both of these options and see which gives you greater relief. Either way, there is an excellent chance that you will get rid of that runny nose and those itchy eyes – and be awake enough to start enjoying your life again.
Copyright 1997-2002 by Institute of Health Sciences, L.L.C.
