Hay fever: Does honey reduce symptoms? Other ways to reduce effect of pollen allergy

Pollen allergy, more commonly known as hay fever, can be debilitating during the summer. It’s not just the itchy eyes and throat and frequent sneezing that hits hard - it can also lead to fatigue, poor sleep, and a general feeling of being unwell.

At the moment we are in the tree pollen season - but things will get worse for many people when grass pollen is released in the next fortnight to a month.

There are several ways to ease the symptoms, though. Here’s what you can do, and useful though they are, none of these involve taking anti-histamines.

Does eating local honey ease hay fever?

It would be lovely to think that it does, as a natural, drug-free solution to the condition. Sadly, there’s very little evidence to suggest that this is the case. While buying a jar of honey from a local beekeeper is a great well to support local bee populations, which are famously important to the ecosystem and infamously under threat, it is more likely to give you tasty toast or a throat-soothing tea than a sneeze-free day.

As Professor Rob Thomas, an NHS consultant oncologist at Addenbrooke's and Bedford Hospitals and the author of How To Live, explains: “There is a theory that local honey helps hay fever symptoms but there is no strong scientific evidence for this. The mechanism stems from the idea that eating local honey might desensitise your body to pollen, but the pollen in honey is primarily from flowers, not the grass and tree pollen that typically causes hay fever.”

Vitamin D and hay fever

In general it has been found that people with low levels of Vitamin D are prone to worse symptoms when it comes to allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema and hay fever. The NHS advice is that everyone should consider taking a Vitamin D supplement in the autumn and winter, but that in the summer months we should be able to create enough in our bodies from sunlight.

As with all sun-related advice, the important part is that protection should be worn and that burning of the skin avoided at all costs.

Nasal douching

Professor Thomas has said that clinical trials found that nasal irrigation with saltwater improved symptoms of allergic rhinitis in adults and children. He added: “It works by washing away allergens and mucus, as well as reducing inflammation and swelling in the nasal cavities. The evidence is so strong, it was included as part of the international 2021 consensus on how to manage common sinus issues.

“There a number of apparatus available commercially but the one featured in the video called Rhineeze stands out as it does not require batteries or refills and, speaking from experience, it has just the right amount of saline volume and power to comfortably wash out the nose. Two to three times a day certainly does help with the nasal congestion.”

Wearing a mask

Pollen is a fine powder - and so one way to keep it away from you is to prevent it coming near you.

Allergy UK says that wearing a mask may help, saying: “As well as acting as a barrier to pollen and reducing the amount of pollen inhaled, research suggests that wearing a face mask may reduce allergic rhinitis symptoms by increasing the temperature and humidity of the air breathed in while wearing a mask. This reduces the reactivity of the nose and in turn reduces the allergic rhinitis (hay fever) symptoms.”

Other ways to reduce hay fever symptoms

A pollen barrier can work - apply Vaseline or a similar balm around your nostrils to trap pollen and stop it from entering your respiratory system.

A cold compress will not get rid of the problem but can help soothe itchy and irritated eyes, and drinking plenty of water will keep nasal passages moist.