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

00:00

Butterbur may backfire if you're allergic to ragweed. Though the two don't look related, these plants are in the same family.

00:07

If ragweed makes you sneeze, taking butterbur could make your allergy symptoms much worse. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:26

Looking for natural relief from your allergies? Try the herb called butterbur. Hi, I'm Dr. Miller.

00:33

A substance found in this plant can dry up your drips as fast or faster than some over-the-counter allergy treatments.

00:39

Butterbur's active ingredient called petasin has a solid track record for reducing inflammation which can relieve nasal congestion.

00:47

It can also block the action of histamine and other compounds released during an allergy attack that can make you sneeze.

00:53

Butterbur also won't make you sleepy the way some antihistamines do, and the ingredients lasts about 4 to 6 hours.

01:00

However, here's the "but." Butterbur may backfire if you're allergic to ragweed. Though the two don't look related,

01:07

these plants are in the same family. If ragweed makes you sneeze, taking butterbur could make your allergy symptoms much worse.

01:15

In all cases, make sure you only try a butterbur extract that's marked PA free. And, as with any herbal supplement,

01:21

check with your doctor first to be sure it won't interact with other over-the-counter or prescription drugs you take.