Chinese herb reduces allergy symptoms

It is the allergy season – and there is a herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that"s been proven to help alleviate most of the symptoms. The herb, Xin-yi-san (XYS), which is made up from dried magnolia flowers, dramatically reduces the symptoms of sneezing and nasal congestion in people who suffer from allergies to dust mites, pets and fungal spores. In a study involving 100 people with allergies, 56 were given XYS for three months and the rest were given a placebo treatment. In TCM, XYS is often given in combination with other herbs, but the researchers from Chang Gung University in Taiwan have shown that it works on its own. XYS supplements may still be available in some stores in the EU – and will be until stocks run out – but after that, you will be able to get it only after a consultation with a TCM practitioner. Under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, shops throughout the EU are not permitted to sell any herbal remedy that has not been registered unless it has been available in Europe for more than 30 years. No Chinese herb has been registered, or been available for that length of time, and so will disappear from shops once current stocks run out. (Source: International Immunopharmacology, 2010; 10: 951-8).