Allergies and Histamine Issues
Useful Tips
I find theanine, an amino acid found primarily in teas, to be a very effective antihistamine. Many people do well with 100mg, 1-3x a day of theanine, but some take far more, such as 300mg, 1-3x a day. I have also experimented with “slow-release” theanine capsules. It seems that theanine may have the ability to stabilize mast cells.
Mast cells can produce many substances that cause inflammation and negative reactions, histamine is released from mast cells.
In addition to theanine, I find vitamin B6, vitamin C, stinging nettle leaf tea, vitamin E and quercetin + bromelain, and many other things to be great for allergies. As well as methylation support for people who may be under-methylating, as high histamine can possibly be a sign of under-methylation.
Vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin A, copper and zinc are nutrients that are involved in histamine metabolism. I prefer to get zinc from oysters and red meat (lamb, beef, bison, elk etc). I like to get copper from organ meats (or desiccated organs), shellfish like shrimp and lobster, cooked mushrooms, and chocolate. Speaking of desiccated organs, desiccated kidneys can be very useful for allergy issues and histamine intolerance. Vitamin A is also very high in organ meats, especially liver. You can also get a good amount of vitamin A from egg yolks and dairy products such as butter, ghee, yogurt and cream. Vitamin C is very high in bell peppers and citrus fruits. There is no one food, to my knowledge, that is extremely high in vitamin B6, this means you will need to eat a diet with many different foods to get enough. Fish and bananas are two foods with decent amounts of vitamin B6.
If allergies are particularly bad I will supplement with extra vitamin B6, in the form of P5P, and vitamin C. I typically do not supplement with copper, vitamin A or zinc but I will occasionally supplement with zinc carnosine (this form is very good for gut health, and can help with leaky gut etc). However, I do take desiccated organ supplements occasionally (liver, kidney etc) and these can be a good source of copper and vitamin A.
Estrogen has a tendency to increase histamine and vice versa. Anti-estrogen substances can thus be very useful for allergies and histamine issues. Vitamin E is a great “aromatase inhibitor” meaning it prevents other hormones from becoming estrogen. Vitamin E, in general, is anti-histamine and anti-inflammation as it also blocks different inflammatory enzymes such as COX (produces prostaglandins) and LOX (produces leukotrienes). Progesterone seems to be able to be useful against histamine issues and stabilizes mast cells.
Stinging nettle-leaf tea can also be great for histamine issues. It acts as a natural antihistamine and is an aromatase inhibitor like vitamin E. I like the tea with some local honey if possible, which can also help with seasonal allergies. Also, I remember Ray Peat once mentioning that caffeine can be an effective antihistamine to some degree.
Low blood glucose, or “hypoglycemia” can also make you susceptible to allergies and histamine issues. When the blood glucose is too low for too long we become worse at counteracting histamine and other stressors, as the body uses the blood glucose in response to certain threats, such as allergens. Eating a good meal every 3-5 hours is useful for this. Taking the amino acid taurine (1-5g a day) can also be useful for helping prevent hypoglycemia. I also find that vitamin B5 (pantethine form) can be useful for preventing excessively low blood glucose. Some orthomolecular doctors have recommended supplementing chromium, zinc and manganese for hypoglycemia.
Lastly, we make something called “oxaloacetate” in the body from the enzyme pyruvate carboxylase, and oxaloacetate seems to be able to normalize blood glucose. Biotin and manganese are the main nutrients required to make oxaloacetate so consuming those nutrients in abundance is a great idea (egg yolks, organ meats, peanuts, mussels and legumes are good sources). Or you can supplement those nutrients. You can also supplement oxaloacetate, the product is called “benaGene”. Oxaloacetate can also speed up the removal of histamine.
There are lots of foods that cause histamine reactions in certain people, such as dried and smoked meats, bone broth, organ meats, tomatoes, oranges and tropical fruits like kiwi. Even coffee can have this effect for some people, especially the darker roasts. If allergies are very bad, avoiding certain foods that cause reactions would be advisable for the time being.
Methylation also plays a role in histamine metabolism. Some general advice for “methylation support” would be to consume enough nutrients required for optimal methylation. The main nutrients here would be choline, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B6, folate (vitamin B9) and vitamin B12. People also supplement TMG (trimethylglycine also known as betaine) for methylation support, as TMG is a methyl donor. Since a lot of our methylation is for the synthesis of creatine and phosphatidylcholine, many people suggest taking either phosphatidylcholine or creatine as supplements which will take the stress off your methylation system. I personally take phosphatidylcholine for asthma and it works very well, I do not necessarily take it for methylation support, but I’m not against the idea in principle.
Orthomolecular medicine doctors like Dr. Carl Pfeiffer suggested supplementing calcium, manganese, zinc and methionine to deal with high histamine as a result of undermethylation. I belive vitamin B12 was also suggested.
Apigenin can have some anti-histamine actions so having things like chamomile tea or dried parsley can be a good addition as they are high in apigenin. Quercetin is also supposed to be good at stabilizing mast cells, and some people supplement with quercetin + bromelain for allergies successfully. Bromelaine may go well with quercetin, but it is also really good for opening up the nasal passage and the sinuses and thus it helps people breathe through their noses better. Gingko Biloba contains kaempferol which can help with histamine issues, Gingko is also great for asthma and seems to be useful for ADHD. Emodin which is found in aloe vera and cascara sagrada bark is also useful as an antihistamine. Aloe vera juice (inner leaf fillet) is typically used for gut health, but it is also a good source of potassium and is a good way to get some emodin. Cascara sagrada bark is a herb used as a safe laxative and anti-inflammatory for the intestines.
Many people also take the drug “Singulair” for allergies. Well, Singulair is a leukotriene antagonist. Natural leukotriene-antagonists or LOX inhibitors would be Boswellia Serrata, Clove, Black Seed, Pycgnogenol (Pine Bark Extract), Quercetin and vitamin E. I talk about LOX and leukotrienes at length in my article on asthma “Wheeze No More”.
There is some evidence that 2-3g of spirulina a day can help with sinus issues. It should be taken daily for a few weeks to see results. It seems to be equal to antihistamine drugs for sinus congestion, which is impressive.
My friend, Andra Sitoianu ND often talks about the benefits of the amino acid histidine and lactoferrin for seasonal allergies or (allergies in general). Look her up on Twitter or Instagram to find out more about how these can help. Andra has also appeared on my friend Kitty Martone’s podcast “Stuff your doctor should know”. Their episode together is called “The Estrogen Histamine Connection”.
I think in general a hypothyroid state will increase your susceptibility to allergens for many reasons. Hypothyroidism can increase the number of mast cells (histamine-producing cells) and can lead to hypoglycemia leading you to be more susceptible to histamine issues.
In terms of medications, I am a fan of either Benadryl or Claritin (loratadine). Benadryl can make people very sleepy, so if it does this for you then it is not advisable long term given you won’t want to be “knocked out” during the day. So, the next best alternative for longer-term use would be Claratin in my opinion. Claratin is non-drowsy and is a “tricyclic antihistamine” which means it can help prevent gut inflammation (by helping block TLR4). Obviously, the goal would be to not need any drugs, but if your allergies are really bad I think taking Claritin or Benadryl during the worst days is warranted and not harmful.
Hope this helps!
*None of this is medical advice. I am not a medical professional, always talk to your doctor*
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I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to learn this information. Thank you! Do you think any of these tools would also work for school-age children?