A plant, commonly known as snakeweed (also called khirika or dudhia), can help combat early and even late stages of allergy, including asthma, researchers from the division of Pharmacology and Natural Products Chemistry, Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), Jammu-Tawi, report.

The study, recently published in the journal Phytotherapy Research was carried out by R.K. Johri and his colleagues at the RRL. It suggests that the aerial parts of snakeweed or Euphorbia hirta can wonderfully control allergic reactions, and the action of this plant is clinically significant in comparison with known anti-allergic drugs like ketotifen, cetrizine and cyclophosphamide.

The researchers analysed the impact of Euphorbia hirta on various indicators and mediators of allergic reactions. They observed that the plant extract works in many ways. It stabilises types of allergy-causing cells called mast cells (damage of mast cells results in allergy). In mild asthma, snakeweed can prevent accumulation of eosinophil (a type of blood cells which cause allergy) and activity of the enzyme eosinophil peroxidase that’s related to eosinophils. The plant also works by attenuating a chemical mediator of inflammation, called interleukin-4. “These findings demonstrated that Euphorbia hirta possessed significant activity to prevent early and late phases of allergic reactions,” the researchers say. According to them, during the early or late phases of allergy, the extract of the herb prevents formation of histamine, which is an important substance that causes allergies. The plant also works as an immune-suppressant by protecting against exaggerated immune response and anti-inflammatory actions.

3 other factors fighting allergy

1: Large family: People living in a large family, with three or more children, have a lesser propensity to get allergies, says a study in the British Medical Journal. It says that there is more exposure to various pathogens in larger families and this helps in decreasing the risk of allergy.

2: Yoghurt: Consuming yoghurt can help fight allergy, suggests a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. According to researchers, who showed the beneficial effects of yoghurt on 13 people suffering allergic reactions, one pound of yoghurt should be supplemented regularly for this purpose.

3: Vitamin: In a study that involved 100 participants, it was found that most of the subjects who consumed 250 mg of vitamin B-5 two times a day promptly recovered from a kind of allergic reaction. B-5’s actions against the chemical mediators of allergic reactions have been proposed to be responsible for its role in combating allergy.