If you spend all summer sniffing and sneezing, then new help could be at hand in the form of a natural remedy called Butterbur. In a double-blind study of 330 patients, Andreas Schapowal of the Allergy Clinic at Landquart, Switzerland, and colleagues found Butterbur extract was as effective as conventional antihistamine, without any of the unpleasant side effects, such as drowsiness. Over 10 years Schapowal and his colleagues have bred a special version of the Butterbur plant, with high concentrations of petasine in its leaves.
"The extract from the modified plant has a significant effect in blocking the allergic reaction and is at least as effective as antihistamine," says Schapowal. Butterbur is available in Switzerland and likely to be licensed across the rest of Europe and the US within two years.
