Bee-L:
 
I am allergic to at least 115 substances, of which pollens are a major
part of the problem.  I had 5 years of desensitizing shots as a kid, and
they helped a lot.
 
We collect and analyze pollen for various chemical constituents.  As far
as I can determine, there is reasonable evidence that oral ingestion of
small amounts of pollen from the area in which you live may have much the
same effect as the desensitizing shots.  Actually, for most people, a
couple of spoonfuls of unfiltered honey (containing some local pollen)
may be about the right dose.
 
Given my degree of allergic reactions, I can not consume pollen nor can I
tolerate honey with lots of pollen in it - the dose is just too high.
 
I have my staff and students grind our pollen samples.  Although I can
work with it, my eyes sting, nose runs, and I feel wierd - almost like a
drug high.
 
People who are allergic to pollens need to be very careful in
self-administering by ingestion.  Take a tiny bit, roll it on your
tongue, spit it out, wait a while.  If you don't experience any negative
reactions, try consuming just a tiny bit.  Build up the dose very gradually.
 
As per what type of pollen, it depends on your allergies.  The reason
local honey often is a good choice is because it contains a diluted mix
of the more common pollens present in the area in which you live.  Eating
honey containing pollen or pollen from other parts of the world may not
do you much good if the pollen(s) are different than those to which you
are exposed each day.
 
Jerry Bromenshenk
The University of Montana
[log in to unmask]
 
 
>
>         I never thought of that! I've been suffering *REALLY* bad hay fever
> since just before I turned 21 (about 7 yrs.) and this year seems to not be
> as bad as the last 6. I have tried a few different kinds of honey since last
> spring when I got interested in bees. I've done orange and buckwheat, but
> I've mainly been using a mix that I got from an old woman last fall. I had
> been attributing it too a slow pollen start up, but from what I've been
> hearing from folks on the list and elsewhere it hasn't been a slow start up!
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Dave D. Cawley            |    Where a social revolution is pending and,
> University Of Scranton    |    for whatever reason, is not accomplished,
> Scranton, Pennsylvania    |    reaction is the only alternative.
> [log in to unmask]      |                             -Daniel De Leon
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>