With the glorious sunshine,the sneezing, the stuffy, runny noses, runny eyes and muzzy heads have also arrived.

The pollen count has been high and a lot of people have been suffering from their seasonal hay fever.

The runny and congested nose and sinuses and the sore, gritty eyes are caused by an allergic reaction of the lining of the nose and the eyes to various types of pollen.

Some people can get wheezy. As the nasal passages and sinuses get congested and swollen, they block the eustachian tube which connects the middle ear cavity to the back of the nose, causing a blocked feeling in the ears.

Hay fever can be mild or it can make you feel very ill with tiredness, headaches, aching eyes and inability to focus.

Antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays give essential quick relief.

Here are some natural medicine tips:

1. Avoid exposure to grass, plants, flowers and dry,windy conditions.

2. Drink tea made from ginger, basil, black pepper and cardamom. Put two mugs of water in a saucepan and add fresh, crushed, root ginger (a 1-2 cm piece) or one teaspoonful of dry ginger powder, two to three pinches of cardamom powder, a dash of black pepper and five leaves of fresh basil or half a teaspoon of dry basil-leaf powder.

Boil this mixture and strain. Add two teaspoonfuls of honey or make ordinary tea with it. Drink a cup of this three or four times a day .

A ready-mixed,dry powder formula which you can you can carry with you is available from the clinic. Just add a quarter to a half a teaspoon to ordinary tea to relieve headache, muzzy head, congestion and the aching feeling.

3. Nettle tea has been long renowned for its anti-allergic properties.

4. Do a steam inhalation with eucalyptus oil every morning and evening to clear the head and sinuses.

5. Do a vigorous head massage with Brahmi oil containing rosemary and lavender.

6. Massage the nose and surrounding area, temples and the neck with Kapha oil containing extracts of ginger, long pepper and black pepper,with rosemary bergamot and fennel.

7. Two useful Ayurvedic medicines are Sitopaladi powder (made from bamboo- resin extract, long pepper,cardamom and black pepper) to be taken in honey. Also, herbal nasal drops called anu oil.