British scientists have invented a nasal spray that relieves the symptoms of hay fever without any side effects. Its main component is cellulose.
The humanity has been struggling with hay fever or pollen allergy for centuries. And still, every year millions of people around the world face pollen allergy, which gives them a lot of inconvenience and suffering, such as runny nose and itchy eyes. Though dozens of different means for hay fever are commercially available today, not all of them are effective; some of them have unpleasant side effects, such as swelling and irritation of sinuses, dry mouth, blurred vision, risk of heart problems and muscle weakness.
British scientists from Allergy UK have come up with a nasal spray, whose main component is cellulose. It builds the cell walls of plants and, when used as a remedy for allergy, enables to form a gel which acts as a sort of barrier against pollen. Clinical studies of new agents have shown that this spray reduces the symptoms of hay fever by half. It is as effective as nasal steroids or antihistamines but does not have the same side effects.
The study involved 108 volunteers, some of whom received cellulose-based spray three times a day, while others were given placebo with mint flavor, which looked just like spray. As reported in the Archives of Allergy and Immunology journal, the first group of volunteers experienced a significant reduction in the symptoms of hay fever, whereas the placebo group demonstrated no significant changes.
Spray creators claim that it creates a more effective barrier against pollen in the nose than petroleum jelly because it covers a larger space inside the nostrils.
