Spring: the season of blossoms, birdsong… and blowing your nose approximately 47 times a day.
For many of us, spring means swollen sinuses, itchy eyes, and a symphony of sneezes every time a gentle breeze wafts through the air. It’s your immune system throwing a full-scale party over something as harmless as pollen. But here’s the thing, your body isn’t broken. It’s just overreacting. And that’s where Reishi comes in.
Reishi is often called the “queen of mushrooms” for good reason. In traditional herbalism, it’s prized as a deep immune modulator.. meaning instead of artificially stimulating or suppressing your immune system, it helps bring it back into balance. That’s especially relevant during allergy season, when your immune response can be a little… dramatic.
When you breathe in pollen, your immune system sometimes interprets it as a threat and releases histamine and other inflammatory mediators, which create that charming mix of congestion, watery eyes, scratchy throat, and endless sneezing. Reishi has been shown in both traditional use and emerging research to support healthy histamine regulation by helping to modulate inflammatory pathways. In plain English: it can help calm the body’s overreaction to allergens.
Reishi also contains triterpenes and polysaccharides which are compounds known to support respiratory health and soothe irritated tissues. Triterpenes in particular have anti-inflammatory and antihistamine-like actions, while polysaccharides are thought to help regulate immune cell activity. Together, they create a gentle but powerful effect that works with your body, not against it.
Adaptogens like Reishi support your system over time. This doesn't mean that it wont help in acute circumstances ( especially in larger doses) but when taken consistently, especially in the weeks leading up to and throughout allergy season, Reishi can help make spring a lot less sneezy or wheezy.
Other reasons Reishi shines during allergy season:
Nervous system regulation: Reishi is known for its calming, parasympathetic-supporting effects. Since stress can exacerbate allergic responses, this matters more than you think.
Respiratory support: It’s traditionally used to ease coughing, wheezing, and congestion, supporting clearer breathing. Try adding in cordyceps too if your allergies tend to cause more of the wheeze and less of the sneeze ( that's me!!)
Whole-system resilience: Adaptogens help your body cope better with environmental stressors — and pollen definitely counts as one.
And yes there’s some science emerging on this. Preliminary research has explored Reishi’s role in modulating cytokine activity, inhibiting mast cell degranulation (a fancy way of saying “calming down the immune freakout”), and supporting respiratory function. While it’s not a pharmaceutical antihistamine, it’s a powerful plant ally with centuries of traditional use and modern evidence backing its role in seasonal support.
How to bring it into your routine:
Think consistency, not crisis management. Reishi works best when your body sees it regularly, whether that’s in your morning coffee , matcha, smoothie, or daily ritual. Many of our Magick Drink range contain reishi so maybe try them as your morning brew! Many people notice the effects most when they start using it before peak pollen hits, giving the body time to build that balanced baseline. That said, starting late is better than never!
Spring doesn’t have to mean watery eyes and allergy hangovers. With Reishi on your team, it can be about blooming alongside the world, not battling it.
