Ragweed is a leading cause of seasonal allergy symptoms and affects 36 million Americans. Typical symptoms include nasal congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes and difficulty breathing. The cause is an immune system overreaction to ragweed pollen.
The placebo-controlled, double-blinded study involved 48 healthy people subjected to high pollen counts last fall. Individuals consuming Wellmune WGP, a natural immune health ingredient from Biothera, demonstrated statistically significant reductions in overall allergy symptoms and severity; reductions in key nasal and eye-related allergy symptoms; and improvement on the Quality of Life Index, a scientifically validated tool for measuring how participants rate their overall sense of wellness.
“Wellmune provided significant relief to study subjects who suffer from the symptoms of ragweed allergies,” said Shawn Talbott, PhD, research director at SupplementWatch and lead investigator on the study.
The study equally divided 48 healthy subjects (31 female, 17 male; 39 ± 13 years of age) into two groups. One group consumed a placebo while the other a 250 mg serving of Wellmune WGP daily for four weeks during last September/October in an area of southeast Ohio where local pollen counts were high. Allergy surveys, including the validated Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ), were used to assess differences in allergy symptoms.
“Previous research demonstrates that Wellmune WGP can safely prime the immune system to keep the body healthy,” said Don Cox, PhD, senior vice president, Biothera Healthcare Research & Development. “This new research shows that Wellmune also has the ability to modulate the immune system when less of a response is needed.”