Matcha alleviates sneezing bouts in allergies.
Japanese scientists have discovered that powdered green tea matcha can alleviate one of the most unpleasant symptoms of allergic rhinitis — bouts of sneezing. Surprisingly, the drink works not through the immune system, like most antihistamines, but through the nerve mechanisms that control the sneezing reflex. The results of the study were published in the journal npj Science of Food.
In the experiment, the researchers used mice with a model of allergic rhinitis, inducing symptoms of hay fever. The animals were regularly given matcha tea extract, after which their reaction to the allergen was tested. It turned out that the mice receiving the tea had a significantly reduced frequency of sneezing compared to the control group.
At the same time, the researchers did not observe significant changes in the main immune mechanisms of allergy. The levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), mast cell activity, and the accumulation of inflammatory cells remained virtually unchanged. This indicated that matcha acts through a different mechanism, not suppressing the allergic reaction itself.
Additional analyses showed that the tea affects the activity of neurons in the brainstem associated with the sneezing reflex. In allergic animals, the activity of the c-Fos gene, which serves as a marker for the activity of these neurons, sharply increased. After consuming matcha, it decreased almost to normal levels.
According to the authors of the study, this suggests that matcha may suppress the nerve signals that trigger sneezing and could potentially become an additional natural remedy for alleviating the symptoms of allergic rhinitis.
