Food Allergies and Chinese Herbal Medicine

Across all industrialised nations, allergies, in general, are increasing rapidly with an estimated 21 million adults suffering from at least one allergy in the UK alone, costing the NHS £968 million/yr [1]. This figure includes emergency and primary care of atopic conditions such as anaphylaxis, asthma, hayfever, eczema, hives etc. Thankfully, true food allergies are less common, with approximately 2-4% of adults and 5-8% of children affected [1,2]. These allergies, however, need to be taken seriously as a severe attack can be life threatening.