If you’ve ever broken out in itchy red welts that appear suddenly and seem to move around your body, you’ve likely experienced hives, also known as urticaria or an allergic skin rash. These raised, inflamed patches can be incredibly uncomfortable and frustrating, especially when they keep recurring. From a naturopathic perspective, hives are often a sign that your body is reacting to internal or external stressors — not just on the skin, but deeper within your immune and detoxification systems. Natural remedies for hives can help to reduce the frequency and severity of outbreaks.

What Causes Hives?

Hives occur when histamine nd other immune chemicals are released from mast cells in the skin, triggering inflammation, redness, and itching. While conventional treatment often focuses on suppressing symptoms with antihistamines, naturopathic care looks deeper to uncover why your body is reacting.

Common causes and triggers include:

• Food sensitivities – such as dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts, or shellfish
• Environmental allergies – pollen, dust mites, pet dander, or mould
• Stress and emotional tension – stress hormones can heighten histamine release
• Medications – antibiotics, painkillers (NSAIDs), or ACE inhibitors
• Infections – viral or bacterial infections can trigger acute hives
• Gut health imbalances – dysbiosis, leaky gut, or poor detoxification
• Liver overload – an under-functioning liver may slow histamine breakdown

Naturopathic Testing and Assessment for hives

Identifying underlying food or chemical sensitivities can make a huge difference in long-term healing. To uncover the root cause, naturopaths often recommend:

• Food sensitivity testing or elimination diets
• Comprehensive stool analysis to assess gut flora, inflammation, and detox pathways
• Liver function tests (LFTs) to check detox efficiency
• Histamine or DAO enzyme testing for histamine intolerance
• Allergy testing (IgE/IgG) for specific triggers

Natural Remedies for Hives

Gentle, supportive remedies can calm inflammation and assist the body’s natural healing and act as a natural anti-histamine to reduce the itch, swelling, inflammation, irritability and frequency of the sensitivity.

Herbal medicine:

• Nettle (Urtica dioica): A natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory herb.
• Chamomile (Matricaria recutita): Soothes skin irritation and calms the nervous system.
• Burdock root (Arctium lappa): Supports liver and lymphatic detoxification.
• Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra): Reduces inflammation and supports adrenal balance.

Nutritional support:

• Vitamin C – natural antihistamine and immune modulator
• Quercetin – a flavonoid that stabilises mast cells and reduces histamine release
• Zinc – supports skin healing and immune balance
• Omega-3 fatty acids – reduce systemic inflammation

Topical care:

• Aloe vera gel or calendula cream for cooling relief
• Oatmeal or baking soda baths to soothe itching
• Avoid perfumed lotions and synthetic detergents which can irritate the skin further

Diet and Lifestyle Support for hives

Focus on:

• Fresh vegetables, leafy greens, berries, apples, turmeric, and lemon and plenty of antioxidants.
• Hydration – water and herbal teas (nettle, chamomile, green tea)
• Reducing processed foods, refined sugar, alcohol, and artificial additives
• Supporting liver detox with bitter foods (rocket, dandelion, artichoke, beetroot)

Lifestyle:

• Practice stress management – meditation, breathwork, gentle yoga, time in nature and vagus nerve calming practices.
• Prioritise sleep and rest to support immune regulation.
• Reduce histamine intake of fermented foods
• Gentle sweating through exercise or saunas can assist detox pathways
• Support liver cleansing to remove wastes to promote better health through elimination and cleansing practices.
• Promote lymphatic clearing of wastes to reduce skin sensitivity.

Hives are your body’s way of signalling that something deeper needs attention — whether that’s an overactive immune response, poor liver clearance, or emotional stress. Addressing the root cause rather than simply masking the symptoms can bring lasting relief.

BE WELL NOW