Breathing Easier in Wildfire Season: Natural Support for Healthy Resilience
When wildfire smoke rolls in, the most effective protection is still the simplest: reduce exposure. Stay indoors when air quality is poor, and wear a well-fitted mask that can filter particulates (like an N95) if you need to be outside. Most modern cars also have an air filter and a button that allows you to recirculate the cabin air— make sure your filter has been changed recently, and use it!
We also are a fan of indoor air filters- as you may know we use eight different units in our clinic! At minimum, you can get an affordable, nearly silent unit for about $100 to filter your bedroom’s air. But even more affordably, changing your home’s central HVAC filter, if it hasn’t been changed in a while, is imperative. We use MERV-13 at our clinic, the highest grade filter, and change it once a month! Think of it like an N95 mask for your home’s air.
Once the basics are in place, certain nutrients and botanicals can help support your body’s response to smoke-related stress.
Green tea is a simple, daily ally. The Organic Japanese green teas we carry in our apothecary from Morihata are rich in catechins like EGCG, which have well-studied antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Drinking a few cups a day provides steady support for both respiratory and cardiovascular systems under environmental stress, while providing myriad other health benefits.
Reishi mushroom, especially high-quality extracts like those from Hamilton’s Mushrooms (available in our apothecary), offers broader systemic support. Traditionally used as a tonic for resilience, reishi contains compounds that help regulate immune function and reduce inflammation. It can be particularly helpful during prolonged smoke exposure, when the body is under sustained stress.
For direct respiratory soothing, mullein leaf is a classic choice. We recommend the extract available from Doylestown-based herb farmers Bluestem Botanicals. Mullein has gentle demulcent and expectorant properties, meaning it can both soothe irritated lung tissue and support the clearing of mucus. It’s especially useful if smoke leaves your throat or chest feeling dry or scratchy. The red clover extract from Bluestem can also be great for aiding clearance of impurities in the lymphatic system.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a very useful supplement for toxic stress. It helps replenish glutathione, a key antioxidant your body uses to neutralize pollutants, and also acts as a mucolytic—helping your lungs clear mucus and trapped particles more effectively. This makes it a strong foundational support during periods of poor air quality.
To address systemic inflammation, our apothecary best-seller Inflathera brings together herbs like turmeric, ginger, rosemary, holy basil, and even Huang Lian and Huang Qin, two staples from Chinese herbal medicine known for clearing toxic heat. These herbs have strong evidence for modulating inflammatory pathways and supporting circulation, which is important given the cardiovascular strain associated with smoke exposure.
For any sinus congestion, allergies or mild respiratory symptoms, we are also big fans of the Quercetin-Bromelain Forte in our apothecary, which contains plant-derived bioflavinoids and enzymes that help suppress mast cell activity, reduce oxidative stress and promote histamine clearance. We often couple this with the xylitol-based nasal spray Xlear to gently rinse and reduce irritation in the mucus membranes. For severe congestion we recommend our highly effective Chinese herbal Sinus Steam.
Selenium, another great supplement, is an antioxidant mineral that can also be found in foods like fish and brazil nuts.
Which brings up the power of whole foods! In particular, don’t underestimate getting plenty of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables which provide a wide spectrum of antioxidants—vitamin C, carotenoids, flavonoids—that help your body process and recover from environmental toxins. A colorful, plant-rich diet is one of the most reliable ways to build baseline resilience.
And, it’s farmer’s market season, y’all! Find one near you. By using it, you’re not only supporting small, sustainable farms and getting less chemical exposure, but you are taking advantage of produce that is many orders fresher and more nutrient-rich!
Stay well out there, and breathe easy.
Supplements like turmeric, selenium, quercetin and NAC are available on our online Fullscript apothecary (where our patients and friends can sign up and get 20% off of everything, forever).