Sneezing And Allergy Season Can Be Annoying, But A Study Shows Matcha Might Help

Of all the things to know about matcha, one of the most surprising might just be that it could bring you some relief during allergy season. According to a new study published in the npj Science of Food, matcha might just help alleviate sneezing. During the study, researchers gave matcha to mice after exposing them to common allergens that cause hay fever. The result was the mice sneezed less than the ones not given matcha.

It gets trickier, though, because it's not actually the immune system matcha targets — it's the nervous system. The study showed that while matcha reduced the sneezing reflex itself, it didn't help with or cure the underlying allergies and inflammation or target histamines at all. It just dampened the brain's sneezing reflex (via reduced neuronal activation in the brainstem), rather than solving the underlying allergy or inflammation. But hey, if you're a matcha fan prone to annoying sneezing fits during allergy season, keep on drinking it. It could, at least, give you some relief from all that sneezing — emphasis on could, though. After all, it was only tested on mice and is still unknown if the same effect would be had on humans experiencing allergies.

Matcha may differ from green tea in many ways, but at the end of the day, it's from the same plant, and each has its pile of possible health benefits. People have been drinking green tea for years to boost brain health and fight inflammation that could potentially, lead to cancer. It's filled with antioxidants, and studies have shown it can help lower your cholesterol, decreasing risk of heart disease and stroke. Matcha shares these benefits -– and might even have more of them.

The reason matcha might be more nutritious than other green teas is due to the way it's processed – unlike regular green tea, it's grown in the shade, which increases compounds like l-theanine and chlorophyll. It also has more antioxidants (like EGCG) for this reason. And since matcha is brewed using powder rather than a tea bag, you actually consume the tea leaves (and therefore the nutrients they contain). If you're new to matcha (and all of its potential health benefits) and unsure where to begin, try the brands of matcha best suited for beginners.