Grapefruit Seed Extract & Allergies

Many grapefruit seed extract supplements possess antimicrobial properties -- they can fight off infections. If your allergies lead to sinus infections, grapefruit seed extract may help. Grapefruit seed extract will not alleviate other allergy symptoms. Grapefruit seed extract can cause serious side effects, including comas, so talk to a medical professional before using it for any reason.

Sinus Infection

The symptoms of allergies occur when your immune system creates antibodies to protect you from a substance such as pollen, pet dander or bee venom. As a protective measure, your body creates inflammation of your skin, digestive system, airways or sinuses. If your nasal passages become inflamed, they produce mucus that makes it easy for fungus and bacteria to grow. This leads to a sinus infection, also called sinusitis. Some sinus infections clear on their own. Doctors prescribe antibiotics to treat persistent sinus infections. Grapefruit seed extract, available without a prescription, may also combat a sinus infection.

Chemicals

Chemicals added to many grapefruit seed extract products, not properties in the citrus fruit itself, help fight allergy-induced sinus infections, according to Donal O'Mathuna. O'Mathuna, an herbal researcher and bio-ethicist, reviewed grapefruit seed extract studies between 1999 and 2009. He says the authors of all of the studies reached the same conclusion: Disinfectants and preservatives added to many grapefruit seed extract products successfully battle infections, but grapefruit seed extract itself does not. Some grapefruit seed extract products contain a class two poison called benzethonium chloride that may cause collapsing, convulsions and comas, according to O'Mathuna's report in "The Irish Times."

Proof

"Pharmazie" published the first major study to test the ingredients in grapefruit seed extract products. T. von Woedtke and other researchers at the German Institute of Pharmacy analyzed the contents and effectiveness of six commercial grapefruit seed extract products. Five contained chemicals and strong antimicrobial properties. One contained pure grapefruit seed extract -- pulp and seeds that remain after juicing a grapefruit -- and it possessed no infection-fighting powers, according to the June 1999 report. To further test their findings, the German researchers made grapefruit seed extract on their own. It also proved ineffective.

Drug Interactions

Grapefruit seed extract may cause adverse interactions with many medications. Properties in grapefruit make it difficult for your body to metabolize drugs. You could end up with excessive amounts of the medication in your bloodstream. Not all medications and not all people prove sensitive to grapefruit's effect on drug metabolism. But ask your doctor before combining grapefruit seed extract -- or grapefruit in any form -- with medications. A partial list of drugs known to interact adversely with grapefruit include birth control pills, antidepressants, statins, immunosuppressants and calcium channel blockers. Side effects include gangrene, heart attack and stroke.