A new study suggests that matcha tea could help reduce sneezing in people with hay fever. Researchers in Japan found that the powdered green tea suppressed sneezing in mice engineered to experience allergic rhinitis symptoms.
Hay fever affects around one in five people in the UK, with symptoms including coughing, itchy eyes, and persistent sneezing. The condition has trebled in prevalence over the past 20 years, according to UK Health Security Agency figures.
Professor Osamu Kaminuma from Hiroshima University led the research, published in npj Science of Food on March 5. Mice given matcha tea two to three times a week for over five weeks sneezed significantly less when exposed to an allergen. The tea did not affect major immune markers such as immunoglobulin E, mast cells, or T cells, but instead suppressed brainstem neuronal activation linked to the sneezing reflex.
“Oral matcha reduced sneezing without clearly changing major immune markers. Instead, it strongly suppressed brainstem neuronal activation,” Kaminuma explained. The team observed reduced activity of the c-Fos gene in the ventral spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis, a brain region involved in sneezing.
Matcha is rich in biologically active compounds, including antioxidants and amino acids, and has previously been linked to improved heart and brain function and reduced inflammation. The next step is to study whether these effects occur in humans. “The goal is an evidence-backed, food-based option that complements standard care for allergic rhinitis symptoms,” Kaminuma said.
