Histamine

Histamines are products released during mast cell activity when the body’s immune system thinks it’s under attack by a foreign invader. When an immune response is initiated, white blood cells will release certain cellular chemicals that target mast cells. Once mast cells are primed then the release of the histamines are used to target areas in which an allergic response in likely to take place. In hay fever this is often the nose, eyes, throat and ears. Histamines increase the ability of white blood cells and other necessary chemicals to transfer across the membranes of the capillaries in order to allow them to help fight off the antigens in the affected areas of tissue. Histamines are found in everybody and are a key agent in the immune response.