Maximize your fun -- and minimize your health risks -- with our best natural solutions for summer ailments.

Allergy Relief
Your grass and weed pollen allergies shouldn't preclude you from lazing about at a summer picnic. Seek out a natural antihistamine such as quercetin, a type of antioxidant found in onions and citrus fruits. Available in supplement form, 1,000 mg of quercetin taken three times daily throughout the season should help you stay symptom free, says naturopath and "Prescription for Natural Cures" coauthor Mark Stengler. And in a 2000 study from "Alternative Medicine Review," researchers found that quercetin was even more effective against allergies when paired with bromelain (enzymes found in pineapples). Other ideas: Pack a thermos of nettle tea (another natural antihistamine), says ethnobotanist Chris Kilham. Cutting back on dairy may also help reduce congestion and sinus-pressure headaches, he says.

Sun Safeguards
Don't skimp on the sunscreen. "To get protection for a variety of reasons, including skin-cancer prevention, use an SPF of 30 or over on your entire body and face, including your lips," says naturopath Koren Barrett. Slather on enough lotion to fill a shot glass, reapplying every couple of hours that you spend outside. And when purchasing sunscreen, check the ingredients list for zinc oxide, a shield against both UVA and UVB rays. Once you're out of the sun, rub in some borage oil, a rich source of gamma-linoleic fatty acid, to help protect against sun-related aging. "Borage oil should not be used as a substitute for sunscreen," says aromatherapist Constance Hart, "but it may help reverse damage from UV rays."

Anti-Woozy Wonders
For those prone to motion sickness, traveling can feel more like torture than leisure. But ginger, shown to ease nausea in a number of studies on pregnant women, can keep you from turning green while on the road or the high seas. Stengler recommends sipping ginger tea throughout your trip; Kilham notes that ginger candies work, too. And for a quick aromatherapy treatment, Hart suggests rubbing pure ginger oil on your lower belly and inhaling orange essential oil. Wearing an acupressure wristband may also make for a drug-free alternative to medications. The band stimulates the Nei-Kuan acupressure point, an action found to relieve nausea in many studies on post-op patients.