DOES your summer holiday mean scratching prickly heat with one hand and mozzie bites with the other?

Holland & Barrett in York help us discover how Mother Nature could help treat those annoying holiday ailments.

Travel sickness

GINGER could help relieve the symptoms of nausea, as the active constituents of the ginger root, gingerols and shogaols have anti-nausea and anti-vomiting effects.

Prickly heat - Two components of green tea, the polyphenols epigallocatechin (EGC) and epicatechin gallate (ECG) are said to have an antihistamine effect which takes away the irritation, but also contain enough caffeine to act as a mild appetite suppressant.

Hayfever - QUERCETIN, which belongs to a class of water-soluble plant pigments called flavonoids, is extremely successful in reducing sneezing and cooling inflamed tissues. Vitamin C has been added because studies show that flavonoids and Vitamin C work together to protect capillaries.

Mosquito bites - Taking a relatively high dose of VITAMIN B1 could help prevent bites. Leanne Crangle, assistant manager of Holland & Barrett in Coney Street, said she took one Vitamin B1 supplement a day three weeks before her holiday and did not get bitten once.

VITAMIN C works in the body as a natural anti-histamine, WITCH HAZEL can cool the bites and CITRONELLA OIL, which has a lemon-based smell, can be bought at home or abroad as a spray-on replant or oil which can be burned in your room.

Holiday hangover - ARTICHOKE helps the body digest rich fatty food which we overindulge on on holiday, and helps digest alcohol. MILK THISTLE detoxifies the liver and can be taken as a daily supplement to keep the body detoxing or as liquid in water before your night on the town and when you get in.

BEROCCA, small tubes which contain chemicals that are lost and destroyed in a drinking session, are widely available in Australia and some UK shops, but not in Holland & Barrett.

Adjusting to different food and water - If you're adventurous with foreign cuisines, try tablet forms of probiotic drinks that help control Candida and yeast in the digestive system to keep the enzymes healthy so they can fight against imbalance.

Stomach upsets - GINGER and PEPPERMINT teas are easy to transport and can help a sickly tummy.

To prevent diarrhoea, try bulking agents such as FIBRE FORCE, which contains lots of friendly bacteria, psyllium husk which helps the natural digestive system, prune, spinach, cabbage, carrot and oat bran (take between 3 and 6 capsules a day with water.)

Sunburn - ALOE VERA gel or lotion, QUERCETIN and CALENDULA ointment can ease the pain, but be careful not to burn in the first place.

Cellulite - If you're worried about squeezing into a bikini, try juniper oil. Extracted from fresh berries and needles, it can promote circulation, dissolve fat and decrease cellulite. Add to a little carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil, and massage regularly into problem areas.

GOTU KOLA, a natural supplement can also help circulation to help stop the fatty deposits which cause cellulite and can be taken regularly.

Lethargy - The sun can sometimes prove too much but FLORADIX, which can be taken in liquid or tablet form, is a natural fruit-based tonic with B vitamins (anti stress vitamins) and iron. It acts as a blood tonic and boosts your system.

GINSENG tea could also give you an energy boost.

Updated: 11:13 Friday, April 29, 2005