Abstract: A method for treating a patient suffering from allergy by desensitizing the patient to an allergen component that includes orally, sublingually, or intranasally administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of an immunomodulating composition and successively repeating the administration at a selected interval with the therapeutically effective amount of each successive administration comprising an increasing amount of the allergen component. The composition includes an amount of the allergen component that is sufficient to impart an immune response and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier that is at least substantially free of phenol. The successive repeating occurs a sufficient number of times to reduce patient sensitivity to the allergen component, and avoids or minimizes oral adverse effects. An immunomodulating product is also described.