What causes ragweed?
A ragweed allergy occurs when the immune system has an inappropriate response to ragweed pollen. Normally, the immune system promotes chemical changes in the body that help fight off harmful invaders, such as viruses and bacteria.
What plants are related to ragweed?
Your Immune System May Mistake Other Plants and Food for Ragweed. There are other plants that are related to ragweed. They may cause allergy symptoms as well. Avoid planting sunflowers, sage, burweed marsh elder, rabbit brush, mugwort, groundsel bush, and eupatorium near your home.
What color are ragweed flowers?
Like common ragweed, the blooms appear like small bumps. Each flower is only about an eighth of an inch long. The flowers start out green but turn to a yellow-green and then a yellow-brown color as they mature.
What is pollen in simple words?
Pollen is a fine powder produced by certain plants. During the spring, summer, and fall seasons, it is released into the air and picked up by the wind. The wind carries it to other plants so they can make seeds.
What are ragweed symptoms?
Common ragweed allergy symptoms include2:
- Sneezing.
- Nasal congestion.
- Irritated eyes.
- Itchy throat.
- Stuffy or runny nose.
How do you stop ragweed allergies?
During ragweed season you should:
- Track pollen counts. Check them in the newspaper or on the web.
- Avoid peak ragweed hours.
- Keep windows closed.
- Change your clothes and wash your hands after you’ve been outside.
- Watch out for food triggers.
- Don’t dry laundry outside.
What foods have ragweed in them?
Foods in the ragweed family include:
- artichoke.
- banana.
- chamomile.
- cucumber.
- echinacea.
- mango.
- melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew)
- sunflower seed.
Is ragweed a Solidago?
Don’t Blame Goldenrod for Your Allergies Goldenrod gets the blame for your itchy eyes and runny nose, but the culprit is actually ragweed. Both plants are members of the Asteraceae family, grow in roadside ditches and open fields, and bloom at the same time.
Is pollen harmful to humans?
What health problems can pollen cause? For people with hay fever, also known as “allergic rhinitis,” breathing in pollen can cause sneezing, congestion, and a runny nose. Pollen exposure can also result in “allergic conjunctivitis” in some individuals, causing red, watery, or itchy eyes.