Attention The Ambrosia pollens bloom

The highly allergenic plant Ambrosia is blooming again.

(30.08.2010) The world's strongest pollen allergen, the ambrosia plant, is blooming again. Municipal and district councils therefore call on garden owners and farmers to effectively combat the ragweed plant.

Ambrosia is not only a great danger for allergy sufferers, but it can also trigger allergies in people who have not had any symptoms so far. The annual plant Ambrosia produces only inconspicuous flowers, so it remains largely unnoticed despite the average height of 1.50 meters. Ambrosia produces around one billion pollen. But ten pollen per cubic meter of air can cause extreme allergic reactions in humans. Because the allergen content is greater than all pollen plants like grasses or woody trees together.

The Ambrosia triggers massive symptoms such as a runny nose, shortness of breath, cough, asthma, swelling eyes, headaches and other hay fever in allergic people. The treacherous: The ambrosia only starts to flower properly when other allergenic plants stop again.

In Germany, the most ambrosia plants can be found in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse and in Brandenburg's Lower Lusatia. The municipalities have already set up programs to effectively combat the plant. The mugwort ragweed is very often confused with the common mugwort or the white goosefoot. Special features of the ragweed are lilac green leaves on both sides, the reddish, hairy stems and the yellow, spike-like inflorescence at the end of the shoot.

The ambrosia plant should be removed with gloves. A surgical mask should be worn. Direct contact with the body must be avoided at all costs, as contact with the plants can cause skin irritation. The plant must be pulled with the entire root and also not be disposed of in normal organic waste. Then do not spend the plants on the compost, but in the household waste. (Sb)

Also read:
Warning about Ambrosia pollen
Ambrosia: World's strongest pollen allergen

Image: Oliver Haja