DRY PLANTS IN A HOME BOUQUET

The answer to this question is of particular interest to those who want to keep the memory of summer during the cold season. And, of course, those who use dry herbs as folk remedies for the treatment of diseases.

But for whatever purpose you bring plant parts to your home, be aware that there is a risk of allergies to dry bouquets or grass. Only it varies greatly depending on the way you contact them.

So, option one.

If you brought the plants you like home for aesthetic purposes, then, in general, the risk of developing an allergy to them is small. Especially if dried bouquets or artistically created ikebanas are not standing somewhere near your bed or near your workplace. After all, pollen and small particles of plants, which eventually exfoliate from such bouquets, are less likely to enter your respiratory tract.

And if ingested, they can cause allergies or asthma. This, above all, concerns the pollen of plants of the Asteraceae family. For example, plants of this family are often used for drying, in particular, asters, or flowers similar to thistles, or himself. All of them are relatives of ragweed, whose pollen is known for its allergenic properties. Of course, as a rule, pollen has time to get enough sleep from the plant during the flowering season. However, the likelihood that some part of the pollen grains still remains in the flower, especially if it is pollinated not by the wind, but by insects, as happens with many aster, still exists.

And the closer a potentially allergenic flower is to your permanent location in the house, the greater the likelihood of unpleasant symptoms.

They, but rather asthmatic, can also be triggered by the inhalation of pungent odors and plant particles that can enter the air. The odors are emitted by the same asters, for example, wormwood, as well as many plants of the labiate family (mother, thyme, sage, lavender). Especially if the dried plant is stirred up, broken.

DUST AND FUNGUS ON DRY FLOWERS

Dried flowers are usually very fragile. And it can be very difficult to wipe off the dust that naturally settles on them over time. And dust, as you know, is mites. The microscopic house dust mites that live in our home are known for their ability to cause year-round allergies, in particular allergic rhinitis. And they can also settle in the dust that covers the flowers – live or dead.

Sometimes, if there is high humidity in the house, a fungus can also settle on the flowers. And he, as you know, is a source of allergenic spores. However, if this happens, usually dry bouquets just have to be thrown away. After all, moisture spoils them.

DRY HERBS – FOR MEDICAL TEA

Well, there is another option. When you do not breathe the biological material of dried flowers, but consume it. That is, you use dried plants for tea – healing or just pleasant to the taste. Be aware that many herbal teas are known to cause food intolerances and/or allergies. This ability is explained by the fact that, like pollen, other parts of the plant contain proteins similar to those in pollen and can also cause a reaction in the body.

These are, in particular, chamomile teas , the same relative of ambrosia, or drinks with chicory root , which also belongs to aster. Jasmine, moringa , hibiscus, peppermint , which we use in teas, are also known to cause unpleasant reactions in sensitive individuals .

DRY HERBS IN ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SPICES

Another option for using dried plants is alcoholic drinks with them. If you have sensitivity to ambrosia pollen, or especially wormwood, you should not use it or its varieties, such as tarragon or absinthe, for the preparation of tinctures and balms.

Although other plants can cause unpleasant reactions. For example, from the same family of labiales.

The same applies to spices, which also use wormwood and a wide range of labia.

DIAGNOSIS AND PREVENTION OF ALLERGY TO DRY FLOWERS

Diagnosing dry flower sensitivity can be difficult when it comes to respiratory reactions. Finding the causative allergen in this case can be difficult. After all, the likelihood of such reactions is relatively low. However, if you think that proximity to dry bouquets turns into unpleasant sensations for you, it is better to get rid of such decoration at home.

But with the diagnosis of nutritional symptoms, in general, much better. If you are consuming certain plants in the form of spices, teas, or remedies and you experience unwanted symptoms, it is best to eliminate that food from your diet and record your reaction to it. It can be discussed with an allergist.

And in his arsenal, in turn, he has several diagnostic tools that will help confirm or refute the diagnosis of allergy to dry plants. This can be a prick test directly on a small part of the plant, or molecular allergy tests . Their various types allow you to determine whether you have both a true allergy (by the level of IgE antibodies ) and intolerance by the level of IgG antibodies formed to different types of plant allergens. As a rule, such tests allow you to determine the response to almost 300 causative factors at the same time.