Video:Ragweed Allergy

Transcript:Ragweed Allergy

Hi, I'm Eric King, landscape architect, with About.com. We're going to learn about ragweed allergies.

What is Ragweed?

Ragweed is a plant that grows wild in uncultivated parts of your yard. It is a weed. And it tends to bloom more toward the evening, late in the summer, up until the last frost and it causes allergic reactions in some people. In fact, up to 20 percent of the population can have allergic reactions. And again, it's caused by the pollen. Your reaction is to the little pollen that blows in the wind from the plant.

Symptoms of Ragweed Allergy

And it will, once it gets in your body, cause you to have puffy eyes, runny nose, symptoms that are very similar to what you would have if you had a cold or flu. In fact, its often mistaken for a cold. Now, to get rid of it, you can pull up the plant in your yard, but it is an annual, so it will come back again from the seeds. It tends to be worse in rural undeveloped parts of the country, along ditches and wild areas where the plant just grows freely.

Avoiding Ragweed

If you want to avoid it, you can check the pollen counts when it's worse in your area and stay indoors. You can also avoid going out in the evening. The pollen seems to blow and disperse more that time of day. So check the pollen counts to see when to go out. If you still have a problem, you can take an antihistamine. That helps to modify the symptoms of the reaction to the pollen. If none of that works, you can actually have an injection that helps your body build up tolerance to it. And if everything else fails, you can move.

I'm Eric King with King Landscaping. Thanks for watching about ragweed allergies. For more information, please visit About.com.