Are plants in the bedroom harmful? People with allergies should be careful

Actually, indoor plants have the reputation of being good for the indoor climate.

However, this does not apply to all plants – especially with regard to allergies.

Green plants in your own home not only ensure more comfort.

They are also said to provide more oxygen and increased humidity in the rooms - both of which are very beneficial for the indoor climate.

However, according to Vanessa Hörmann from the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau-Roßlau, plants are not real air fresheners.

Her own research had shown that the filter performance of indoor plants had no effect on indoor air quality, either during the day or at night.

"A little can be deposited on the wax layer of the leaves," Hörmann told the news portal

.

"But the fact that the plants actively filter air pollutants doesn't really happen." On the other hand, there are indoor plants that are more harmful to health because they trigger allergies.

Indoor plant allergies: what to watch out for

The German Allergy and Asthma Association (DAAB) points out that indoor plants can trigger allergies to both the skin and the respiratory tract.

According to the foundation

in the plant sap and reach the leaf surface.

From there they come into direct contact with the skin or combine with the dust so that they are absorbed into the respiratory tract via the air in the room.

The first contact dermatitis develops up to 24 to 71 hours after direct contact.

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A boy sits on a chair and holds a birch fig.

© Evgenia Sunegina/Imago

The following plants are known for their allergenic effects:

• Asteraceae - especially chrysanthemums, but also mugwort, wormwood, asters, chamomile, ragweed (ragweed) and dandelion

• Mulberry plants eg birch fig and rubber tree

• Arum plants, for example Einblatt, Giftaron or philodendron species such as

  Ph. bipennifolium

  and

  Ph. Scandens

• Asparagus eg yucca palm

  and dragon tree

• Spurge plants such as poinsettia or Christ's thorn

• Ferns, schefflera, waxflower, African violet, cup primrose, orchid

According to the DAAB, anyone who already suffers from a latex allergy should not come too close to plants such as poinsettias, figs, periwinkle, coffee plants, cacti, oleander, cassava, hemp and hops, in addition to the birch fig and the rubber tree.

Their milky juice contains a protein that is very similar to the latex allergen.

Danger of mold in indoor plants?

In general, it is true that potting soil is a "natural habitat" for mold, says Vanessa Hörmann from the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau-Roßlau, according to

.

That's why you play it safe in clinics and usually ban potted plants completely.

Even cut flowers are not allowed in the intensive care unit because fungi and bacteria can form in the vase water.

However, healthy people don't have to worry in their own four walls as long as they take care of their plants normally: "If you don't pour liters of water into the pot every day and it starts to rot, you generally don't have to worry about it." , says Hörmann.

The situation is different for allergies to mold or house dust: the

Center advises against plants in the bedroom.

Caution: These houseplants are poisonous to children

Caution: These houseplants are poisonous to children

Indoor plants that do not cause allergies

According to the foundation

with the following plants:

• aloe

• anthurium

• bromeliads

• spider plant

• Papyrus (Cyprus grass)

• Philodendron (Monsterer)

• Sansevieria

• Zamioculcas

List of rubrics: © Evgenia Sunegina/Imago