Dangerous plant is spreading: The "wild hemp" can trigger severe asthma attacks
Created: 04/28/2022, 17:08
By: Felix Herz
It originally comes from North America, but is spreading more and more in Bavaria.
The mugwort ragweed can trigger life-threatening asthma attacks.
Munich – The ragweed has many names: Technically it is called Ambrosia artemisiifolia, but it is also known under the names mugwort ragweed and mugwort ragweed.
Because it looks very similar to a hemp plant, it is colloquially referred to as "wild hemp".
Ambrosia is feared and rigorously fought in many countries because it can also be dangerous for humans.
For years it has been spreading more and more in Germany and Bavaria.
Because ragweed is a heat-loving plant and the rising temperatures here in Germany due to climate change are more than convenient for it.
Ambrosia: The invasive plant can trigger severe asthma attacks
Ambrosia pollen is a strong allergy trigger, writes the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care on a specially set up website.
While an air concentration of around 50 pollen per cubic meter of air causes an allergic reaction with typical allergy-causing pollen such as birch or grass pollen, ten pollen per cubic meter of air are sufficient for ragweed.
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According to research by the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich commissioned by the ministry, some people in Bavaria are already sensitized to mugwort ragweed.
This means that they react even more sensitively to the pollen of the plant.
In severe cases, ragweed allergy can lead to asthma.
The resistant ragweed prolongs the suffering of allergy sufferers
Particularly annoying for allergy sufferers: Ambrosia blooms later than other native allergy-causing plants.
According to
nordbayern.de
, it blooms between August and October, sometimes even lasting until November.
This extends the suffering for allergy sufferers by several months and thus also affects the costs for the healthcare industry.
According to the Center for Environmental Research Helmholtz, if the plant continues to spread, ten percent of the German population could be affected by the allergy;
an even higher cost.
The problem: even in people who have never had an allergy to pollen, contact with ragweed can trigger an allergy, writes the Julius Kühn Institute in a press release.
And once it's there, it stays with most people for life.
Ambrosia in your own garden: how do you get rid of it?
The mugwort ragweed grows particularly strongly in June, when it can reach a height of a good two meters.
They are best recognized by their similarity to the conventional hemp plant.
When spotting an ambrosia in the garden, it is important to remove it quickly.
In order to prevent pollen from getting into the eyes or respiratory tract, however, sufficient protective clothing should be worn - in the form of a respirator and safety goggles.
Gloves are also important, since skin contact with the ragweed is enough to trigger reactions.
Then it's time to rip out the plant and root and dispose of it in the residual waste, packed in a plastic bag.
Ideally, before it blooms.
(fh)
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