NEW ORLEANS – If you have found yourself sneezing lately, or had to grab a few tissues for a runny nose, you are not alone. The culprit: ragweed.
LSU Health experts say as many as 23 million Americans are allergic to ragweed which is found in most states. Symptoms of ragweed allergy include puffy eyes, runny nose, congestion, sneezing, itchy throats and headaches.
There are 17 species of ragweed in the United States, including sage, mugwart, burweed marsh elder, eupatorium, groundsel bush and rabbitbrush. Some of these species can stay dormant for up to 10 years. You can usually find these plants in warm, humid and windy locations – and New Orleans has all three.
One location in New Orleans that has a lot of ragweeds is City Park.
If you are allergic to ragweed, experts say there are certain foods that could trigger the allergy. Those foods include:
- Bananas
- Cantaloupe
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Chamomile tea
Meghan Kee can be reached at mkee@wwltv.com