After a rather mild allergy year, the last couple of nights I have been waking up with a heavy chest, itchy eyes, scratchy throat and a congested head. No worries, all I needed to do is stumble to the bathroom and find my trusty Goldenrod tincture and within a couple of minutes I was able to fall back to sleep. I suspect the culprit of my discomfort is RAGWEED (Ambrosia psilostachya). It’s a rather unobtrusive weed that wreaks havoc with 30% of the human population. It really does not stand out very much as it is a little green plant with green flowers. Since Goldenrod is a much showier plant and comes out at the same time as Ragweed, it is unfairly blamed for late summer allergies. The big difference is that Ragweed’s pollen is dispersed by the wind, while Goldenrod (Solidago, spp.) has sticky pollen and relies on critters for pollination.

Ragweed is very adept at wind pollination. Scientists estimate that a single Ragweed plant can release one billion grains of pollen over the course of a single Ragweed season. In addition, the grains are so light that they float easily even on gentle breezes. Pollen has been detected as far as 400 miles out to sea and up to two miles up in the atmosphere. There are a few of things a person can do to try to protect themselves from all that pollen floating around:

• Close the windows
• Do not use window fans
• Use air conditioners
• Limit time outside
• Take a shower before bed
• Don’t hang laundry on clotheslines
• Use a neti pot to clean out your sinuses

I do not know about you but even though all the items above will help with my allergies, I will probably only do one or two on the list. Take a shower before bed and use the neti pot. So what do I do? Thank goodness for Goldenrod, my allergy savior. During very difficult days, I will do one of two things, depending on my mood. Add 30-60 drops of Goldenrod tincture in my water bottle, that way I will be slowly getting some all day long. Alternatively, I’ll make a quart of infused Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) and Goldenrod to sip throughout the day. Sometimes I add Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) that I have in the garden to improve the taste. It has a nice licorice taste and helps aids my respiratory system to boot.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.