Ambrosia - what is it, why is it dangerous and how to deal with it?

Ambrosia has more than 40 different species, most often wormwood ragweed. This species, during flowering, causes allergies in humans.

Ambrosia herb: plant photo

Ambrosia: plant description

There is a literal translation, in one of the myths, ambrosia is the food of the gods.

Ambrosia is native to North America. They brought it to Europe in the second half of the 18th century, by sea. Most likely, this did not happen on purpose, but, as often happens, together with a useful product, which is clover. More precisely, its seeds. Ambrosia began its journey across our continent from Germany. Then she appeared in France, Belgium, Austria-Hungary and got to Ukraine. Today this weed can be found throughout the south of Russia and even on the east coast. The warm climate promotes the ripening and spread of the harmful plant everywhere. This situation can be described as an environmental disaster.
The most significant negative impact on humans, allergic component.
The total number of people on Earth exposed to the influence of ragweed increases from year to year.

Why is ambrosia dangerous?

They called ambrosia a beautiful name, only there are enough worries from it for everyone, both farmers, and summer residents, and city dwellers. The plant develops quickly. The root system is branched, it works like a powerful pump, leaving no chance for cultural crops. Powerful greenery is able to drown out all nearby growing cereals. Experiments have been carried out and they have shown that even sunflower consumes half the moisture and nutrients than ragweed. Clogging of fields with insufficient care leads to significant crop losses. The ragweed weed develops much faster in comparison with cultivated seedlings, shades, drowns out and impoverishes them.

Ambrosia herb: plant photo

In households, among summer residents, there are enough worries with ragweed grass. I missed the time of flowering, ripening of the seed and that's it, in the next years you will get many times more bad shoots. Ambrosia is propagated by seeds. City dwellers are influenced by pollen and pour its inflorescences generously. On the roadsides, on wastelands, at careless owners, our heroine sometimes blooms in a violent color.

In gardens and vegetable gardens, cultivated plants are affected. Even berry bushes and fruit trees can lose part of the crop in the struggle for life-giving moisture with a harmful parasite. As already noted, its roots have a very powerful, branched shape. Such a device absorbs water in huge quantities, as a result of which cultivated plants experience a shortage. This in turn leads to crop loss.

When harvesting hay, even small quantities of weed that have accidentally come in can drastically spoil the quality of the forage. The milk of the cows that have consumed it will be spoiled. The milk will have a specific unpleasant taste.

How to fight

So, there are three main methods of dealing with harmful weeds. The first, most reliable and environmentally friendly method is mechanical removal. The result is excellent, but only in the first stages of development and in small areas, this is a troublesome business.

Much easier, just mow the ragweed grass. In small areas, this is fairly easy to do. But there is a risk of developing lateral shoots and then the operation will have to be repeated. This weed has one conditional plus. It propagates by seeds, i.e. there is no need to fight the roots.
In the fields, it is important to monitor the correct crop rotation, alternate row crops and silage crops.In households, attention should be paid to mulching the soil, planting green manure beforehand.

They grow in a dense carpet and leave no chance for the parasite.
An extreme, forced method of struggle, the use of chemistry, over large areas. Used drugs belonging to the group of glyphosphates. For example: Glyphos Prima, Glysol, Tornado Caliber and others.

Useful properties of ambrosia

Yes, it turns out, if you approach the issue correctly, you can find many useful substances in ragweed. It contains essential oils, various groups of vitamins and useful trace elements. A diverse range of applications: bactericidal action, oncology in the early stages, wound treatment, even helminths cannot stand its effects.

Ambrosia herb: plant photo

What to do in case of allergic reactions

An allergic reaction to ragweed has the following symptoms: itchy skin, sore throat, watery eyes, redness, runny nose
If symptoms occur, you should consult a doctor, especially if there is a similar experience of seasonal deterioration in well-being. It is good to have an antihistamine on hand. It can be Aleron, Loratadin, Suprastin. It should be remembered that self-medication is dangerous. But if everything is running and the allergy is your life partner, avoid a place where there is an accumulation of weeds, have a medicine with you, in extreme cases, immediately contact an ambulance.

Antihistamines are chemistry and they have a lot of contraindications and side effects. Another way, the use of non-traditional medicine, folk remedies. The use of natural products from herbal ingredients helps to reduce symptoms and even heal in a mild, albeit sometimes longer-term, way. It is important that the cure is not harmful. You should be especially careful and careful in relation to children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.

You can widely known herbs, elecampane, nettle, yarrow, string. To take into account individual intolerance, this is perhaps the only contraindication. Do not delay taking the necessary measures to protect yourself and your family and friends from the harm of ambrosia.