Giveth & Taketh
Nature Taketh
Houseplants could be the source of many an allergy sufferer's misery, a study from Belgium suggests.
"Symptoms of up to 20 percent of people with allergic rhinitis, meaning runny nose and sneezing, may be due to exposure to these plants," said, Dr. Olivier Michel of the Free University of Brussels
It's estimated that up to 40 percent of people in the Western world suffer from allergic rhinitis, he and his colleagues point out in a report in the journal Allergy. A 1985 study suggested that the weeping fig tree, a type of ficus tree that exudes latex, could be a source of inhaled allergens. Decorative plants are becoming increasingly common in public spaces, workplaces and homes.
Michel and his team tested 59 allergic rhinitis sufferers and a control group of 15 healthy individuals for sensitization to ficus, yucca, ivy, and palm tree.
Seventy-eight percent of the allergic rhinitis patients were sensitized to at least one of the plants. No one in the control group was sensitized to the test plants.
Sensitization doesn't necessarily mean a person's allergic symptoms are due to a particular substance, Michel noted in an interview, adding that a person must then see if symptoms disappear if exposure to the substance stops.
For two patients in the study who were allergic to ficus, removing the plant from their environment stopped their symptoms completely.
The researchers say, "Additional studies are needed to confirm the findings." Nevertheless, states Michel, makers of allergy testing products should begin producing tests for identifying sensitization to common houseplants such as ficus.
Nature Giveth
NASA research has consistently shown that living, green and flowering plants can remove several toxic chemicals from the air in building interiors. You can use plants in your home or office to improve the quality of the air to make it a more pleasant place to live and work - where people feel better, perform better, any enjoy life more.
formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air.
Common Name Scientific Name
Bamboo Palm...................Chamaedorea Seifritzii
Chinese Evergreen.............Aglaonema Modestum
English Ivy.........................Hedera Helix
Gerbera Daisy...................Gerbera Jamesonii
Janet Craig........................Dracaena "Janet Craig"
Marginata..........................Dracaena Marginata
Corn Plant.........................Dracaena Massangeana
Mother-in-Law's Tongue...Sansevieria Laurentii
Pot Mum..........................Chrysantheium morifolium
Peace Lily.........................Spathiphyllum "Mauna Loa"
Warneckii.........................Dracaena "Warneckii"
Larry
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