Alder pollen - information for allergy sufferers

Alder pollen can trigger an allergy in some people. In this article we have summarized what you should know about an allergy to alder pollen.

Pollen of the alder: What you should know about it as an allergy sufferer

Alder trees (Alnus) belong to the birch family of plants and accordingly have a possible cross allergy with birch pollen. So it may be that with allergies to birch pollen, the first allergy symptoms appear when alder trees are in bloom.

• Alder trees have a moderate to high allergenic potency. High season is from late February to late March.
• Their flowering period begins as soon as the outside temperature permanently exceeds 5 ° C, from December to mid-May.
• Signs of a pollen allergy are swollen, red and watery eyes, itching of the eyes, as well as throat and nose mucous membranes. Increased sneezing and a swollen nose also indicate an allergy.
• Overall, the allergy symptoms closely resemble those of the first signs of a cold with fatigue, malaise and symptoms such as a sore throat.
• Acute allergy can be reduced with appropriate medications such as nasal sprays, tablets or nasal clips that filter the pollen from the air we breathe.
• Desensitization could make sense in the longer term. Here, a small amount of the allergen is injected over a certain period of time, so that the organism can get used to it and no longer overreacts to the pollen.

How to recognize alder trees

Alder trees often grow in moist soils, for example on the banks of rivers and lakes, but also on the edges of forests. A total of 34 of 35 alder species are common in the northern hemisphere.

• Alder are deciduous trees that do not always have a bark or bark. Depending on the species, they have a deep-cracked gray bark (black alder) or a shiny gray periderm surface (gray alder), which serves as a bark substitute.
• The flowers of the alder form as so-called kittens. There are only female or male flowers in the kittens.
• Alder trees are the only deciduous trees whose female kittens wood into cones.

You can find out when and where you are particularly at risk as an allergy sufferer on the CHIP pollen map.