Some people allergic to ragweed feel symptoms spike suddenly after eating
honeydew melon, cantaloupe or bananas. Symptoms can also spike after drinking
chamomile tea, using soap or face powder containing chamomile, or taking
herbal supplements that include it.
This protein cross-reaction, in 1987 dubbed "oral allergy syndrome," causes
itching and tingling of the mouth, lips, throat and even ears, and, in more
severe cases, swelling of tissue. Chamomile causes the most severe reactions,
occasionally including anaphylactic shock, a severe, often fatal systemic
immune reaction.
"The chamomile-ragweed association has been known for a long time, because
in the plant kingdom they're in the same family," said Bielory, who is
teaching doctors about such cross-reactions.
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