Millions of Americans suffer from hay fever, medically referred to as rhinitis. Symptoms of hay fever often mimic the symptoms of a common cold with runny nose, itchy eyes, congestion, sneezing and sinus pressure. While most people blame pollens for their hay fever, it can also be caused by other things.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the seasonal causes of hay fever include tree pollen, grass pollen, dust mites, cockroaches, pet dander, spores from fungi and molds, both outdoors and indoors. And yes, RAGWEED pollen, which is more common in the fall, not the spring.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, about 23 million Americans suffer from ragweed induced hay fever. There are about 17 different species of ragweed in the United States and most produce a very fine pollen from August into November. This pollen is so fine, that it easily floats in the air with the slightest breeze.

There are some people who seem to start sneezing and blowing their nose just at the mention of ragweed.

So, who would think that ragweed may actually have a medicinal value, other than filling the waiting rooms of doctors with drippy, itchy sneezy people?

Believe it or not, a compound found in ragweed is showing promise in helping neurons to survive longer in people with Alzheimer’s disease, as reported:

“As spring arrives in the northern hemisphere, many people are cursing ragweed, a primary culprit in seasonal allergies. But scientists might have discovered a promising new use for some substances produced by the pesky weed. In ACS’ Journal of Natural Products, researchers have identified and characterized ragweed compounds that could help nerve cells survive in the presence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) peptides.”

“Those with AD, a neurodegenerative disorder, often have impaired judgment, cognition, memory and behavior. Scientists have linked AD to the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides in the brain, which form plaques that kill nerve cells. Unfortunately, the five drugs currently approved for AD treatment only delay disease progression for a short time. When Won Keun Oh and colleagues screened 300 natural plant extracts for activity against AD in a preliminary study, they found a surprising candidate: Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed). This invasive weed, native to North America, has now spread to South America, Asia and much of Europe. Oh and colleagues decided to isolate and characterize the structures of ragweed compounds responsible for this neuroprotective activity.”

“The researchers isolated 14 compounds from whole ragweed plants that appeared to protect neurons from Aβ-induced toxicity. They determined the structures of the compounds with nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry and other analytical techniques. Seven of the chemicals, including terpenoids and spermidine conjugates, had been described previously, but the remainder were newly identified terpenoids. When the researchers added the two most active new compounds to a lab dish that contained neurons producing Aβ, about 20 percent more cells survived than without treatment.”

I always find it interesting when modern medicine spends millions of dollars and thousands of man hours to discover treatments or cures from nature, when our ancestors used many of these things for centuries when mankind was thought to be more primitive and less knowledgeable.