Ogren Plant Allergy Scale

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Ogren Plant Allergy Scale
Purposemeasures plant potential to cause allergic reaction

The Ogren Plant Allergy Scale (OPALS) [1] is an allergy rating system for plants that measures the potential of a plant to cause allergic reactions in humans. [2]

Contents

Scale system

The OPALS allergy scale was first published in Allergy-Free Gardening, by Thomas Leo Ogren, in 2000. [1] It covers over 3,000 common trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses. [3] The allergy scale was updated and extended in 2015 in The Allergy-Fighting Garden. [4] [5] [6]

The Ogren Plant Allergy Scale takes into account pollen allergies, contact allergies, and odor allergies, with higher weighting given to pollen allergies that are caused by inhaling pollen into the lungs. Additionally, plants that cause contact allergies (such as rashes or itching), or that are highly poisonous when ingested even though their pollen does not cause respiratory allergies, are never given low ratings. [1]

Low allergy ratings are considered to be 1 through 3 on the allergy scale. Mid-range ratings are 4 through 6, and high ratings are 7 through 10. Plants with ratings of 9 or 10 have an extremely high potential to cause allergic reactions.

OPALS RatingGuideline [1] [7]
1–3Very low potential to cause allergic reactions
4–6Moderate potential to cause allergic reactions, exacerbated by over-use of the same plant throughout a garden
7–8High potential to cause allergic reactions, advise to plant as little as possible
9–10Extremely high potential to cause allergic reactions, should be replaced with less allergenic species

Application

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celery</span> Species of edible plant

Celery is a cultivated plant belonging to the species Apium graveolens in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times. Celery has a long fibrous stalk tapering into leaves. Celery seed powder is used as a spice. Celeriac and leaf celery are different groups of cultivars of Apium graveolens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollen</span> Grains containing the male gametophytes of seed plants

Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains, which produce male gametes. Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophytes during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants, or from the male cone to the female cone of gymnosperms. If pollen lands on a compatible pistil or female cone, it germinates, producing a pollen tube that transfers the sperm to the ovule containing the female gametophyte. Individual pollen grains are small enough to require magnification to see detail. The study of pollen is called palynology and is highly useful in paleoecology, paleontology, archaeology, and forensics. Pollen in plants is used for transferring haploid male genetic material from the anther of a single flower to the stigma of another in cross-pollination. In a case of self-pollination, this process takes place from the anther of a flower to the stigma of the same flower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allergy</span> Immune system response to a substance that most people tolerate well

Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and anaphylaxis. Symptoms may include red eyes, an itchy rash, sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, shortness of breath, or swelling. Note that food intolerances and food poisoning are separate conditions.

An allergen is an otherwise harmless substance that triggers an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals by stimulating an immune response.

<i>Morus</i> (plant) Genus of plants

Morus, a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinate taxa, three of which are well-known and are ostensibly named for the fruit color of the best-known cultivar: white, red, and black mulberry, with numerous cultivars and some taxa currently unchecked and awaiting taxonomic scrutiny. M. alba is native to South Asia, but is widely distributed across Europe, Southern Africa, South America, and North America. M. alba is also the species most preferred by the silkworm, and is regarded as an invasive species in Brazil and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juniper</span> Genus of plants

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<i>Strelitzia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Strelitzia is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family Strelitziaceae. A common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower/plant, because of a resemblance of its flowers to birds-of-paradise. In South Africa, it is commonly known as a crane flower.

<i>Taxus</i> Genus of conifers in the yew family Taxaceae

Taxus is a genus of coniferous trees or shrubs known as yews in the family Taxaceae. Yews occur around the globe in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, northernmost in Norway and southernmost in the South Celebes. Some populations exist in tropical highlands.

<i>Phaseolus</i> Genus of legumes

Phaseolus is a genus of herbaceous to woody annual and perennial vines in the family Fabaceae containing about 70 plant species, all native to the Americas, primarily Mesoamerica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ragweed</span> Genus of plants

Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus Ambrosia in the aster family, Asteraceae. They are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, especially North America, where the origin and center of diversity of the genus are in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Several species have been introduced to the Old World and some have naturalized and have become invasive species. In Europe, this spread is expected to continue, due to ongoing climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allergic rhinitis</span> Nasal inflammation due to allergens in the air

Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, itchy, and watery eyes, and swelling around the eyes. The fluid from the nose is usually clear. Symptom onset is often within minutes following allergen exposure, and can affect sleep and the ability to work or study. Some people may develop symptoms only during specific times of the year, often as a result of pollen exposure. Many people with allergic rhinitis also have asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, or atopic dermatitis.

<i>Abelia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Abelia is a genus of flowering plants in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. The genus currently includes six species native to China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhinitis</span> Irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane inside the nose

Rhinitis, also known as coryza, is irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane inside the nose. Common symptoms are a stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, and post-nasal drip.

<i>Daucus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the celery family Apiaceae

Daucus is a worldwide genus of herbaceous plants of the celery family Apiaceae of which the best-known species is the cultivated carrot. Daucus has about 75 species. The oldest carrot fossil is 1.3 Ma, and was found on the island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allergen immunotherapy</span> Medical treatment for environmental allergies

Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies and asthma. Immunotherapy involves exposing people to larger and larger amounts of allergens in an attempt to change the immune system's response.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atopy</span> Predisposition towards allergy

Atopy is the tendency to produce an exaggerated immunoglobulin E (IgE) immune response to otherwise harmless substances in the environment. Allergic diseases are clinical manifestations of such inappropriate, atopic responses.

Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) or pollen-food allergy syndrome (PFAS) is a type of allergy classified by a cluster of allergic reactions in the mouth and throat in response to eating certain fruits, nuts, and vegetables. It typically develops in adults with hay fever. It is not usually serious.

A fruit allergy is a food allergy. Fruit allergies make up about ten percent of all food-related allergies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pathophysiology of asthma</span> Medical condition

Asthma is a common pulmonary condition defined by chronic inflammation of respiratory tubes, tightening of respiratory smooth muscle, and episodes of bronchoconstriction. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 in 11 children and 1 in 12 adults have asthma in the United States of America. According to the World Health Organization, asthma affects 235 million people worldwide. There are two major categories of asthma: allergic and non-allergic. The focus of this article will be allergic asthma. In both cases, bronchoconstriction is prominent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botanical sexism</span> Planting male plants for aesthetic reasons

Botanical sexism is a term that describes the preferential planting of cloned male plants in urban areas because they do not produce fruits and flowers that litter the landscape. However, because males produce pollen, areas with only male plants can have high pollen in the air and, therefore, be inhospitable to people with pollen allergies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ogren, Thomas Leo (2000). Allergy-Free Gardening . Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN   1580081665.
  2. Hirschlag, Ally (16 May 2020). "How urban planners' preference for male trees has made your hay fever worse". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  3. Harrar, Sari N. "Sick of Sneezing? Allergy-Proof Your Yard". ABC News. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  4. Zacharias, Colleen. "Sneeze, wheeze... solutions, please". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  5. "Tom Ogren". Academia. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  6. Ogren, Thomas Leo (2015). The Allergy-Fighting Garden. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN   9781607744917.
  7. Prakke, Peter (2018). Veterans Gardening Guide. Tellwell Talent. p. 19. ISBN   978-1-77370-342-8.
  8. "Canadian Urban Allergy Audit" (PDF). Marketwire.com. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  9. McCusker, Kris (2 September 2012). "Urban allergy audit provides glimmer of hope for Toronto allergy sufferers". 680news.com. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  10. Hansen, Jolene. "Put Pollen in its Place". Garden Center. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  11. Ogren, Thomas. "A Plan for Cities Wishing to Reduce Pollen-Allergies and Related Allergic-Asthma". icangarden.com. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  12. "Strategic Plan for Asthma in California" (PDF). cdph.ca.gov. Retrieved 12 May 2018.