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In every garden, you find rogue plants infiltrating your landscaping called weeds. One of these plants everyone knows is ragweed known to be annoying for seasonal allergy symptoms. Still, ragweed flowers also have loads of beneficial uses.
So, before you go and pull out that ragweed, you may be surprised that the foe might even become your friend. Why? Find out here why you should give the ragweed plant another chance.
What is Ragweed?
You find the ragweed plant globally, and in the southeastern USA, it creates havoc among most people resulting in allergies.
The weed belongs to the Ambrosia genus with two plants: Ambrosia artemisiifolia, the common ragweed with Ambrosia trifida, the great ragweed. The ragweed flowers bloom from early fall to late summer, causing havoc for people for months.
In the United States, you can find 17 ragweed species, and no matter where you live, you will find them. For some, it results in a potent allergen from the ragweed pollen but more on this later.
The plant grows as an annual or perennial herb or shrub. Some grow a few inches high, while others grow up to four feet tall.
The Ragweed Flowers
The yellow flowers contain both male and female blooms. The male flowers have a cylindrical shape on top of the stalk. The female flowers you find on the axils of the ragweed leaves.
Another fascinating thing is you get two types of leaves, large ones divided into up to five lobes with serrated edges and long petioles found at the lower stem part.
Then you have a smaller lanceolate leaf covered with hairs on the underside near the base of the flowers. When you grow ragweed as an annual, it develops diamond-shaped seeds and is wind pollinated.
Ragweed Pollen
One ragweed plant produces a million grains of ragweed pollen per season transported with the wind. The pollen is light and fluffy remaining airborne for days on end and can be a pesky plant for people suffering from hay fever.
Ragweed Things Overlooked
According to history, about 600 years ago, Native Americans stopped cultivating a specific crop, and the same applies to American farmers raising crabgrass for grain and moving on to corn. But what crop did the Native American tribes, like the Indians, stop growing?
They stopped to produce ragweed as farmers did not favor it, and many species are seen as invaders choosing their domestic maize crops. But maybe, just maybe, we should reconsider the ragweed as an important food source, and for a good reason.
The ragweed grain holds 47% crude protein with 38% crude fat compared to other grains. It is a powerhouse, while the ragweed oil you can eat and derived from the seeds. The grain, according to many, tastes like wheat bran, but it can be one of the lost grains.
Compared to soybean oil, ragweed oil in the plant produces the same amount with one-fifth in the seed weight. Some historians reported that the natives would grind the grains and boil them in water as the oil floated to the top and was ladled off.
Hence, for them, the oil was part of their survival as you cannot live without healthy fat. Furthermore, the ragweed plant outdoors can stand above the snow, providing wildlife with valuable food in winter.
Some animals that enjoy the grain are your Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, and more. Still, according to an article published at Michigan State University, archaeologists suggest the grains were also a food source for humans.
Ragweed Allergies and Traditional Medicinal Benefits
While many people suffer from hay fever symptoms caused by the Goldenrod and your common ragweed, it also has medicinal benefits. You can use it as an antiseptic in topical and internal applications.
It also works for an insect bite to relieve nausea, fever reducer, and menstrual discomfort. At the same time, some native tribes used the root of the ragweed plant to work as a laxative. From the crushed ragweed leaves, they applied the juice for insect bites or even rashes from poison ivy to help soothe irritation.
The best part is that the medicinal uses do not stop here. Pharmaceuticals even use ragweed pollen in their natural hay fever treatments. Still, if you have a medical problem, we recommend discussing it with your doctor.
Ragweed Helps to Clean the Environment
Another common thing is that most ragweeds provide an amazing percentage of removing lead from the ground. Modern science discovered that plants could clear up industrial waste, and once they mature, people dig them up to burn them in an environmentally and safe way.
The ragweed is also an excellent companion plant in your pepper plant garden, as the leafminers prefer chewing on them. So, if you have a few ragweeds growing close to your pepper plants, leave them be for a while.
Still, remove the flowers before the seed becomes airborne to start the pollination process.
Summing Ragweed Up
Yes, for the gardener, whether the ragweed plant is edible or can help even with diarrhea remains a problem and is difficult to control. So, how can you dispose of the plant to prevent the foliage from causing sneezing?
According to Ben Stallings, who posted a research article in the Permaculture News, he has been using it as a compost activator in sheet mulches. Still, all his studies were done with the Ambrosia trifida and not your Ambrosia artemisiifolia.
So, it all depends on the most common type of ragweed growing in your American garden. The crucial thing, according to Ben, using ragweed in the garden or on a farm is to know when the plant blooms.
In most parts of the country, the ragweed blooms around early spring, with the pollen spreading quickly with the wind from summer to fall. So, harvesting the green matter before it spreads the pollen is best.
Hence, pulling it up before it blooms will set it back, and even when it grows back, it will not produce blooms or seeds. We also recommend wearing protective loving to prevent the hairy leaves from touching the skin and to prevent allergic reactions.
Then you can place them in a traditional hot compost or use them as green matter in a sheet mulch, laying them down to minimize labor. The best part is the earthworms love the stem to the leaves of this weed.
You will find that by spring, the worms have broken down the weed completely. You can do this, according to Ben, as follow: Leave a six-inch deep layer of the weed to wilt and ensure that it is dead. Do this by rehydrating the green layer using water before adding your brown layer.
According to Ben, the soil test before using the sheet mulching of ragweed has doubled organic matter by 2.9%. Hence, you get a moderate increase in nitrates, phosphorus, and potassium.
Further, you can amend it with dead tree leaves applied to the service without tilling.
Final Thoughts
While many gardeners despise ragweed, the weed has some essential parts used as food and medicine.
As ragweed does not need specific soil to grow, and while it is in your garden with your other plants, why not use it as a mulch to add nutrients to the ground?
With the added nutrients, you can use them as compost in your garden. The indoor plant will not sprout, leaving you with itchy eyes and a running nose.
Frequently Asked Questions
The common ragweed is known as a herb as it has healing properties used by Native American tribes centuries ago. But in many places, the weed is invasive.
Ragweed goes by different names, including burrobushes or bursages. The Greek genus means food or drink of immortality, while the pollen causes allergic reactions in people.
The ragweed seed oil you can use as the grain tastes like wheat bran.
Ragweed grows along streams of water or where you find chemical upset in the soil with farming. You can find them on salting roads during winter, vacant lots, riverbanks, and your garden.
Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!
