Sneezing in August near fields and allotments? Goosefoot, known in Britain and Ireland as fat hen and in the US as lamb's quarters, is one of Europe's most common farm weeds, and its pollen flies right through late summer. Our test checks IgE to goosefoot and its main allergen, Che a 1, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components.
White goosefoot (Chenopodium album) is a tall, mealy-grey weed with leaves shaped a little like a goose's foot. It grows wherever soil is rich and disturbed, which in practice means farmland, gardens and building sites across Europe.
It belongs to the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae), together with amaranth (pigweed), Russian thistle, spinach, beet and quinoa. Its main pollen allergen, Che a 1, is an Ole e 1-like protein. In dry regions such as Spain and the Middle East, goosefoot and its relatives are a major cause of hay fever; in northern Europe they are a smaller, but real, late-summer trigger.
People sensitised to goosefoot pollen report the usual hay fever set: sneezing, a runny or blocked nose and itchy eyes, sometimes with a cough.
Goosefoot flowers in the same weeks as mugwort, ragweed and amaranth, and often grows beside them. Timing alone cannot sort them out; separate results can.
The weedy members of the amaranth family have very similar pollen proteins, so IgE to one often shows up as IgE to the others. Che a 1 and Russian thistle's Sal k 5 both belong to the Ole e 1-like family and can cross-react.
Quinoa is in the same genus as goosefoot, but quinoa seed and goosefoot pollen are different tissues with different proteins. Quinoa sits on the same panel as its own marker, so you can see both.
From a finger-prick sample, the lab measures IgE to the two goosefoot markers below as part of 300 allergens and allergen components. Amaranth, Russian thistle (including its Sal k 1 marker), mugwort, ragweed and quinoa are on the same report.
A positive result means your blood shows IgE to goosefoot pollen. That is sensitisation, not a diagnosis. Each value gets a class from Negative to Very high, to discuss with a doctor.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
Lamb's quarters is the American name for white goosefoot (Chenopodium album), a common weed called fat hen in Britain and Ireland. It grows on farmland and waste ground and releases wind-borne pollen in late summer.
In central and northern Europe goosefoot flowers from about July to September. It overlaps with mugwort, ragweed and amaranth, which often grow in the same places.
Not necessarily. Quinoa is a close relative, but pollen and seeds contain different proteins. The panel measures quinoa separately. If you have reacted after eating quinoa, tell a doctor.
