Sunflowers are plants in the Asteraceae family of plants. Other plants in this family include daisies, camomile and asters. There are 4 allergens associated with sunflowers. One, a lipid transfer protein is associated with eating sunflower seeds, you can read more about that on the Sunflower Seed page.

The other defined allergens are all linked to airway allergies for sunflower pollen and include a profilin proteins and a pectate lyase.

Profilin proteins are considered panallergens as those sensitised to them can get allergic reactions to multiple foods or pollens containing them.

Sunflowers are insect and wind pollinated, so can cause rhinitis symptoms. Sunflower pollen occurs in the UK between May and July, peaking in June.

An allergy to sunflower pollen is strongly associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hayfever).

A sunflower pollen allergy is also linked to asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis.

Contact with sunflowers can also cause contact allergic dermatitis due to the sesquiterpene lactones in the plant.

If you are affected by the pollen of sunflowers then you may also react to the pollen of these plants which also contain airborne profilin proteins. These are pigweed, ragweed, wormwood, birch tree, hemp, crocus, olive rice, grass, plantain, poplar, mesquite, oak tree and maize (corn).

Airborne pollen which also contains pectate lyase includes cypress, ragweed, wormwood and cedar trees.

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