Rumex obtusifolius pollen

Rumex obtusifolius pollen is an allergenic extract derived from the pollen of the broad-leaved dock (also known as bitter dock), a plant in the Polygonaceae family. It is primarily used as a diagnostic tool in skin prick testing or intradermal testing to identify Type I hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions in patients suspected of having pollinosis. The extract contains various proteins and glycoproteins that act as allergens; when introduced into the skin of a sensitized individual, these allergens cross-link IgE antibodies on the surface of mast cells, triggering the release of histamine and other mediators that result in a wheal-and-flare reaction. It was approved by the FDA in 1974 under BLA 102223.

Other names

broad-leaved dock pollenbitter dock pollenRumex obtusifolius pollen extract