Why do we still have allergies if humans have lived around plants for a long time?
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This is not ELI5 level, but I wanted to point out a big detail. Your common allergies come from your body having an immune system reaction against a certain sugar or protein, called antigens. These antigens can be from anything. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants, or in the case of autoimmune diseases your own body. Your immune system makes it’s own unique protein antibodies (there are other receptors that are too detailed for this thread) that are like a lock and key match for antigens. Since there are so many antigens in the world and possible threats we need to defend, we evolved a mind blowing trick for making antibodies. While we still have base DNA that is inherited and use as a template for antibodies, we reshuffle and recombine our gene sequences to get millions of combinations. These are random combinations so the results aren’t guaranteed. Our body tries to eliminate any cells that get a combo that attacks our own body or common things that we are exposed to, like food. However if there is a reaction to something we aren’t used to that cell line is stimulated to reproduce, and we get stronger reactions. That is why we can get vaccines to fight diseases. Unfortunately this can also lead to allergies.
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