This tree nut allergy alert for several other natural products is my second post sharing what I’ve learned from my own daughter’s severe tree nut allergies.
Last year I wrote about my daughter’s strange allergic and anaphylactic reaction after eating at a restaurant at Disneyland.
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We had no idea why she had this reaction as the chef swore that there had been no tree nuts, or any form of cross contamination in her food. Yet clearly, she’d ingested some form of nuts as her airway had started to close, and she was feeling her lips swelling as well as other symptoms.
You will find that post here. However, I can tell you that the offending allergen was the pink peppercorns (which are related to cashews) in a four-blend pepper that the restaurant used. How I discovered this two weeks after the reaction was extremely serendipitous, I’m very thankful to an Amazon reviewer for the information.
Since then, I’ve discovered that there are some other hidden or obscure tree nut allergens. These may cause those with allergies to tree nuts to react, so I want to inform you about those, too.
Tree Nut Allergy Alert
NB: please understand that I am not a doctor or allergist. I am simply passing on what I feel is vital and helpful information. Anyone with a tree nut allergy (or those who have children with allergies) can do their own research on these allergens. Given that my daughter has a severe tree nut allergy, I would very much appreciate anyone putting out such information that may save her from an anaphylactic reaction in future.
Sumac
Sumac seems to have popped up a while ago as a great, new spice that is being used in restaurants and recipes. I even spotted it in my local Trader Joe’s spice shelf. However, this flowering plant is similar to the pink peppercorns. It is also part of the cashew family (Anacardiaceae), as noted in Wikipedia. Luckily, my daughter has not encountered this spice, but now she knows to avoid it. We’d rather be safe than sorry.
Argan (Argan Oil)
This was a complete surprise to me, as I didn’t know the derivation of Argan oil. I had been using it in my hair as a friend gave me some to try. It was also in the hair, skin and nails supplement I had been taking. The shock came when I was reading the label on the bottle and saw this below the ingredients.
“Contains Soy and Tree Nut (Argan) ingredients.”
Of course, I immediately hopped on to google to read more about Argan oil, and told my daughter to avoid it, too. Here is what I read on Wikipedia:
“Argan oil is a plant oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree (Argania spinosa L.) that is endemic to Morocco. In Morocco, argan oil is used to dip bread in at breakfast or to drizzle on couscous or pasta. World-wide, it is gaining a reputation both as an ingredient in high-end, personal-care products and as a heart-healthy gourmet product.[1]“
Who knew? Not me! If you have a tree nut allergy, please take care with argan products.
Shea Butter
Yep, you guessed it, shea butter comes from a nut. Interestingly, my daughter had reactions from a face lotion and a sunscreen that contained shea butter on separate occasions. The strange thing is that she realized she had been using other products with shea butter that has no effect on her skin.
I’ve told her to avoid it, once again, just to be safe. You’ll have to do your own research, but I’d rather put this on the list of things that come from nuts, and which may cause reactions, than to leave it off.
Mango
Believe it or not, mangoes are also related to cashews as they too, are part of the Anacardiaceae family! My daughter has eaten mangoes in the past with no reaction whatsoever. However, in some comments on my last allergy post (or in emails from readers), readers have shared that some people with nut allergies have reacted to mangoes.
Marula
Marula is used to make Amarula liqueur is also in the Anarcardiaceae family (like mangoes and cashews, stated above). Marula oil made from seeds of the marula plant may cause allergic reactions to those with nut allergies.
Once again, I am sharing this information in the hope that spreading the word may save nut allergy sufferers from future reactions. This is especially important as they could be anaphylactic reactions.
Do you know of any other such allergens with cross reactions to those with tree nut allergies? I’d love to hear from you! You may help my daughter with her severe tree nut allergy, and many others!
Please pass on this important information to anyone you know who has a tree nut allergy or knows others who do. I’m sure they will be more than grateful.
Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Thank you for keeping up the good work, Christina! Your blog is such an invaluable resource!
Thank you so much, Ruchira! I appreciate it!
Thanks for sharing all this information. My daughter is allergic to Cashews and Pistaccios. Our allergist told us that she can eat mangoes as long as it is cut up. He said for her to avoid taking bites near the pit of the mangoes because that section would most likely cause a reaction. She is not allergic to Mangoes he said, but some folks allergic to cashews have had a reaction from eating the “meat” near the pit.
Wow, that’s so strange, Rose. I wouldn’t take a chance at all and surprised your doctor suggested this. Good luck to you and your daughter, it’s just not something any of us want to deal with! :( CC
I had NO idea or would have ever guessed that mangos were in the cashew family! Thanks again for supporting the food allergy community with your research on hidden allergens and alerts you publish here. Join us at http://www.safeplatefoods.com
Wonderful, thank you!
Happy to have found your posts about red peppercorns and this post also; and I wanted to share with you and your readers that shea nut is actually safe for those with nut allergies:
https://farrp.unl.edu/resources/gi-fas/opinion-and-summaries/shea-nut-butter
Watch out for Amchoor powder which is mango powder. It is found in a lot of Indian cuisine. I’m allergic to mango, and slightly sensitive to pistachios and cashews. Haven’t had a problem with shea butter, argan oil, or sumac luckily. Thanks for sharing. :)
Never heard of that, Kimberly, so thank you!!
Thanks for this info! I’ve used Argan oil on my tree nut-allergic daughter a few times. I had no idea!! No reaction that I could see, but she frequently has hives that we can’t identify what caused it. And she eats mangos too. One thing that I luckily discovered soon after my daughter’s 1st anaphylactic reaction, is that most pesto sauces contain tree nuts (walnut or pine). I looked up a recipe to make some & was so surprised by the ingredients! You probably knew this if you’re a cook & have a daughter with allergies, but most people are surprised. And it’s helpful to include pesto in our list of what we tell people (and my now 8-year-old) to avoid.
So glad you found the info, Jenn! Yes, it’s frustrating to not know what’s causing a reaction, so I hope this helps narrow down the causes.
You are right about pestos, I think some people don’t realize they are a nut-based sauce. When I was speaking to someone in charge of feeding my daughter’s swim team about the fact that my daughter is allergic to tree nuts, the first thing she said she’d be making was a pesto pasta! Ugh! You did see the other post about the pink peppercorns too, right? Good luck and I hope your daughter has an reaction free life ahead of her. :) CC
[…] PLEASE CHECK OUT THIS POST AS I HAVE ADDED MORE HIDDEN ALLERGENS! […]
Mangoes are also related to the poison ivy family. After a systemic reaction to poison ivy, I cut mangoes out of my diet.
Yup! A lot of people thought I had come in contact with poison ivy when I had my reaction to the Brazillian pepper plant’s sap and just like with poison ivy, you have to wash everything that might have he oils still on it. I had washed my PJs and bed sheets the next day when I realized there was sap on them. But then several days later I was still getting new rashes and the older rashes weren’t going away but getting worse. I had to rewash everything on the bed and then clean everything I probably touched that night. Door handles, light switches, the faucets on the sink, I went around and cleaned everything. Cause if I kept transferring oil to new spots, I could have stayed in that cycle. I ended up with a rash for over 2 weeks and nothing OTC had helped. The first steroid pack didn’t help and that’s why the doctors office went with an actual allergy to the plant whereas non allergic people will get over their rash quicker from poison ivy and some don’t even have reactions to poison ivy. The doctors office however did believe me when I said it was a Brazillian pepper plant and not poison ivy. I had known about my mango sap allergy since I was old enough to understand. Somehow when I was a baby, my mom and I came in contact with mango sap and we both ended up with huge rashes. Several times as a kid I have come into contact with sap and if I couldn’t wash it off soon enough, I would have a reaction but I noticed if I washed/scrubbed it off I would be fine. Same with the pepper sap, I had been in there many times to get the darn dog out (wish we had had a fenced in yard there, lol) but would just automatically wash the sap off. But that night I didn’t realize I had any on me bc it was dark and I was ready for bed, just was trying to get dog ready for bed. Now my fiancé and I live with his parents, brothers and sister and brother in law and the father and the boys (not my fiancé though) all work for a company that removes Exotic plants and they come home after removing Brazilian pepper plants but they shower right away and I constantly wash my hands now so that if I get oil on me, I can hopefully avoid another reaction. So far I have. Sorry this is so long but just wanted to try to help people with known mango allergies to be aware.
If anyone searches for this information, it will surely lead them to your comment, Patricia, so thank you. Hopefully, you’ll never have to go through this experience again, it sounds terrible! Thanks so much for sharing your story so that it might help others avoid the same situation. Have a lovely weekend, CC.
So many connections between plants, fruit and nuts! Scary!
My daughter is highly allergic to poison oak and cannot touch mangoes. She can, however, eat the fruit inside. The skin has the same oil that causes the allergic reaction to poison oak but it’s just on the skin so I peel them for her. She cannot have anything that is commercially prepared because they sometimes use the skin as well.
Sorry to hear that Cathe. I’ve told my daughter to avoid mangos just in case, since they are not in very many dishes and I don’t use them in home cooking, simply for this reason. Good luck to you and your daughter, we need it with these allergies.
Oh my goodness. Thanks for sharing this, Christina. Luckily we don’t have any one in our family with nut allergies but yesterday I had a chocolate and pastry walk in Paris with a girl in the group allergic to nuts and so this is extremely important to know. What a surprise with the mangos and argan oil.
Yes, it’s such important information, Jill!