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.
Sharing this in case it may be useful to you or some of your readers. It’s a useful resource for learning about what is related to what: The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide: How to Cook with Ease for Food Allergies and Recover Good Health, by Nicolette M Dumke.
Thank you, Debra. I’m sure it can be helpful to others. Thanks for sharing. CC
Has anyone else had issues with Pectin? My daughter is highly allergic to tree nuts and can not eat pectin. I’ve read that it is somehow related to cashews. I now make homemade jams since I cannot find any jams/jellies that don’t contain pectin. Anyone else?
Oh dear, no, I haven’t heard of this, but thank you for sharing. Hopefully, others will see this and chime in.
Oh, that is interesting! My tree nut allergic son has always avoided jams on his own for some reason and 2 weeks ago he had an anaphylactic reaction eating bread, butter and jam. Each was a new “healthier/organic” brand we had never tried, and I couldn’t figure out which he had reacted to. He is severely allergic to cashews.
Hi,
I have a severe allergy to all tree nuts and cannot eat pectin or sumac. It took me a while to figure out the pectin allergy, but it’s definitely there. Be careful!
Peppercorns also bother me sometimes- it’s interesting to read of others’ experiences with this.
Thank you!
Hi Caroline, sorry to hear about your allergies. Thank you for letting us know about pectin, that is very strange! Good luck avoiding all your allergens, it’s so terrible to have allergies. :( CC
Thank you for your extensive work here, Christina! This is clearly a great community.
Apparently pectin allergy is associated with cashew allergy.
My daughter has had a severe reaction to pectin twice. She is also highly allergic to cashews/pistachios. I just came across this post when I was doing some online research. I wish there was more info out there, but just wanted you to know you’re not alone.
I have a severe tree but allergy and am definitely allergic to pectin. Try Sarabeth’s preserves if you can— no pectin!
Sorry to hear that, April. Thank you Caroline. Do you both know about the Facebook groups on allergies? Sometimes there’s more information there.
I have life long peanut and tree but allergies and I definitely react to pectin and the pink peppercorns listed here. I’ve been ok with sumac and mango though, Pectin is usually serviced from Curtis or apple peel so I’m still not sure why I react!
My son has peanut and tree nut allergies (severe). Also allergic
reaction to shea butters (sigh) and argan oil (in shampoo) . This
week the new allergan appears to be cottonseed oil (protein almost
identical to peanut proteins); it hit the bronchial tubes with most
impact, not the usual tongue swelling though. Cottonseed oil is
everywhere — so Read The Labels.
Thank you, Liz. I’m so sorry to hear this, but thank you for passing on the information. Good luck with your son.
I found this post while looking up info in sumac. A few years ago I discovered that I have a severe reaction to mangoes. Mangoes are related to cashews and pistachios…. As posted here are all in the same family as poison ivy. The mango skin is what was the high concentration of the oils that cause reaction. I can eat mangoes if someone else peels them. Since I discovered this I learned pistachio shells (not the nuts) are also an issue. I want to eat sumac seasoning but am cautious.
Oh, and as a follow-up to my last comment, I’m one of those who are tree nut, drupe, and coconut allergic. Coconut has not ever been a hypoallergenic nut for me, despite all the claims.
Sorry to hear that. My daughter is okay with coconut. I always wonder why everyone is so different in reactions! :(
Christina, I’ve been tree nut and drupe allergic most of my life. Since your daughter reacts to the cashew family (which are actually the nuts of a drupe), she may also need to be careful with cherries, blackberries (druplets), nectarines, plums, etc, as they all are drupes and can cause a similar anyphalyxic reaction. In case you’re not aware, drupes are actually considered the fruit around the nut http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/12/22/difference-between-nuts-legumes-and-drupes/ and if she is allergic to walnuts or almonds, she is likely allergic to drupes as well.
One thing I learned about my drupe allergy is that I can eat cherries, plums, nectarines if they have been cooked or canned (which applies enough heat in in the canning process to be considered a form of cooking) because it neutralizes the protein that I’m most allergic to. My throat will close with raw cherries and plums but I have absolutely no reaction to canned cherries or cooked plums in a dessert.
I carry my epipens everywhere I go. I’m 51, and I’ve had to make knowing a lot about food my business for survival.
Oh goodness, I had no idea about this! She’s eaten all those fruits her whole life with no problems, but I will let her know, because you never know when these allergies take a turn! Thank you so much for the information, Maria!
You’re very welcome. One thing I have learned is that everyone reacts differently. Usually, when a person reacts to one or two members of the family like tree nuts, most allergists seem to recommend avoiding them all.
Raw plums and cherries don’t cause anaphylaxis for me – they make my lips tingle and swell. And, I was well into adulthood when the drupe allergy seemed to increase and move from just cashews to the fruits., though it’s a less severe reaction for me than hazelnuts or Brazil nuts. It appears the oils are the culprit.
Since we’re sharing information, I thought I’d also offer up another type of allergy that may be difficult to pin down. It took me years to figure out why some of my mother’s cooking was making me ill. I’ve been asthmatic from birth, and pine scents, oils, exposure to pine in the outdoors will all set me off as well as cause a serious rash when I touch them. As I tried to develop the list of foods to avoid, I realized rosemary is a coniferous herb, related to evergreen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary, and apparently, I react to that as well. I noticed it gave me the same stomach knots and chills I’d get from coconut/coconut oil about six hours after consumption.
A couple of years ago I was just getting over a poison ivy episode, ate some mangoes and broke out in a very painful face blistering. Did not know the connection at the time. After doing some research I read about the connection and potential reactions between poison ivy, mangoes, cashews etc.
I am able to eat cashews without a problem, but I do avoid mangoes. I get at least one to two cases of poison ivy a year even though I try really hard to avoid it. If we walk through a park area if I get a strange sensation in my throat, sure enough I find there is poison ivy in the area.
I do use pink peppercorns, so far no problem.
The more we know the better we can be prepared. Thanks for the reminder.
Hope you and your family have a happy and safe New Year.
This is why allergies are so scary, Susan! Why is it one way with one person and a different way with someone else? So strange! Good luck with your poison ivy, that sounds terrible!
I received a tea for Christmas that contains pink peppercorns – coco chai rooibos from David’s Tea. Just another product to take note of just in case!