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.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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.
I have an allergic reaction to the oils that mangos produce. Recently I started to use Argan Oil on my face and stared to notice I was having a reaction similar to what happens if Mangos touch my skin. As this person had done, I started to google and noticed that the oils could be similar between Mangos and the Argan so I’m glad I found this page because it gave me even more insight to what I was wondering. I don’t have reactions to Cashews, but I do have a reaction to Shea Butter which I understand why now realizing what is in it. I’m starting to wonder if I might have a different allergy than just the Mango Oils, but another thing to look out for is Papayas I was told seeing they’re in the same family as Poison Ivy and those that have an allergic reaction might show the same signs to those as well. Thank you for the helpful article, I hope my comment helps as well.
I’m sure it will help others in similar situations as yours, Brittany. Thank you so much for the additional information and glad mine helped you too. Good luck–allergies are terrible things. :(
And to add a little more info, my allergy has been getting worse everytime, reaching to where I get lumps in my throat that can’t let me breath. So many helpful details here including the sumac and shea butter as we use sumac in our Lebabese salads and I love it too! I guess not everything we love can be healthy.
Be sure to check with your dr and have an Epipen at all times!! Stay safe, Joyce!
Yes! I love hummus but a lot of that contains sumac. Between my older sons cashew allergy and my younger sons peanut allergy I think introducing them to hummus and the potential allergens of chickpeas and sumac might be a bad idea.
Absolutely disagree with you Mary; if you teach them ONLY to eat your/their own homemade hummus (not sure how old they are), they can enjoy a super nutritious and delicious dip/spread without any fear of hidden allergens. My daughter has enjoyed our homemade hummus since she was a little girl. I even have a recipe for you! It’s super easy since you just throw everything in a blender or food processor! Hope this helps!
I have an allergy to tree nuts and many other types of food. I used to eat black pepper with literally anything because I loved its taste. But everytime after it I would start coughing and my breath becomes short. I woke up this morning with swollen eyes and lips, shortness of breath, and I’ve been coughing ever since I woke up. I’ve sprinkled last night a bit of black pepper to my pasta which tasted yummy and I knew it had something to do with my morning reaction. So I finally googled it and was literally shocked to read that black pepper is a member of the cashews family as mom also thinks that pepper has its own family! With a further research because I couldn’t just let my info be a little and as I always do research for my allergy, I came up to this post and the post before about your daughter in the restaurant, and they were very helpful yet very shocking fir me. I could have died if I didn’t knew by now that black peppers are of the nut family and kept enjoying the taste. Thank you so much! And for the mangoes, as it is my favorite fruit, this was too a shocking info! May God bless you all and protect your children and loved ones from any kind of allergic reactions.
Oh dear, that sounds terrible, Joyce! I’m glad you discovered the cause, but yes it is so scary to realize what can happen when you don’t know something about allergens! God bless you, too!
I Don quite know the relationship between these two, but last year I developed an allergy to Figs. This year I haven’t eaten them, but I had a chocolate with hazelnuts the other day and had a reaction, googled it and it says that they do have the same allergen. So, if you’re allergic to hazelnuts, might wanna stay far from (raw) figs. (I did also read that cookes figs should be fine for most people (but not all) as cooking eliminates the allergen. Don’t trust me, though. Look it up.
Thank you for letting me know, Valeria. Good information to have!
I’ve found the same thing with Shea Butter some times I react, sometimes I don’t. I think it is to do with the amount of proteins in the Shea Butter (how pure it is) If the shea butter is highly purified then no reaction. If it’s not then reaction.
Good to know, Ellie. I’ve argued with my daughter on this point as she once broke out like crazy with a shea butter lotion for her face, but she claims she’s used other shea butter items with no issue. I’ll copy and paste your comment to her so she knows to be very cautious. Thank you.
My husband just made me dinner and used sumac for the first time. Shortly after we started eating, I started to feel like I was having an allergic reaction. I am allergic to tree nuts and peanuts so I am very careful about what I eat. I had no idea sumac was a tree nut. My reaction was minor, with slightly swollen lips and upset stomach, but no where near as sever as other nut reactions. I am dismayed that I now must add another item to the list to ask about when in public. But I am thankful I found your blog.
Cheers!
Maeve
Oh Maeve, I’m so sorry to hear this, BUT very happy that the reaction wasn’t life-threatening. It really is frustrating that this sort of information isn’t shared widely by media sources as it can save lives. I’m glad you found my site, too and hope you enjoy my recipes and travel posts :)
Maeve, that must have been concerning to have a reaction thinking you had not consumed any tree nut! I am glad everything turned out ok for you. However, what you described as a minor reaction was in fact an anaphylaxis reaction according to FARE since it involved two different systems even if mild and would have been treated with epinephrine! https://www.foodallergy.org/file/common-symptoms-poster.pdf
Hi there. I too am allergic to most nuts (cashews, peanuts etc.) and had the same reaction as you did when I first ate sumac sprinkled on Lebanese salad (fatoush). Apart from a tingly sensation on my lips and a mild upset stomach, it was nothing serious. I popped a Benadryl and was feeling better in an hour and normal a couple hours later.
Be careful as the reaction can get worse, each subsequent time.
Hey! Great posts about allergies. I just wanted to share that peaches are often the biggest offender among stone fruits (drupes) for people with tree nut allergies. I’m severely allergic to tree nuts as well, and peaches eventually started giving me lower-grade reactions (more minor swelling and hives inside my mouth), so now I avoid them entirely. They’re closely related to almonds, as are all stone fruit.
Thanks for that info, Jill. Allergies are so unpredictable! :(
Please, y’all, don’t automatically assume sumac is allergenic, even for those with known allergies to cashew/pistachio. I understand the impulse to head new threats off at the pass, and being aware of what is botanically related can be useful. But a close botanical relationship does not necessarily mean that an ingredient will share allergenic proteins.
http://allergicliving.com/2015/10/13/can-you-be-allergic-to-spices/
True, however, I feel it’s better to be safe than sorry.