
In some cases, a challenge (a supervised graded feeding) may be conducted in the allergist’s office to determine whether the patient could tolerate the spice in the future.
#Black pepper allergy cross reactivity skin
Skin prick testing (either with commercial extract or from the actual spice itself) may be used to determine if there is allergic antibody present to the spice. In most cases, the reaction to a spice will be due to a non-allergic cause. If a particular spice has been consistently causing symptoms, an allergist / immunologist should be consulted. For patients known to be allergic to sesame, care should be taken in avoiding spices with sesame as an ingredient. A reaction may be attributed to a true food allergy, and it can be life threatening.

The following are types of reactions reported with spices: Most of the reactions patients have are not true allergic reactions (due to allergic antibody formation to the actual spice) and may represent non-allergic reactions consistent with “intolerances.” This is important to differentiate as true antibody mediated reactions can be life threatening, while a non-allergic reaction is likely to be self-limited (or in other words, ultimately resolving itself without treatment). They are often suspected as the trigger for allergic reactions, but allergic antibody mediated reactions are believed to be very rare.

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Spices are derived from plants and therefore have the potential to be allergens. The addition of spices and other additives to foods is extremely common. This article has been reviewed by Thanai Pongdee, MD, FAAAAI Can Spices Cause Allergic Reactions? Monday, July 24th, 2017 Can Spices Cause Allergic Reactions?
