# Allergic reaction to Indian spices? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-reaction-to-indian-spices/203403 "2003-09-23T21:46:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-reaction-to-indian-spices/203403/1 "2003-09-23T21:46:55Z")
I recently made an Indian-style dinner for my parents, and they later reported that they both suffered a weird pricking, tingling, restless sensation in their skin when they went to bed that night. Could this be an allergic reaction? The dishes unleashed upon my parents numerous spices that were hitherto unknown to them: [ul][li]Mustard seeds (black, I think)[/li][li]Urad dal (aka urid dal; white split lentils)[/li][li]Fenugreek seeds[/li][li]Curry leaves[/li][li]Turmeric powder[/li][li]Fresh coriander[/li][li]Crushed coriander seeds[/ul]Are any of these spices known to cause allergic reactions? I realize one can be allergic to almost anything, but it seems statistically unlikely that _both_ my parents, who by the way are not related, would be allergic.[/li] One dish also contained the peel of one lemon. I made sure to wash the lemon before peeling, and if I remember correctly I used a stiff brush on it to scrape off as much (potential) insecticide as possible. Could this be the culprit? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-reaction-to-indian-spices/203403/2 "2003-09-24T00:37:23Z")
Curry leaves are said to irritate some people, as are mustard seeds, although I’m not sure in the way you describe. Other than the curry leaves, the rest of the ingredients are found in a large number of other foods so it would be surprising that it caused the problem. It could be coincidence - spicy food gets a bad rap for many symptoms as so many people are “afraid” of it they attribute any allergy, dispepsia, or random hallucination of purple-snouted snorklewackers to curry or jambalaya… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-reaction-to-indian-spices/203403/3 "2003-09-24T01:00:13Z")
Another possibility occurred to me: Perhaps it was a mild form of food poisoning. I don’t know much about food poisoning, but I read a news item some time ago about a case of bad fish inducing (temporarily, I hope) facial paralysis in a group of diners. As for commonness, I consider the spices, except coriander and the mustard seeds, to be rare in western cuisine and in this country; my parents certainly had not heard of any of them. They know the “curry” spice mix, but use it rarely, and sparingly. They didn’t mention any snorklewackers, though. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-reaction-to-indian-spices/203403/4 "2003-09-24T01:23:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gentle \* > **As for commonness, I consider the spices, except coriander and the mustard seeds, to be rare in western cuisine and in this country; my parents certainly had not heard of any of them. They know the “curry” spice mix, but use it rarely, and sparingly.** Ah, I see you list “Norway” as location. All of the spices and ingredients you listed are in mine and Fierra’s diet at least once a week, sometimes several times a week. Including such things as the dread asafoetida, the friendly habanero pepper, tamarind paste, green cardamom, and various vindaloo and other curry mixes. > [@](#): > > \*\*They didn’t mention any snorklewackers, though. \*\* Good for them. It’s sad when parents go crazy. 🙂