# Anise reaction need answer fast **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495 "2015-09-25T16:27:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/1 "2015-09-25T16:27:20Z")
I was just chewing up some flowers on an anise plant and I feel like my throat has swollen a little bit. I am wondering if it might get worse or if it will subiside? Has been about 10 minutes. It might be fennel, not sure, has a liocrice taste. Little yellw flowers with fern like leaves. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/2 "2015-09-25T16:36:16Z")
It seems to be easing up a bit, I think I may have panicked a little bit. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/3 "2015-09-25T16:41:48Z")
OK, glad you’re all right. But the next time your throat starts to swell, \*\*\*call a GD ambulance while you still can! \*\*\* It happened to me out of the blue one Thanksgiving - I had always loved cranberries but they no longer liked me. I’ve had that needle in my chest twice in my life, both times the space between your two posts could have ended me. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/4 "2015-09-25T16:47:29Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > OK, glad you’re all right. But the next time your throat starts to swell, \*\*\*call a GD ambulance while you still can! \*\*\* It happened to me out of the blue one Thanksgiving - I had always loved cranberries but they no longer liked me. > > I’ve had that needle in my chest twice in my life, both times the space between your two posts could have ended me. A friend of mine almost died last week from his throat closing. Because of a tick he suddenly became allergic to meat from mammals. Very scary, I surprised myself how fast I started going into panic mode. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/5 "2015-09-25T16:57:41Z")
Medical advice is best suited to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/6 "2015-09-25T16:59:33Z")
Please remember that the first allergic reaction is usually mild compared to any subsequent ones. If it happens again don’t tell yourself, “Oh yeah, it resolved on its own last time.” Get Help! ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/7 "2015-09-25T17:32:10Z")
If tasting unknown plants is your thing, good luck, but I would stay clear of the _Umbelliferae_ unless I were absolutely sure of the species. They may look (and taste!) much the same; but some are _really_ poisonous! > **[Conium maculatum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conium_maculatum)** > > Conium maculatum, colloquially known as hemlock, poison hemlock or wild hemlock, is a highly poisonous biennial herbaceous flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, native to Europe and North Africa. A hardy plant capable of living in a variety of environments, hemlock is widely naturalized in locations outside its native range, such as parts of Australia, West Asia, and North and South America, to which it has been introduced. It is capable of spreading and thereby becoming an invasive we... > **[Aethusa cynapium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aethusa_cynapium)** > > Aethusa cynapium (fool's parsley, fool's cicely, or poison parsley) is an annual (rarely biennial) herb in the flowering plant family Apiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia, and northwest Africa. It is the only member of the genus Aethusa. It is related to hemlock and water-dropwort, and like them it is poisonous, though less so than hemlock. It has been introduced into many other parts of the world and is a common weed in cultivated ground. > It has a fusiform root and a smooth hollow branche... > **[Cicuta virosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicuta_virosa)** > > Cicuta virosa, the cowbane or northern water hemlock, is a poisonous species of Cicuta, native to northern and central Europe, northern Asia and northwestern North America. > It is a perennial herbaceous plant which grows up to 1–2 m tall. The stems are smooth, branching, swollen at the base, purple-striped, and hollow except for partitions at the junction of the leaves and stem. In cross section the stems have one flat side and the other sides are rounded. The leaves are alternate, tripinnate,... ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/8 "2015-09-25T20:15:01Z")
Are you dead yet OP? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/9 "2015-09-25T20:29:33Z")
Update, all is well, back to normal in less than 1 hour. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/10 "2015-09-26T01:02:06Z")
Pretty surprised no one mentioned Benadryl (diphenhydramine). You have to take it as soon as you believe that you are experiencing an allergic reaction. No waiting till your throat swells up and you can’t swallow, (or breathe). Benadryl is part of the three drug cocktail you would get in an emergency room for anaphylaxis or any strong allergic reaction. While it is going to take around thirty minutes to have any effect when taken orally, that will buy you time to figure out what’s happening. The best OTC drug to have at home. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/11 "2015-09-26T01:06:07Z")
Why were you “chewing up some flowers on an anise plant” to begin with? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/12 "2015-09-26T01:27:14Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Why were you “chewing up some flowers on an anise plant” to begin with? because they’re edible? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/13 "2015-09-26T01:34:44Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Why were you “chewing up some flowers on an anise plant” to begin with? My son commented on how sweet they were, I picked a small bunch and he warned me that I might have too many for a sample. Right after sampling the flowers I compared that to the leaves which seemed much less flavorful but had a stronger tang affect. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/14 "2015-09-26T01:48:12Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Update, all is well, back to normal in less than 1 hour. Thanks Good to hear old bean. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/15 "2015-09-26T02:59:45Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > because they’re edible? Well so are cockroaches. I can’t say I’ve ever felt compelled to eat flowers but I guess anise flowers are special. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/16 "2015-09-26T03:24:10Z")
The plant was actually fennel, I mix that up with anise sometimes as they are similar in taste and appearance. It is an edible plant but it turns out some people do have unfavorable reactions to it. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/17 "2015-09-26T03:58:35Z")
Do you have any reactions to cockroaches? They are pretty high in protein. ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/18 "2015-09-27T03:50:21Z")
Broccoli is a flower. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/19 "2015-09-29T16:10:43Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Please remember that the first allergic reaction is usually mild compared to any subsequent ones. If it happens again don’t tell yourself, “Oh yeah, it resolved on its own last time.” > > Get Help! +1. ID the plant for certain so you know. And discuss with your doctor. You may want to keep an Epi-Pen handy. Anise and fennel both have similar chemicals that give it the licorice-y taste, so a reaction to one might mean you’d react to the other. While neither is a _super_ common hidden ingredient in foods, you might be surprised where they’d turn up, and there might be other things you’d react to as well. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495/20 "2015-09-29T16:23:22Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Pretty surprised no one mentioned Benadryl (diphenhydramine). Children’s liquid benadryl in an adult dose (50 mg) is the fastest-acting. Those melt-on-your-tongue benadryls are also an option. I keep the liquid stuff around because I’ve had anaphylaxis from tree nuts, and nearly so from a bee sting. I also always have an epi-pen, and family/friends know where the epi-pen is kept in case they need to get it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anise-reaction-need-answer-fast/732495.md?page=2)