Reaction To Spices

[Lizz7711]

Hi, I have been experiencing some kind of reaction that feels like an allergy almost, i.e. throat gets tight, fatigue, heat in mouth and tongue, shoulders stiffen up, after eating things with cumin or chili powder...since I usually use both together, i'm not sure if i'm reacting to one or both of them. Has anyone ever experienced this? I don't think it's a gluten or CC issue because I havent' had that kind of reaction to gluten before...only casein/dairy.

What a bummer though! My list of acceptable foods and good tasting food just gets smaller and smaller, lol.

thanks for any input. Oh, also wondering if I should get an actual allergy test for these, if there is a test that would pick it up accurately or not.

[Rachel--24]

I get those symptoms from salicylates. Especially the heat/burning in my mouth and on my tongue. I also get some burning on my skin (usually around my mouth but sometimes on my shoulders). I get stiffness in my neck and shoulders as well.

I dont very often feel my throat tightening or swelling or anything like that......although I might get a sore throat when swallowing for a day or two.

Most spices are very high in salicylates....chili powder is one of them. I'm not sure about cumin...but since most herbs and spices are high....I would assume that cumin is as well.

You can google it and see if you have similar symptoms with other foods high in salicylate.

[RiceGuy]

My only thought is that chili powder is a nightshade, which contain a toxin known to impair nerve/muscle function. Same with red pepper and paprika. I can't tolerate nightshades, but I use cumin all the time and have not noticed any effects.

[MaryJones2]

I've noticed that a lot of chili powders have an anti-caking agent and you could be having some reaction to whatever chemical they are using for that. I have non-gluten issues with spice combos like chili powder but am fine when I use the same individual spices so I'm thinking it's something to do with the anti-caking agent.

[Lizz7711]

Thanks for all the feedback, i'll have to experiment to isolate if it's the chili powder or the cumin. I ate leftovers with no problems though, the only thing I didn't eat was the corn tortillas...so maybe THEY are the problem. In any case I have had problems with some spices before, another one I had trouble with is nutmeg. And I had major issues with home made indian where a lot of cayenne/chili powder was used. Guess I just need to stick to more bland tasting food