# Cashew Rash?



## Peacock (Apr 12, 2006)

My DH suddenly came down with a horrible rash a few days ago. It was like he had poison ivy all over his chest, his neck, ears, and even eyelids! But he hasn't been into poison ivy. Not this time! He is very sensitive to it, though, so I guess *maybe* he might have contacted some clothing or another item that once touched PI...doubtful though.

The only thing we could figure out different from usual is that he ate a bunch of cashews. He loves them. I bought a big jar of them, cheap. Note that normally he is not allergic to them.

So I did some Googling and it seems that there is Urushiol - the chemical in poison ivy that causes a rash - in cashew shells. Isn't that wild?

But that's just the shell. People have gotten rashes from handling the shells. I am not so sure about eating them. And then, why did he get it on that part of his body? It's not like he rubbed his chest, ears, neck and eyelids with cashews. Though I guess he might have touched them with his hands, but the rash was nearly symmetrical. 

Can you get a poison ivy rash by *eating* this chemical? 

Have you ever heard of this happening?

Should I be worried now if he eats other kinds of nuts?

Could this be something totally different?

Isn't this bizarre?!


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

Edyna, people have suffered poison ivy rash from BREATHING the smoke of it burning, so maybe it's possible. If you still have the jar, check to see where it was produced. China?? Do you have benedryl on hand to give him? That may help. Jan in Co


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

I have heard of this. My DH likes cashews, too, but we don't buy them all the time, and he only eats a handful a day. He measures into a little bowl so he doesn't overdo. he is very allergic to poison ivy, has not had reaction to nuts. It might be better to buy already-shelled, and, yes, check country of origin. If your DH develops breathing problems, call 911. He should mention it when he sees the doctor. He may be advised to skip the cashews after this, and possibly he needs to have an epi-pen on hand. Sue


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

It sounds like he may well be developing an allergic reaction to the cashews. You can become allergic to ANYTHING at ANYTIME of your life. The alarm bells went off for me when I read that his ears and eyelids were affected. I am allergic to tree nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, etc). Some of my first reactions were a funny feeling in my mouth, then some swelling of my mouth, ears, nose and eyelids. I progressed to a total anaphylactic reaction - my thoat closes and I cannot breathe. I carry an epi-pen for accidental exposure, and avoid anything that has even been in potential contact with nuts. Personally, I can eat cashews, as they are in a different class than the tree nuts. Supposeably, cashews cause less allergic reactions than nuts and peanuts, but f I were your DH, I think I'd skip the cashews from now on. Benedryl should help with the rash. HTH.


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## Jenn (Nov 9, 2004)

Maybe the cashews weren't properly prepared and had some of the stuff on them. Take a few from the can and rub them on your inside arm- see if you react- but have benadryl on hand in case you have a big reaction!


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Allergic reaction to cashews is fairly common. This could lead to other allergies. Keep Benadryl on hand.


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## goatsareus (Jun 23, 2007)

I have only had one allergic reaction to a food one time in my life, and it was to cashews. But it effected my breathing, my throat started to close, I was suffocating. My sister who is a nurse gave me a shot of something and I was okay. I stayed away from cashews for maybe 25 years, and now can eat them with no reaction, but I eat very few.


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

Cashews contain rushinol, the chemical that also gives us the poison ivy rash; these plants are distant cousins. Cashews must be completely roated to not have the rash effect for many people. Years ago the health food store in our town in NJ had to put up a sign about this chemical connection to P.I., after customers ended up in the emergency room. When I looked it up, they are related plants; both containing rushinol, even tho' cashews are tropical, etc. ldc


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I've had that happen, but only with cheaper cashews. I won't buy cheap ones anymore, once was enough. The irritant is in the shell, and if they aren't careful in the process it can get on the nuts. I'm highly reactive to poison ivy, so I'm careful with cashews. I've never had a problem eating them, but will develop a rash on the palm of my hand if I hold a handful while eating them. One at a time out of the jar has never done it though. Maybe my fingertips are more resistant.

Maybe he got the oil on his hands, and without realizing it headed into the shower and soaped up good, which just spread the oil all over his body. 

The time this happened to me, I figured it out before I had eaten very many, and didn't continue. However, I love cashews and will eat them in mixed nuts and once in a while will get small can of cashews (but not the cheap ones) and have not had the problem recur.

I had no idea cashews would cause problems like that. With all the warnings they give for peanuts, you would have thought there would be something about it somewhere.

Cathy


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

I am just getting over a bout of poison ivy. My dr. told me it gets into the bloodstream and that is how it's spread. I think it is possible when he ate them some got passed into the bloodstream.


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## Peacock (Apr 12, 2006)

Thanks everyone -- I'd never heard of it before, and it's good to know this is a likely culprit, that he's not just crazy. 

I already tossed them out - didn't want ME to get the rash. I only started getting rashes from PI last year and nope, don't like it a bit!

Yes, they were cheap ones. They were on sale at Cub Foods.

I didn't know if the "getting into the bloodstream" thing was maybe an urban myth. It seems to happen to him when he gets PI -- he's very sensitive to it already, so when he does get a rash it seems to pop up everywhere, in unexpected places. Poor guy.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Your dh should be aware that the next time the reaction might be fatal. He needs an epi-pen available at all times. My allergist said that you can have a mild/moderate reaction to first exposure but the next time it can be fatal with even less of an exposure.


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## Peacock (Apr 12, 2006)

Good point. With this, and also my son's allergies (he's allergic to dust, pollen, that sort of thing) I think an epi-pen on hand is a very good thing. 

I have been trying to convince DH to go to the allergy doctor for some time now, because he's got the sniffly nose problems as much as my dear son has. But you know, being a man, he will only go for reactive things instead of proactive. But maybe this will convince him that allergies can be serious.

BTW I'm allergic to shrimp. Since DH has never seen my reaction to it, because I am not about to test it out once again, I'm not sure he quite believes me. My dad never believed me either. But you know, it might cause a rash or make you puke once (I throw up when I eat it) and next time, kill you. Allergies are nothing to mess with.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Jenn said:


> Maybe the cashews weren't properly prepared and had some of the stuff on them. Take a few from the can and rub them on your inside arm- see if you react- but have benadryl on hand in case you have a big reaction!


This seems like odd advice from a doc. 
Cashews are one of the most allergenic nuts and since an allergy can crop up at any time of life and can be triggered by contact with the skin, why would you recommend this without benefit of an allergist or at the very least, an epipen?


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## Shagbarkmtcatle (Nov 1, 2004)

My son in law was raised in Belize as a child and he told us just last week, that when the native's would gather up the cashews, they would then burn them to get the hulls off. Any white person would get a rash from the oil in the air but the natives wouldn't. He said his brother swelled up like a ballon. So it sounded similar to poison ivy to us.


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## Chick'N'Boots (Jun 12, 2008)

Mango's are part of the same family, and pistachio nuts too.
I am extremely allergic to mangos, slightly allergic to cashews and so far (knock wood) not allergic to pistachios.
If I eat any mango I get a similar reaction to your husband, but my face also swells like a basketball and my throat swells shut. Each time it has happened it's faster than the last.
My epi-pen goes with me everywhere.


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## Auric (Jul 18, 2005)

Macybaby said:


> I've never had a problem eating them, but will develop a rash on the palm of my hand if I hold a handful while eating them. One at a time out of the jar has never done it though. Maybe my fingertips are more resistant.


I've had a similar reaction where both hands would turn red and swell up. Then I'd get the blisters. No fun. I always suspected cashews were the culprit...


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## marynevis (Dec 9, 2020)

Thanks so much for this string of posts. I first developed a bright red rash on my legs, one arm and stomach several years ago. I had to miss an entire week of work. (Back in the day when we used to work in an office ) The only thing different about my diet at that time was that I was eating a few cashews each day as part of a muscle building diet. The doctors prescribed steroid meds to take as well as cortisone for my skin. My allergy doctor then tested me for a cashew allergy and I am not allergic to cashews. The same thing has happened to me twice since then. Each time I had consumed cashews over a several day period. (I apparently don't have a very good memory.) Other times I have eaten cashews at a party and not had a problem. The rash is always in the same place and never goes away without medical intervention. The first time I had it, I was worried about all kinds of weird illnesses so this page eased my fears. I do know I am highly allergic to poison ivy and poison oak so this makes a lot of sense. It seems it must be in the way the cashews are processed.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

You can eat food all of your life and suddenly become allergic to it. An allergic reaction to drugs or chemicals sounds exactly like what you describe - I have had a couple. My husband had a reaction to cashews a couple of years ago which he has always eaten. But then he could not resist them the following year and was fine. We wondered if there was some chemical on the brand we bough but there were no re-calls. I was fine. The body can change with time.


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## marynevis (Dec 9, 2020)

emdeengee said:


> You can eat food all of your life and suddenly become allergic to it. An allergic reaction to drugs or chemicals sounds exactly like what you describe - I have had a couple. My husband had a reaction to cashews a couple of years ago which he has always eaten. But then he could not resist them the following year and was fine. We wondered if there was some chemical on the brand we bough but there were no re-calls. I was fine. The body can change with time.


Yes. It was just weird that right after the first big rash, my allergy doctor test me, and at that point I was not allergic to cashews. I plan to be more careful and I always carry my Epi-Pen, just in case. I like that your husband "could not resist them." I have the same problem. It is true the body changes with time -- just when you think you get to know yourself...


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