A spice is any part of a plant that is used for the purpose of seasoning or flav oring food.

Spices may be obtained from the bark, leaves, seeds, roots, buds, fr uit or other part of the plant. Compared with spices, an herb is usually obtaine d from the leafy part of a plant, and is also used to season or flavor foods. Mo st people use the terms spice and herb interchangeably. As with other foods, allergy to spices is possible. While spice allergy is consi dered to be fairly rare, affecting between 5 to 10 people for every 10,000 peopl e, it is probably under-diagnosed. Many species have biological functions that e nhance their ability to result in sensitization. For example, black pepper inhib its cell transport of ions, causing swelling of cells; capsaicin enhances its ow n intestinal absorption, possibly resulting in higher rates of sensitization. Exposure to spices can occur in a variety of ways, most commonly as a result of eating foods containing spices. However, exposure can also occur through contact with the skin, such as with handling foods and from cosmetics that contain spic es, as well as through inhalation of airborne spices from occupational exposures (such as in the food industry or spice factories). Symptoms of Spice Allergy Everyone remembers the cartoons from their childhood where certain characters wh ere made to sneeze after getting a nose full of black pepper. And, most people h ave experienced, during one time or another, the symptoms of a runny nose and wa tery eyes after eating spicy foods, such as horseradish or chili pepper. These s ymptoms are not caused by the immune system, but rather from irritant affects on mucus membranes. Skin rashes can also occur as a result of irritant contact der matitis from direct skin exposure to spices found in foods or cosmetics. True allergic reactions can also occur as a result of eating spices, inhaling sp ices or skin contact with spices. Allergic symptoms from eating spices most like ly would include urticaria and angioedema, but could also include gastrointestin al symptoms, respiratory symptoms, as well as anaphylaxis. Inhalation of spices could result in symptoms of asthma, as well as swelling of the airway, including angioedema. Skin contact with spices could result in urticaria, atopic dermatit is, as well as allergic contact dermatitis at the site of skin contact. Diagnosis of Spice Allergy The diagnosis of spice allergy is suggested by the symptoms that a person experi ences with exposure to the spice. It is possible to perform allergy testing to m any spices, either with a commercial allergen extract or with making a homemade extract with a fresh spice. Hot spices, such as cayenne pepper, cannot be used f or skin testing because of their irritant effect. Blood testing for the presence of allergic antibodies to spices, are also available to a limited extent. Patch testing to spices can be performed to diagnose contact dermatitis to spices, li kely with homemade extracts given the lack of commercially available versions. Treatment of Spice Allergy Treatment of spice allergy mainly involves the avoidance of the spice in questio n. The treatment of immediate symptoms of allergy would be identical to the trea tment of food allergy, including the use of antihistamines and injectable epinep hrine for severe reactions. Treating contact dermatitis caused by spice allergy would include the use of topical corticosteroids, or possibly systemic corticost eroids for severe symptoms. Avoidance of specific spices may be very difficult, given that many foods simply list "spices" or "natural flavoring" on the ingredient list. In addition, dinin g out at restaurants for a person with a spice allergy may be virtually impossib le, as many chefs may not be willing to divulge their "secret recipe" of a mixtu re of spices. Avoiding spices in products other than foods may also be difficult , since spices are found in a number of household toiletry items such as toothpa ste, mouthwash, fragrances, cosmetics and body lotions. Relationship of Spices, Pollens and Other Foods Since spices are derived from plant sources, it makes sense that certain spices

may be related to one another, as well as to pollens and other plant-based foods . These relationships may lead to cross-reactivity, meaning that an allergy to s pecific pollens might lead to an allergy to related spices. The following list s hows the cross-reactivity between spices, pollens and other foods: