common symptoms of cilantro allergy?

I had one hive reaction.  All subsequent reactions have been anaphylaxis.  I know when I'm reacting if I can't feel what temeprature the room is any more (the first thing I lose is temperature sense.  That means I have less than a minute to get H1 and H2 blockers into me, and I carry claritin redi tabs (H1: immediate effect), benedryl (H1: minutes to take effect), and ranitidine (H2: minutes to take effect; generic for xantac).  I also carry an epi pen, which thankfully I have so far not had to use (risk of cerebral anuerism if you hit a vein).

The funy thing is, I never had problems with this in Arizona near the Mexican border, it was just a one-two-instant death thing starting a couple years after moving to California.  Apparently California in the Bay Area has the highest variety of tee pollens of anywhere on the planet, due to botanical adventures by the former commander of the Presidio, who caused large numbers of non-native species to be imported to the area.  According to my allergist, who had me put up pollen traps, this is the likely reason I'm now reacting to the stuff.

Note that I do NOT react to coriander - the ground seeds of the plant - so it's a protein in the leaves, specifically.  I also have no problems with parsley and carrots, which are in the same family, although I frankly haven't given carrot greens a shot at me for fear I might react.

In any case, any food allergy is potentially life threatening, and if you are talking to a wait-person, you need to STRONGLY correct them (or your friends, for that matter) if you say you are allergic to something, and they convert it to "OK, no ..." or "wait, you don't like ..., right?".  It's NOT a matter of like, and people really don't get that foods you are allergic to might as well be the same things as cyanide to them.

I find all of this interesting. I thought I was alone with this. For years I would eat Mexican food (which I love) and come home and get sick. Sometimes within an hour I would start vomiting. I finally realized that there was a pattern and started ordering food without it. I've been able to enjoy Mexican food again! Good to know I'm not the only one with this problem!

The first and only time I ate cilantro, I threw up for over 15 hours. Today, I ate something a chicken dinner that was topped with cilantro. Now, I am having severe stomach pains and I am very nauseous. I hope I don't start throwing up again.

I feel I have a mild reaction to cilantro. I vomit. Make stomach starts to feel so queasy that I have no choice but to either sit in stomach pain and wait to throw it up or induce vomiting. So I avoid it like the plague. Besides being in many Mexican dishes it's also in many that and other Asian dishes.

Sounds like my story. It took me a few years to connect the dots and find the culprit was cilantro. I would like to know if I am allergic to coriander but don't want chance testing it.

I am allergic, but not in a hives/mouth swelling kind of way. I get horridly nauseated and need to find a bathroom--fast. Usually feel it hitting my stomach less than an hour after digestion. Once I figured out the cause, I avoid cilantro like the plague. It is definitely MORE than just a dislike for the taste. I also cannot eat anything with coriander, or I get the same reaction...so most Indian food is out for me as well. I wish more restaurants (and people) would take this allergy seriously. Most places don't even seem to know what 'cilantro' is or care to find out for you if a dish contains it. I am sure if I told them I had a shellfish allergy that they would care! Even my own sister thinks I'm making this up and just don't like the taste much. NO, I GET HORRIDLY ILL IF I EAT IT. Ugh.

I have a cilantro allergy. I had never had a prob with the herb before. One night I was making a vinagerette with fresh cilantro (and before this not sure I had ever had fresh). As I was blending the vinagerette I dipped my finger tip into the mix to taste and afterward the symptoms began. My hands started itching and swelling(from tearing the cilantro), then I started cramping, after about 15 mins my airway started closing. At that point I knew it was an allergic reaction. I took 5 benedryll which is approx the dosage I would have received at the ER. I've dealt with a few allergies that have been quick onset in my life so this is only a remedy for me I do not suggest anyone to do the same as I did. I was fine after a few hours but I also had someone with me to b sure I didn't lose conscineness. I saw my dr the next day(I already had an appt scheduled) and she said I had done everything right but it wasn't a good idea not going to the ER. But I'm not a dr person and other than broken bones and yearly checks I do my best to avoid any medical attn. I hope this may help to identify symtoms for others.

My daughter has the same issue when she eats cilantro, but it doesn't even take that long for her to start vomiting. If she gets event the tiniest leaf, she almost immediately gets sick. She is also wiped out for a day or two and doesn't feel like eating anything during that time.

Robin, please be aware allergies can become worse over time. I'm not positive, but I think reactions can process to the point of being life threatening. Be careful! :

I also have an allergy to cilantro.  The first encounters with it seemed to only make my throat itch a little. Now it makes the inside of my throat and my lips swell. It seems to great worse every time I am exposed to it.  I have to ask at restaurants if what I am ordering has any cilantro in it.  Once I ate some soup and unknowingly to me, it had corriander (seed from the cilantro plant) in it and within 15 minutes I had difficulty breathing and inside of my throat started swelling. Be very careful with it.

My symptoms have worsened over time too. It took me a while to determine that cilantro was the culprit and even longer to understand that coriander is bad too. Cilantro affects me more violently and much more immediately though. Shortly after ingesting I start to burp incessantly. And then I start to get severe pains in my head and chest. On more than one occasion prior to identifying it as a cilantro allergy, I thought I was having a heart attack. Benadryl is the only thing I've found that works. And while I'm as careful as I can be, cilantro and coriander are increasingly difficult to avoid. 9 times out of ten I can smell the cilantro prior to ingesting, but when I miss it and eat it, it's devastating. I do know as soon as I eat it though and I immediately take a pill. But that no longer ensures I won't react. I never have had the nausea or vomiting- just the pains, increase in heart rate and sweats sometimes. Usually I don't fully recover until a minor bout of diarrhea, which I believe is the body ridding itself of the poison. I'm wondering if anyone else has had these types of symptoms.

My trait feels swollen and my tumb feels numb... It's happened twice now- both times after eating a burrito bowl from Chipotle. I have a feeling it is the cilantro in the Cliantro Lime Rice that they serve (it's delicious though). I went to the ER because I felt as though I couldn't breath. The doctors said my throat wasn't actually swollen and it wasn't an allergy because I didn't have hives... Anyone have an idea of what's going on? Thank you :/ appreciate any input!

Of all the posts, yours seems to be most similar to my reaction to cilantro. My cilantro allergy began about 25 years ago after eating a Cilantro Lime pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. In my opinion, cilantro is the most overused spice -- trace amounts are in so many dishes. Just this week, I have found it in my sandwiches at Panera and Cheesecake Factory. My constant reaction is that my heart starts beating fast and my throat begins to close. Lately it feels as if someone is standing on my chest for a few hours, even if I ingest a tiny bit. I am able to counter the effects with a few glasses of water, and have not had to use my prescribed Epi-pen. I also believe that the reaction may worsen with age. The only upside has been the many free meals and establishing relationships with the restaurant owners and managers.

Watch out for Benadryl. There is an NIH study out that indicates that using it regularly can increase your chances of getting Alzheimer's by 40 pct. Better to use one of the newer antihistamines like Zyrtec or Allegra.

Tonight...I couldn't taste the cilantro but almost immediately started having a strange feeling in my throat. Moments later I was having trouble breathing. I ended up having to get two shots an epi pen a breathing treatment and take 2 pills to counter react the reaction. Never underestimate the power of cilantro!