MINI REVIEW article
Front. Allergy
Sec. Food Allergy
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/falgy.2025.1698559
This article is part of the Research TopicAllergen cross-reactivity - a challenge in daily practiceView all articles
Spices, Herbs and Allergic Reactions in Children: Myth or Reality — A Narrative Review with Scoping Elements
Provisionally accepted
Camelia Elena Berghea1,2
Gavriela Feketea3
Maria-Teodora Cosoreanu1,2
Olivia-Mihaela Popa4
Daniela Marcela Ionescu1,2
Corina Porr5,6*
Florian Berghea7
Emilia Vassilopoulou10,11,8,9- 1Department of Pediatrics, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
- 2Department of Pediatrics, Marie Curie Emergency Children’s Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
- 3Pediatric Allergy Outpatient Clinic, Pediatric Department, Karamandaneio Children's Hospital of Patra, Patra, Greece
- 4Department of Pathophysiology and Immunology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
- 5Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania
- 6Allergology Department, County Emergency Clinical Hospital, Sibiu, Romania
- 7Department of Rheumatology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
- 8Department of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece
- 9Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- 10Nous Therapy Center, Thessaloniki, Greece
- 11Department of Life Sciences, School of Life and Health Sciences, Universiy of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
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Spices and herbs are widely used for their flavor and therapeutic properties. This narrative review explores current evidence on spice and herb allergies in children, using a scoping approach to synthesize data from case reports, clinical, immunologic, molecular studies, regulatory sources, and previous reviews. Selected adult cases were included for context. Spice and herb allergies are increasingly recognized in children, with symptoms ranging from mild oral reactions to anaphylaxis. The most frequently implicated spices include mustard, celery, coriander, fennel, cumin, anise, pepper, and herbs from the Lamiaceae-family such as mint, oregano, and sage. Both IgE-and non-IgE-mediated mechanisms are involved, with cross-reactivity to pollens (birch and mugwort) being common. Diagnosis remains challenging due to limited standardized tests; oral food challenge is the gold standard. Management relies on strict allergen avoidance and emergency preparedness. Improved clinical awareness, diagnostic tools, and clearer labeling—especially regarding hidden allergens—are crucial for effective care.
Keywords: allergy, Allergic reactions, Spices, herb, Mustard allergy
Received: 04 Sep 2025; Accepted: 16 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Berghea, Feketea, Cosoreanu, Popa, Ionescu, Porr, Berghea and Vassilopoulou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Corina Porr, corina_sibiu@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.