Spices and histamine: 69 foods rated

Balsamic is the most concentrated vinegar on this axis and the one that most rewards reading the label: traditional balsamic is cooked grape must aged in a series of wooden casks for twelve to twenty-five years. Two fermentations, decades of wood, and reduction on top - everything that builds amines, applied for longer than to any other vinegar. Ordóñez measured the amines directly and put balsamic, with Pedro Ximénez Sherry, at the top of the five vinegars surveyed — total biogenic amines across the set ran from 23 to 1,445 µg/L, and even the highest of those is below what wines carry.

• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020
• McCabe-Sellers et al., J Food Compos Anal 2006
• Ordóñez J.L. et al., Food Chem 141 (2013) 2713–2719, biogenic amines measured in balsamic, apple and wine vinegars

Cayenne is pure ground chilli, and capsaicin - the compound that makes it hot - acts on sensory nerves and is listed among the liberators in histamine-intolerance protocols. The heat you feel and the mechanism are the same thing, which is why a hotter chilli is not simply a stronger flavour.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Chilli powder in the American sense is a blend, not a spice: chilli plus cumin, oregano and usually garlic and onion powder. The capsaicin is the liberator, and the blend adds several more - which is why a spoonful of this behaves differently from a spoonful of pure cayenne, and why the ingredient list is worth reading on a jar that sounds like one ingredient.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Paprika is dried, ground pepper, and it is here for two reasons at once: capsaicin acts on sensory nerves and is listed among the liberators, and the drying itself concentrates everything the fresh pepper held into a spoonful. It is used generously rather than by the pinch, which is what separates it from the spices measured in grinds.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Red wine vinegar starts from a wine fermented with its skins, which is where a red picks up what a white does not - and then ferments a second time into acetic acid, usually in oak. It begins higher than the white vinegars and the process does not bring it back down. Ordóñez measured red wine vinegar among the five and found putrescine the dominant amine in most samples — the same amine that competes for DAO rather than being histamine itself.

• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020
• McCabe-Sellers et al., J Food Compos Anal 2006
• Ordóñez J.L. et al., Food Chem 141 (2013) 2713–2719, biogenic amines measured in balsamic, apple and wine vinegars

Sherry vinegar is made from a fortified wine that was already aged under flor - a living yeast film - and then aged again as vinegar in a solera, where old and new are blended for years. Two ageings in wood, one of them under a live culture, is why it sits with balsamic rather than with the table vinegars. Ordóñez splits this one: balsamic and Pedro Ximénez Sherry vinegars reached the highest amine totals of the survey, while apple, white and plain Sherry wine vinegars were the lowest. A label that says only “Sherry” does not tell you which.

• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020
• McCabe-Sellers et al., J Food Compos Anal 2006
• Ordóñez J.L. et al., Food Chem 141 (2013) 2713–2719, biogenic amines measured in balsamic, apple and wine vinegars

Wine vinegar without a colour on the label is usually a blend, and blends are made to a price rather than to an age - which means you cannot tell from the bottle whether it was aged in wood or produced in a week by an acetator. Assume the middle of the range and treat the quantity as the lever. Ordóñez surveyed red, white and Sherry wine vinegars and separated them by their amine profiles — every kind except the red ones, which principal component analysis could not tell apart.

• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020
• McCabe-Sellers et al., J Food Compos Anal 2006
• Ordóñez J.L. et al., Food Chem 141 (2013) 2713–2719, biogenic amines measured in balsamic, apple and wine vinegars

Black pepper is the liberator you meet most often, because it is on the table at every meal rather than in one dish. No single grind matters; the cumulative daily dose is the reason it is on the list at all. If your load is already high, this is a background you can lower without changing what you eat.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Fenugreek is a liberator, and it is the spice most likely to be met in a quantity that matters: it is a seed rather than a bark or a berry, used by the spoonful in curry pastes and by the handful in some breads. It is also a legume, which puts it on other axes as well.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Garam masala is cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cumin and pepper, and at least three of those are liberators - the blend stacks them in one spoon. It is added at the END of cooking in most recipes, which means it is not diluted by a long simmer the way a spice added at the start would be.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Malt vinegar is brewed from barley - it is fermented beer taken one stage further - so it carries the histamine a beer carried before the acetic fermentation began. It is not wood-aged, which keeps it below the balsamic end, but it starts from a grain ferment rather than a grape one.

• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020
• McCabe-Sellers et al., J Food Compos Anal 2006

Ras el hanout is a blend of a dozen spices or more - the name means 'head of the shop' - and several of them are liberators. The blend is the problem rather than any one spice in it, and no two shops make the same one, so the ingredient list is the only way to know what is actually in the jar.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Rice vinegar is the mildest of the group in acidity and usually the youngest, and Japanese seasoned versions add sugar and salt rather than age, and it is age that builds histamine. Check for 'seasoned' on the label: it tells you the vinegar was blended after fermentation rather than matured.

• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020
• McCabe-Sellers et al., J Food Compos Anal 2006

Sichuan pepper is not a pepper at all - it is the husk of a citrus relative, which puts it closer to the citrus liberators than to black pepper. The tingling it produces is a genuine nerve effect and not a histamine one, but the two are easy to confuse when judging whether something disagreed with you.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Smoked paprika stacks two things: the pepper is a liberator, and the smoking adds compounds from days over oak fires. It is used generously - a tablespoon in a stew, not a pinch - which is what separates it from the spices measured in grinds.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Allspice is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. Where a spice appears on an elimination list, it is usually as a liberator rather than a carrier.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Apple cider vinegar is a double fermentation - sugar to alcohol, then alcohol to acid - and amines accumulate through both. Unfiltered vinegar with the mother carries more than the clear filtered kind, because the culture is still there. Ordóñez put apple vinegar among the LOWEST of the five surveyed for total biogenic amines, which is the measured backing for the level here.

• Ordóñez J.L. et al., Food Chem 141 (2013) 2713–2719, biogenic amines measured in balsamic, apple and wine vinegars

Basil contains no histamine. Pesto is the exception that makes the point: basil is the one herb eaten as a portion rather than as a seasoning, and a leaf is still water and fibre rather than protein. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Bay leaf contains no histamine. It is simmered and then taken out, so almost none of it is swallowed — and drying has already removed the water bacteria would need. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Bourbon vanilla is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. Where a spice appears on an elimination list, it is usually as a liberator rather than a carrier.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Capers are flower buds preserved in brine or salt, and brining is a controlled ferment. Salt-packed capers carry less than brined ones, because the salt stops the bacterial activity that makes histamine where the brine only slows it.

Caraway is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. Where a spice appears on an elimination list, it is usually as a liberator rather than a carrier.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Cardamom is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. The Swiss list rates “cardamom” 0 of 3, without the L it reserves for liberators.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Chives contain no histamine. Snipped raw over a dish at the end, so it never meets heat or time — and a leaf is water and fibre rather than protein. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Cinnamon is rated 0 of 3 by the Swiss list — compatible, no symptoms expected at usual intake — and carries no letter, where the list marks L on every entry it holds to be a liberator. The dose is the saving grace - a teaspoon in a cake divided by eight slices is a background contributor rather than a trigger. Cinnamon tea or a cinnamon supplement is a different quantity entirely.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Clove is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. The Swiss list rates “cloves” 0 of 3, noting “Small amounts are well tolerated.”, without the L it reserves for liberators.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Coriander leaf contains no histamine. Added off the heat and in quantity in several cuisines, raw — and raw leaf is water and fibre rather than protein. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Cumin itself is not high in histamine. However, it can act as a mild histamine liberator in sensitive individuals. The Swiss list rates it 2 of 3 under “cumin (Cuminum cyminum)” and marks it L, its letter for liberators of mast cell mediators. The letters are a presumed reason, not a measurement.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and its letters

Curry powder is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. Where a spice appears on an elimination list, it is usually as a liberator rather than a carrier.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Dill contains no histamine. Used raw with fish and in pickle jars: the brine is the part worth watching, not the dill, which is water and fibre rather than protein. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Dried thyme contains no histamine. It goes in by the pinch and survives long cooking, and drying has already removed the water bacteria would need. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Elderflower is dried and used as an infusion, so two dilutions apply at once: the flower carries no histamine to begin with, and steeping transfers only part of what a plant holds into the water.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Garlic contains no histamine but appears on most elimination lists as a liberator - it prompts release of the body's own stores. That is why removing it can help someone whose symptoms do not track the histamine content of what they ate.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Ginger powder is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. The Swiss list rates “ginger” 1 of 3, noting “Small amounts are well tolerated.”, without the L it reserves for liberators.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Ginger root is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. The Swiss list rates “ginger” 1 of 3, noting “Small amounts are well tolerated.”, without the L it reserves for liberators.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Green pepper is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. Where a spice appears on an elimination list, it is usually as a liberator rather than a carrier.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Herbes de Provence contains no histamine. This one is a jar rather than a leaf, and what else is in the jar decides more than the herbs do — some blends carry salt, garlic or cheese powder. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Hibiscus flowers are dried and used as an infusion, so two dilutions apply at once: the flower carries no histamine to begin with, and steeping transfers only part of what a plant holds into the water.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Italian seasoning contains no histamine. This one is a jar rather than a leaf, and what else is in the jar decides more than the herbs do — some blends carry salt, garlic or cheese powder. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Licorice is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. Where a spice appears on an elimination list, it is usually as a liberator rather than a carrier.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Marjoram contains no histamine. It turns up mostly in sausage seasoning, and there the sausage is the question rather than the marjoram, which drying has already emptied of the water bacteria would need. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Mint contains no histamine. Most of it is drunk rather than eaten — the leaf is steeped and discarded — and a leaf is water and fibre rather than protein. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Mustard is seed ground with vinegar, and the vinegar is the part that carries histamine - it is a fermented product. Wine-based mustards carry more than those made with plain white vinegar.

Nutmeg is not a strong spice liberator: no published work makes it one. The Swiss list rates “nutmeg” 1 of 3, notes that small amounts are well tolerated, and marks no letter at all — where it marks L on every entry it holds to be a liberator. The culinary dose is small in any case: one whole nutmeg grates over a great many dishes.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Oregano contains no histamine. A pinch on a pizza is the usual dose, and drying has already removed the water bacteria would need. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Parsley contains no histamine. A tabbouleh uses it by the bunch where a garnish uses a sprig, and either way a leaf is water and fibre rather than protein. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Peppermint contains no histamine. Almost all of it is drunk as an infusion, so the leaf is steeped and discarded — and a leaf is water and fibre rather than protein. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Pink pepper is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. Where a spice appears on an elimination list, it is usually as a liberator rather than a carrier.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Rose petals are dried and used as an infusion, so two dilutions apply at once: the flower carries no histamine to begin with, and steeping transfers only part of what a plant holds into the water.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Rosemary contains no histamine. A sprig goes in with a roast and comes out with it, like the bay, and drying has already removed the water bacteria would need. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Sage contains no histamine. A few leaves in a stuffing or fried in butter is the whole of it, and drying has already removed the water bacteria would need. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Spearmint contains no histamine. This is the mint of tea and of tabbouleh, steeped or chopped raw, and a leaf is water and fibre rather than protein. Herbs are among the few things on this axis that can be used freely, and what SIGHI publishes for them is a compatibility rating rather than a content.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Sumac is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. Where a spice appears on an elimination list, it is usually as a liberator rather than a carrier.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Turmeric is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. The Swiss list rates “turmeric (Curcuma longa)” 0 of 3, without the L it reserves for liberators.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Verbena is dried and used as an infusion, so two dilutions apply at once: the flower carries no histamine to begin with, and steeping transfers only part of what a plant holds into the water.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

White pepper is dried plant material with no protein and no fermentation, so it produces no histamine of its own. It is used in pinches besides. Where a spice appears on an elimination list, it is usually as a liberator rather than a carrier.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

White vinegar is distilled, and distillation leaves amines behind - they are not volatile. It is the one vinegar that answers this axis cleanly, which is why it is the one recommended on low-histamine diets.

White wine vinegar is doubly fermented like the rest, but it is not aged in wood - it goes from wine to vinegar to bottle - so it lands below the balsamic and sherry end. If you use vinegar at all, the young clear ones are the gentler choice, and this is the plainest of them. Ordóñez measured it among the five and put white wine vinegar with apple and plain Sherry at the LOWEST end for total biogenic amines.

• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020
• McCabe-Sellers et al., J Food Compos Anal 2006
• Ordóñez J.L. et al., Food Chem 141 (2013) 2713–2719, biogenic amines measured in balsamic, apple and wine vinegars