Lovell CR.1993, Plants and the Skin, Blackwell, Oxford.

Marks JG Jr, DeMelfi T, McCarthy MA, Witte EJ, Castagnoli N, Epstein WL, Aber RC.

Allergy to pistachio: crossreactivity between pistachio nut and other Anacardiaceae.

Fernandez C, Fiandor A, Martinez-Garate A, Martinez Quesada J.

Contact dermatitis among cashew nut workers.

Diogenes MJ, de Morais SM, Carvalho FF.

Cohort study of peanut and tree nut sensitisation by age of 4 years.

Tariq SM, Stevens M, Matthews S, Ridout S, Twiselton R, Hide DW.

Systemic contact dermatitis to raw cashew nuts in a pesto sauce. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2000 May-Jun 10(3):173–7. Allergy to Anacardiaceae: description of cashew and pistachio nut allergens.

Garcia F, Moneo I, Fernandez B, Garcia-Menaya JM, Blanco J, Juste S, Gonzalo.

These cross react to other members of the Anarcardaciae family including poison ivy, Toxicodendron succedaneum (Rhus tree) and mango. Fortunately allergy to cashew nut appears to be much less common than to other tree nuts. This appears to cross react with pistachio nuts. This potentially life-threatening condition is due to an allergic reaction to a very small molecular weight component of the kernel itself. This is quite different to the IgE-mediated immediate anaphylaxis to cashew nut. Most reactions appear to have only been dermatitis (although most needed treatment with high doses of oral steroids). There are a number of reports of allergic contact dermatitis following ingestion of cashew nut butter, a cashew nut pesto, and cashew nuts contaminated with cashew nut shell oil.

Problem arise when children play with the raw shells, if improperly shelled cashew nuts are sold, or roasting is incomplete. Roasting the shell of the nut liberates irritating vapours, but if roasting is complete, all the allergens should be inactivated. There are two problems with cashew nuts, allergy to cashew nut shell oil and allergy to the nut itself. The cashew shell nut contains a brown oily juice, full of very potent allergens including cardanol, cardol and anacardic acid. Modified cashew shell nut oil has a number of industrial uses including an ingredient in ink, as an adhesive and in the manufacture of resin.

Cashew allergy bracelets