Dill Allergy Test

£40.00

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Description

Dill Allergy Test

Code: f277
Latin name: Anethum graveolens
Family: Apiaceae
Common names: Dill, False Anise, Bastard Fennel, Russian Parsley, Swedish Parsley
Synonyms: Peucedanum graveolens

Dill is a food which may result in allergy symptoms in sensitised individuals.

Dill Allergy Test: Allergen Exposure

Dill is a member of the carrot family, along with anise, caraway, coriander, fennel, parsley and celery. It is an annual plant native to Western Asia, with delicate blue-green leaves. Originally imported to northern Europe as a medicinal herb, dill is now grown and used widely across Europe and Asia, primarily to flavour food. As both the leaves and seeds of the dill plant are used, it may be considered both a herb and a spice.

The aromatic leaves are used both fresh and dried to flavour a variety of foods, including cured fish, soups and pickles. In Europe it is used as a flavouring for fermented milk drinks, as well as a topping for boiled new potatoes. Fresh dill leaves are used throughout the year as an ingredient in salads, in a similar way to how basil is used in Mediterranean cuisine.

In Poland dill is mixed with sour cream to create a popular dressing, often served with cucumber as a salad. Dill sauce is served with fish, poultry or hard boiled eggs. In the United Kingdom it is often added to fish dishes such as fish pie, or as a garnish in scrambled eggs.

It is a common ingredient in the preparation of pickled vegetables such as cabbage, cucumber or onions. Dill often is used to flavour fish and seafood in Sweden, for example, gravlax and various herring pickles.

A tea is made from the leaves and/or the seeds. An essential oil from the seed is used as a flavouring for food and medicine and a perfume for toiletries. It is also an effective insecticide.

The seeds have thousands of years of history as a treatment for digestive problems, especially gripe and flatulence. Dill has a range of other medicinal uses, including increasing the flow of milk and relieving period pains.

Dill Allergy Test: Allergen Description

No allergens present in dill have been characterised to date.

Dill Allergy Test: Potential Cross-Reactivity

An extensive cross-reactivity among the different individual species of the genus and other members of the Apiaceae family could be expected. This has in fact been demonstrated in a study of serum from a patient with an occupational allergy to spices: a closely related pattern of IgE binding to coriander, dill and anise extract was observed.

Dill Allergy Test: Clinical Experience

Dill may uncommonly induce symptoms of food allergy in sensitised individuals.

Anaphylaxis to dill has been described. A 40-year-old woman complained that she developed oral pruritus, tongue and throat swelling and tightness, generalised urticaria, and immediate vomiting and diarrhea following ingestion of foods cooked with dill, and subsequently with inhalation of fumes of foods prepared with dill. Her symptoms progressed with each exposure.

In another case a 32-year-male reported episodes of periorbital oedema, generalised itching, rash and “chapped lips” after preparing and eating fresh dill. Two episodes occurred approximately 12 hours after eating fresh grilled salmon garnished with freshly ground dill.

Contact urticaria was reported by a 32-year-old housewife from handling dill plants.

A 43-year-old man developed occupational allergic contact dermatitis when handling dill plants.

Other reactions

Phytophotodermatitis has been reported.