Allergy to Jalapeño Peppers

Jalapeño Peppers belong to the Capsicum family. These peppers are known worldwide and one of the more popular of the chili peppers. They range from a medium to dark green in color, turning red when ripe. Jalapenos range around 5cm/2 inches long and have a conical shape. They are a spicy pepper though not the hottest.

Jalapenos are used extensively in Mexican cooking; they are often used in salsa, added with nachos and sometimes with pizza. They date back to the time of the Aztecs.

What make jalapenos spicy are the seeds and ribs. This is where the heat is concentrated. Remove all or some of these parts to lessen the heat, being very careful not to touch your eyes until you've thoroughly washed your hands.

Capsaicin, the structure found in jalapenos that make them spicy. An allergy to this can irritate the mucus membranes in your mouth, nose and eyes as well as irritate your skin. It is recommended to wear gloves to help avoid skin irritation while cooking with jalapenos. A allergic reaction to jalapenos is more common when they are uncooked.

What exactly causes allergies?

When our bodies have a negative immune response to a certain food that others are able to enjoy without problems.

Symptoms of an allergy to jalapeño peppers (you may have experience one or all of these):

Runny nose

Watery eyes

Upset stomach

Loose stools and diarrhea

Migraines or other type of headaches

Wheezing and difficulty breathing

Scratchy Throat

Hiccups

Facial Swelling

Acid Reflex

Facial burning sensation or through your body

Eczema or hives

The best way to avoid an allergy attack is to avoid the peppers altogether. But if you are anything like me, that won’t happen. I love spicy food. I love jalapenos. Often my face will feel like it is on fire, my hands can burn when handling them and at times ended up with eczema. About half of the time I will end up with the hiccups. The hiccups can last for several minutes or off an on for hours. This is especially embracing when we are out in public.

If you tend to be allergic of these tasty peppers and refuse to avoid them, here are some suggestions to help::

Do not rub your eyes.

Wear gloves while handling the peppers.

Taking the digestive enzyme bromelain, 500mg twice a day has shown help with some people.

Take betaine hydrochloric acid (HCI). This increases the stomach acid. When you have heartburn, it is actually a decrease in acid. The more stomach acid you have, the more likely you'll be able to tolerate offending foods.

Take 1,000mg of vitamin C two or three times a day. This supplement can reduce allergic reactions.

papaya in fruit or the supplement form will ease digestion.

Benadryl is recommended to take on the onsite of an allergic reaction as well.

So if you are like me and can’t stay away from these tasty peppers, try to take some precautions and enjoy.

The copyright to this article is owned by Sandy Mertens (sandyspider). Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. (You can, however, freely use the opening introduction and photo with a link to the article here on HubPages to read the remainder of the article.)