Protect Your Lips: Take care when eating Mango's

[An Iz]

Have you ever eaten several mangos, only to notice that you lips were really messed up afterwards?

The only way I knew how to describe it was "chapped" although the feeling was much itchier and seemed to make them feel scaly or something- and there was no cracking or pealing.

Well, the problem is that Mango tree sap, and the rind of the fruit, contains urushiol, the same chemical the poison ivy plant produces

Mango peel contains urushiol, the chemical in poison ivy and poison sumac that can cause urushiol-induced contact dermatitis in susceptible people.[32] Cross-reactions between mango contact allergens and urushiol have been observed.[33] Those with a history of poison ivy or poison oak may be most at risk for an allergic reaction to mango skin. [34] This compound is also present in mango leaves and vines. During mango's primary season, it is the most common source of plant dermatitis in Hawaii. [35]

I've never heard anyone mention this, but it's a serious annoyance to me-- and I don't usually have a strong reaction to poison ivy.

The solution is to cut the fruit up completely, and to put the pieces in your mouth instead of just cross hatching the slices and eating them off like a messy kid. Or to not be allergic to urushiol, I guess.

 

[mariacallas]

Happened to me twice...and I eat mango really messily with hands and all lol.
The last time was REALLY awful.....aside from the chapped lips (and skin around the mouth) I had a huge gross wart like thing on the side of my lip after eating 3 huge mangoes and it was really painful and it took a week for it to heal

 

[a thing]

The solution is to cut the fruit up completely, and to put the pieces in your mouth instead of just cross hatching the slices and eating them off like a messy kid. Or to not be allergic to urushiol, I guess.

IIRC there is a tiny proportion of people that are not allergic to poison ivy.

 

[Coolio]

I'm not allergic to urushiol. It's not a tiny proportion, it's like 10% or 20%.

 

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

Ooooh great post! I have found this happens to me after eating mango without fail and I thought I was just allergic to it? Fantastic to know there's a way to avoid it. Thankyou! :D

 

[LivingInTheMoment]

>>>That was very informative An Iz, I don't have problems myself with it, so I didn't know of this malice that existed with such delicious and juicy fruit! Thanks for the awakening!




Mango - " 'Watch!' he said crisply. 'You're about to taste the king of fruits.' He gripped one, took out his knife and gashed a complete circle around the long axis. Then he spun the knife, point-over-end, into the tree and with two hands gripped the halves of the fruit twisting them in opposite directions. The fruit tore apart and for the first time the people in Hawaii tasted "Whip's luscious discovery'."

Thus Whip Hoxworth introduced the mango to Hawaii in James Michener's novel "Hawaii". Fortunately, Whip was not allergic to the "king of fruits".

The mango is green when unripe and turns yellow, orange or red as it ripens. Deposits of a shiny, varnish-like substance may be seen on the rind and stem. Since the fruit itself is generally free from urushiol, people sensitive to mango can eat the fruit if it is peeled by someone else.

Urticaria and shock have, however, been reported (5-7) after eating mango! This fruit is usually eaten raw, but is also stewed, frozen, and made into chutneys. Leaves of the mango have been used in Mexico to clean teeth and harden gums, but mango stomatitis has not been reported.

The appearance of the dermatitis from mango, as with each of the ubiquitous urushiols, will, of course, vary with the nature of contact. Perioral areas and forearms are most commonly involved. Keil states that the absence of linear arrangement of vesicles is rather characteristic of mango dermatitis.

While this is usually true, an interesting exception may be noted. This patient, a dentist, doubting a diagnosis of mango dermatitis of his face, hands, and genitals, scratched his forearm with the stem of a mango to confirm the diagnosis!




When a Mango, Let it Be

Do a google search for “mango allergy reaction” and you find some fascinating stuff. The mango tree is in the sumac family, with poison ivy as a relative. So if you happen to have particularly strong reaction to poison ivy, your body senses the oleoresin from the mango skin, thinks it’s poison ivy, says “we’ve seen this before, and this time we’re ready- send in the white blood cell reinforcements” which then go to town on your skin and you’re in for an itchy rash.

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[An Iz]

Happened to me twice...and I eat mango really messily with hands and all lol.
The last time was REALLY awful.....aside from the chapped lips (and skin around the mouth) I had a huge gross wart like thing on the side of my lip after eating 3 huge mangoes and it was really painful and it took a week for it to heal

Sorry to hear it, they are such a delicious fruit after all. Apparently the people who suffer the worst are those who pick the fruit and then touch the sap-oozing end of a branch afterwards.

NSFW:

It really sucks that mangos cause this. But then again, I have been eating like 5 a day for the past 2 weeks.

 

[Swerlz]

I have more mangos than I know what to do with. And in my area of the world, everyone has a mango tree, thus flooding the streets with people trying to sell them. I've been eating atleast 2 mangos a day and have yet to get my lips merked up by them.

 

[An Iz]

What is the most fun way to eat a mango

 

[Swerlz]

pick it off the tree.. while still up in the tree with a knife handy start cutting it open. Peel it clean then start cut slices off.. Nibble... Repeat

the fun starts when all the juices start rolling down your face and hands and the ants catch wind of it and start their rampage toward you.

 

[An Iz]

You peel it like a potato?

Do you put chilly powder on it?

send me your extra mangos

 

[Swerlz]

you peel it as if you were peeling the skin off a corpse.

 

[LivingInTheMoment]

pick it off the tree.. while still up in the tree with a knife handy start cutting it open. Peel it clean then start cut slices off.. Nibble... Repeat

the fun starts when all the juices start rolling down your face and hands and the ants catch wind of it and start their rampage toward you.

That sounds intriguing and brings visual images!

 

[mariacallas]

You peel it like a potato?

Do you put chilly powder on it?

send me your extra mangos

Hahaha. I cut a small piece of the end , peel the mango like a flower and work my way down as I nibble,juices dribbling down my chin. I need a bib and a towel so I dont mess myself up too much. Then I put the huge mango seeds in a pile around me and make a small fort.

 

[Carl Landrover]

IIRC there is a tiny proportion of people that are not allergic to poison ivy.

I like to think of it as my one super power.