Why does it make my mouth numb?

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brower47
brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
in Food and Nutrition
The culprit: Celery
The weapon: Unknown

I did a bit of google searching and couldn't find a definitive answer. Furanocoumourans were one possible answer but I couldn't find any science back up. Does anyone know why celery has a numbing property on the mouth? I only notice it when I eat the youngest shoots and its leaves. Right now, I feel like I just finished a visit from the dentist after having every single tooth filled because I ate the heart shoots and their leaves.

Unrelated note: I like celery and I store it in the fridge upright in a small bowl of water. Sometimes I color the water with a little food coloring, which turns the 'strings' the color of the dye used after a couple of days.

Replies

  • CaddieMay
    CaddieMay Posts: 356 Member
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    I found this:

    http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/questions/question/1611/
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
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    From wiki (I know, perhaps not the best source but I didn't see any more scientific results)
    For years people have recognized the natural effects of celery in "calming the nerves." Celery. In fact in the 1897 Sears Catalog the company offered a nerve tonic made from celery. And before that Hippocrates (the father of medicine) noted that celery calms the nerves. Celery is high in calcium and it is widely recognized for its medicinal effects.

    Most likely the numbing effect you're noticing is from the Eugenol in the celery. It is the same compound found in higher concentrations in cloves.

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_raw_celery_make_the_mouth_feel_numb
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    Thanks guys. On to do the actual reading! :drinker:
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    Dunno, my wife asks the same question, but not in regards to celery.
  • numinousnymph
    numinousnymph Posts: 249 Member
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    as others have posted, it is an oral allergy. i get it with overripe bananas (just overripe, weird i know), and sometimes cantaloupe and pineapple. it's stupid! >:(
  • stanthom
    stanthom Posts: 13
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    From wiki (I know, perhaps not the best source but I didn't see any more scientific results)
    For years people have recognized the natural effects of celery in "calming the nerves." Celery. In fact in the 1897 Sears Catalog the company offered a nerve tonic made from celery. And before that Hippocrates (the father of medicine) noted that celery calms the nerves. Celery is high in calcium and it is widely recognized for its medicinal effects.

    Most likely the numbing effect you're noticing is from the Eugenol in the celery. It is the same compound found in higher concentrations in cloves.

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_raw_celery_make_the_mouth_feel_numb

    Very interesting. Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and I was super nervous about it. The wait is usually long, so I brought some celery with me to munch on. I was so nervous, I decided to munch on it in the car on the way. I calmed me down. I thought it was from the act of chewing. Now, I guess not!
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I had no idea that celery was an allergen, until I bought some soup that had "Warning:Contains Celery" on the pack. I googled and was really surprised to find that many people have a reaction to celery, some of them quite severe!
  • stanthom
    stanthom Posts: 13
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    I had a friend mention to me once that sometimes heating the fruit or vegetable helps.

    This article talks about this regarding fruit: http://www.beyondallergy.com/food-allergies/fruit-allergy.php

    It sounds like these allergies can be really dangerous.

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