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Celery is making my tongue NUMB... is this normal?

Posts: 1,033 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Raw celery has always made my tongue feel numb, which is why i rarely eat raw celery... cooked celery like in soups generall doesn't bother me though... but for lunch I had 2 bowl of pepperoni soup, which I had put a LOT of celery in... and 2 hours later my tongue is still numb and my whole mouth is a little tingly... I can't decide if it was the celery or that there was a decent amount of sodium in the soup... but while high sodium can give me a headache it generally doesn't make my tongue numb... Is this a normal reaction to celery or so I have a slight allergy or something? Help! Thanks

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Replies

  • Posts: 1
    no
  • Posts: 1,024 Member
    I'd never heard of this but just googled "tongue lightly numb celery" - evidentially, it's quite common!

    http://www.finecooking.com/item/14463/numbing-celery
  • Posts: 67 Member
    Probably not. I wouldn't recommend eating it until talking to your doctor about it. Or google it. They might have some information.
  • Posts: 328 Member
    You need to check with a medical professional.
  • Posts: 2,920 Member
    As far as I k.ow not normal, may want to speak to your doctor about it just in case...
  • Posts: 163 Member
    i think this has happened to me, but i've never thought much of it... and i don't remember it lasting so long
  • Posts: 367 Member
    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.

    Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_raw_celery_make_the_mouth_feel_numb#ixzz1LtB1mqip
  • Posts: 275 Member
    OH! I totally know what you mean :P maybe your celery is starting to go bad, or it wasn't ready yet.
    Trust me, I know how you feel :P
  • Posts: 267 Member
    You probably just have a little allergy. I am allergic to a lot of berries. They make my tongue hurt a little. I still eat them :).
    Celery on the other hand makes me gag... so maybe you should just stop. LOL
  • Posts: 832 Member
    Celery does not have enough nutrition to be worth this. Talk to your doctor about allergy testing.
  • Posts: 70
    haha, I was always told it was normal (but most of the responders say it's not...I dunno). This happens to me too, but it's worse when my celery is old. But when it happens to me it never lasts that long. Maybe ask your doc just in case?
  • Posts: 157 Member
    The same things happens to me but it usually happens when my celery is getting old. It doesnt usually last too long maybe like half an hour. Try to drink lots of water, it helps
  • Posts: 171 Member
    I made celery juice with carrots today, its lovely. You should try it
  • Posts: 143
    This happens to me too! If it bothers you, don't eat it, but I don't believe it will cause you any harm if you to want to keep eating it. I've never had any other problems from celery except the numb tongue.
  • Posts: 1,722 Member
    Did you try not biting down on your tongue while eating? :) Oh stop it, I was kidding, never heard of this before, but I guess it is common.
  • Posts: 2
    Just don't eat it.. there are plenty of other vegetables you could put in your soup.
  • Posts: 251
    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.

    Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_raw_celery_make_the_mouth_feel_numb#ixzz1LtB1mqip

    This is true. I'm in dental school and we use a solution made from celery and cloves to numb the mouth before giving stitches or shots. It's a normal reaction, but yours seems to be elevated. Please don't eat celery if it bothers you this much! It's definitely bot worth it :)
  • Posts: 1,033 Member
    Thanks for all of your help guys! I did google it before I posted it, and read everything from articles saying that it was completely normal and fine, to it being very uncommon, to articles saying that if it does make your tongue numb that you are allergic, but that it was just a very common, generally basically harmless allergy - like swelling up after a mosquito bite. Not sure what to believe... but considering it has now been 3 hours, my tongue is still numb and my face is now itchy... I think I'll be avoiding celery from now on, just not worth it, whether it ends up being normal or not :) Thanks for your help though!
  • Posts: 1,715 Member
    Interesting. I have the same type of thing happen when I eat pineapples and until recently didn't realize that it was unusual.
  • Posts: 327 Member
    I've always had that problem and people have laughed at me, saying celery can't make your tounge numb, so I thought I was a littel nuts. Glad to know I'm not the only one - I just don't eat raw celery (don't like the strings either) but it's ok chopped in cooked foods. There are plenty of other vegies out there to make up for not eating celery.
  • Posts: 418 Member
    It's an allergy--I have the same thing. I talked to my doctor who recommended that I stop eating raw celery. While it just makes my tongue numb now, there's no telling if it will build into something more serious.
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