Allergies can cause all kinds of unpleasant and exhausting symptoms to affect your health and disrupt your daily life. During allergic reactions, the body’s immune system goes crazy and overreacts to harmless substances such as pollens. It leads to allergic reactions such as sneezing, itching, congestion, and more.
CBD with a potential for pollen and food allergies might put allergy suffers at a risk of an allergic reaction. Allergies are the no. 6 cause of chronic illness in the United States; it is natural for allergy suffering people to wonder whether it is safe to use CBD oil.
Can you be allergic to CBD oil? The following lines will shed light on the potential of CBD oil to trigger allergic reactions.
Hemp allergy
All we know at this point is, people may develop allergies to pollens and some of the terpenes found in cannabis. The individuals working in cannabis facilities are more prone to contact allergy than the general population. The researchers from the Duke University School of Medicine conducted a study involving 100 subjects. They found 20% of their subjects had a skin allergy from linalool, and 8% had allergic reactions to limonene.
Contact allergies
Only male marijuana plants produce pollens, which are eradicated from the growing space to prevent them from pollinating the female plants. Therefore, it is exceedingly rare for male plants to reach the production process. It means your chances to encounter pollen are very rare.
However, the experts do not offset the risk of getting a pollen allergy from CBD oil tincture. People who are allergic to pollens may get contact allergies. The exact effect of hemp pollen on consumers and communities is not studied yet. Therefore, CBD reactions are not well-understood.
CBD oil allergic reaction
We do not know much about CBD oil allergic reactions due to limited research available in this area. But many people consider cannabis Sativa a common allergen whose continuous exposure can worsen allergic symptoms among affected people.
The most common symptoms of hemp allergy include a stuffy nose, eye irritation, and wheezing. Even worst, some people may develop more severe reactions such as anaphylaxis.
Does CBD oil cause itching? The answer is yes. At present, we do not know much about CBD oil allergic reactions to cause itching. Since CBD comes from hemp plants, its most allergic reactions are similar to fungi and pollens. However, the symptoms subside when you stop taking CBD. Some of the most common CBD allergic reactions include:
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Congestion
- Dry cough
- Itching
- Eye irritation
- Skin reactions
CBD and food allergies
People suffering from food allergies are susceptible to cross-reactivity from CBD. Certain foods such as tomatoes, peaches, or their components may share antigens with the cannabis plant to cause cross-reactivity.
A study published in Internal Archives of Allergy and Immunology in 2013 tested 21 patients with food allergies for cannabis lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) reactivity. The findings show that 12 out of 21 subjects were sensitive to hemp allergy with severe symptoms.
A 2008 study published again in the Internal Archives of Allergy and Immunology found cross-reactivity exists in all 32 subjects involved in the research. The subjects tested for an allergic reaction to cannabis LTPs and tomato, peach peel, and pollen extracts. All of them who showed sensitivity to tomato allergens were also sensitive to cannabis.
Final words
CBD products are usually safe to consume. However, consuming CBD products such as oils, tinctures, gummies or edibles may result in CBD reactions with symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Depending upon the exposure, people may develop cannabis pollen allergies, food allergies, and skin allergies.
Michael Levin is a CBD enthusiast, a researcher, writer and editor in the cannabis space, experienced CBD user and educator. He believes CBD can help improve our overall health and wellbeing.