No, onions generally do not trigger histamine; in fact, they are considered low in histamine and contain quercetin, a natural compound that acts as an antihistamine, reducing histamine release, making them beneficial for people with histamine intolerance or allergies. While rare, a true onion allergy can cause histamine release, but the more common issue is intolerance, which onions actually help manage.
Even though onions contain quercetin, a natural plant compound that acts as an antihistamine by stabilizing mast cells and reducing histamine release. Quercetin is often used in natural remedies for allergies and inflammation.
Currently, the only evidence-based strategy for alleviating or preventing symptoms is adherence to a low-histamine diet, often supplemented with exogenous DAO to enhance histamine breakdown at the intestinal level [8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16].
What foods trigger histamine?
Yes, histamine can definitely cause headaches and migraines, especially in people with histamine intolerance, where the body can't break down excess histamine from food or its own release, leading to symptoms like headaches, flushing, nasal congestion, and digestive issues. High histamine levels cause blood vessels to dilate and can trigger inflammation and neurotransmitter changes, provoking headaches and migraine attacks, and it's also linked to cluster headaches.
Excess histamine can cause a variety of different symptoms which very often mimic allergic reactions. The most common symptoms are rashes (e.g. hives), itching, flushing, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), indigestion, breathlessness, palpitations, migraines, dizziness, anxiety/panic, joint aches and nasal congestion.
Many people believe they experience a “histamine dump.” This phenomenon usually happens at night when your body releases a sudden surge of histamine. A histamine dump can interrupt your sleep and cause headaches, flushing, itching, anxiety, and a racing heart.
Ginger: A Natural Antihistamine
Ginger has long been celebrated for its anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties. It helps block histamine release while supporting the immune system. To harness its benefits, prepare ginger tea by steeping fresh slices in hot water for 3–5 minutes.
Cucumber is low in histamine and a refreshing addition to a salad. We've combined it with other low-histamine salad vegetables like radish, celery and anti-histamine onions in our radish and cucumber salad.
An intolerance to histamine is thought to be due to a lack of an enzyme called diamine oxidase. In this Factsheet you will find the most common foods that may be a problem to someone with a histamine intolerance and how best to go about identifying and eliminating problem foods.
Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a very common and well-known nutrient to strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation. Vitamin C is also required to produce the necessary enzymes for the process of histamine breakdown, making it a vital anti-histamine nutrient.
Histamine-induced anxiety can feel like restlessness, a racing heart, palpitations, or a sense of unease.
People with mastocytosis have an increased risk of developing a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction. This is known as anaphylaxis. The increased risk of anaphylaxis is caused by the abnormally high number of mast cells and their potential to release large amounts of histamine into the blood.
However, consuming onions in excess or as supplements must be avoided by pregnant and breastfeeding women due to a lack of data on their safety. Some studies suggest that onions may slow blood clotting. Hence, consuming onions as extracts or supplements must be avoided if you have bleeding disorders.
Take onions, for instance. Like apples, they're high in the flavonoid quercetin – a compound with many demonstrated health benefits. Some evidence suggests that quercetin is one of nature's natural antihistamines, helping to interrupt the action of the immune system, providing immediate relief.
Here are some foods that are low in histamine:
Gluten-free grains like amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, millet, rice, quinoa, and more. Fresh meat that has not been aged. Salmon: Only fresh or flash-frozen within 30 minutes of catch. Non-citrus fruits like apples, blueberries, mangoes, peaches, pomegranates, and more.
A Low Histamine Diet
This diet reduces foods that are known to be higher in histamine. These include: Avocado. Citrus.
In the case of carrots, the histamine level was increased 2.5-fold by frying (31±6×10−3 ppm). The histamine level of laver seaweed was increased about 4-fold by frying (168±39.69×10−3 ppm). Frying increased the histamine level in carrots and laver seaweed.
Fermented foods are unanimously excluded from low-histamine diets, but fresh coconut and non-fermented coconut products are not fermented 2. Coconut does not contain significant amounts of histamine or other biogenic amines that would warrant its exclusion 2, 1.
High histamine levels are often caused by a deficiency in the enzyme DAO, which helps to break down histamine.
While no single "most powerful" natural antihistamine is definitively crowned, Quercetin is widely considered the top contender, acting by stabilizing mast cells to prevent histamine release, with Vitamin C and Stinging Nettle also being very effective natural options for allergy relief, often used in combination with Quercetin in supplements. Other beneficial natural remedies include probiotics, bromelain (pineapple), ginger, and turmeric for reducing inflammation and symptoms.
Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water helps your body flush out the medication through your kidneys.
Histamine levels are another potent downstream target. Allergic symptoms exacerbate during nighttime and plasma histamine levels exhibit nocturnal peaks. In mastocytosis patients, peak levels of plasma histamine were observed in the early morning with the lowest in the afternoon (19).
Medical Conditions
Autoimmune disorders affect immune system function, which might lead to more histamine being released (11). Another condition causing elevated histamine levels is mastocytosis, rare disorder involving abnormal mast cell growth—the cells that make and store histamine (12).
For example, respiratory symptoms associated with histamine receptor intolerance include rhinorrhea, rhinitis, nasal congestion, dyspnea, and sneezing [19,21]. Histamine receptors are present in the skin; therefore, there will be skin manifestations, including pruritis, flushing, urticaria, dermatitis, and swelling.