Itchy mouth after a celery stick, or a reaction to a soup you can't pin down? Celery is one of the most common food allergens for adults in central Europe, and it hides in stock, spice mixes and ready meals. Our test checks your blood for IgE antibodies to four single celery proteins, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components including birch and mugwort pollen.
Celery and celeriac are the same plant, and both carry the proteins that matter for allergy. Lab tests name them Api g 1, Api g 2, Api g 6 and Api g 7. They belong to quite different protein families, and that is what makes a component result useful.
Api g 1 is a PR-10 protein that looks like Bet v 1, the main birch pollen protein. Api g 7 resembles Art v 1, the main mugwort pollen protein. Api g 2 and Api g 6 are lipid transfer proteins (LTPs), which are sturdy and often linked to sensitisation to several plant foods at once. Which pattern shows up in your blood is something a doctor reads together with your history.
Celery often travels with pollen. In central Europe it is closely linked to birch and mugwort, a pattern sometimes called the celery-mugwort-spice or birch-mugwort-celery syndrome. People in this group often also report reactions to carrot and to spices from the same plant family, such as aniseed, fennel, coriander and caraway.
Unlike apple, celery does not reliably become harmless when cooked. Cooking reduces some of its allergens but not all, and dried celery spice keeps its allergens well. That is why celery is one of the 14 allergens that must be declared on food labels in the EU.
Reactions people describe range from itching and tingling in the mouth and throat to hives, swelling of the lips and face, stomach symptoms and breathing trouble. Some people report reactions to cooked celery or celery spice, not only to raw stalks. In a few, exercise after eating seems to make a reaction worse.
Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or feeling faint after eating is an emergency. Call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number. Do not wait for a test.
Your finger-prick sample goes to the lab, which measures IgE to four single celery proteins (molecular components). There is no whole celery extract on the panel. Your lab report gives each a measured value and class, from Negative to Very high, on the same report as birch pollen (Bet v 1) and mugwort, so you can see whether they appear together. A positive result shows sensitisation, not a clinical allergy. Discuss it with a doctor before you change what you eat.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
People commonly report itching or tingling in the mouth and throat, swollen lips, hives, stomach cramps or breathing trouble, usually within minutes to two hours of eating celery. Swelling of the throat or trouble breathing is an emergency: call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number.
Some people do. Cooking reduces some celery allergens but not all, and dried celery spice keeps them well. That is different from apple, where cooking usually breaks down the birch-like protein. Your component result helps a doctor judge which proteins your antibodies recognise.
Often, yes. In central Europe celery sensitisation is closely linked to birch and mugwort pollen. The test checks celery, birch and mugwort in the same sample, so you can see whether they show up together.
Yes. Celeriac is the root of the same plant and carries the same allergens. In central Europe it is the form many people meet most, in soups, stews, stock and salads.
