Kitchen Garden Forum

For the last two or three years I have been getting a sort of rash between the fingers of my left hand every so often (it's not really a rash, but it gets very red and sensitive, particularly to heat) which goes off after about two days. All that time I have been trying to fathom out what causes it and am now pretty sure it's potatoes! It occasionally happens during the week but certainly always on Sunday night when I have prepared and cooked Sunday lunch with potatoes and, as I always do, cooked two or three pots of soup with potatoes in them.

When peeling or scraping potatoes, I hold them in my left hand and the knife/peeler in my right hand, hence the rash on the left hand, I think. Can anybody explain it or does anybody else suffer from this? We don't use chemicals on the potatoes and they are washed before storage.

Hi Monika,
At last, someone else! I've had this problem for years after prolonged contact with spuds, though it hasn't been so bad lately. It doesn't last for long with me though and I always make sure I rinse my hands thoroughly straight away afterwards and put hand lotion on. I guess it must be something to do with the starch.

Are you OK to eat them? And it may be the same with peppers and tomatoes; I am limited the amount I can eat of potatoes and cannot eat tomatoes or peppers; same family. Wear rubber gloves? NB they are related to deadly nightshade hence the poison in green potatoes.

Thank you, Jude and Marigold, for your replies, and I am glad I not the completely odd one out! No, I suffer no ill effects whatsoever from eating potatoes (or any other vegetable in the same family), and, having brought up a large family on fairly restricted means, I must have peeled and scraped tons of potatoes over the years, but the trouble has only started about 2 years ago. Perhaps I am just becoming more sensitive in my old age!

The only other reaction I have had with potatoes is that, when scraping new potatoes, it sometimes affects my throat and I have to cough and splutter and my throat feels restricted. So, I am obviously sensitive to something in them.

I do try to wear gloves (closed-fitting, disposable ones) but it does feel rather odd. Anti-histamine creams afterwards also help.

Indeed yes, Monika; age brings some interesting new issues. Nothing surprises any more. It is very possible that you are becoming more and more sensitised; I am badly affected by nettles and each time I am in contact the reaction gets worse. Now the smallest touch results in a deep nerve ache that lasts days.

Surgical type gloves are good. Also are there any barrier creams that are not perfumed etc?

I almost never peel. Even for chips, just wash and slice, peel and all. Here in Ireland a tradition is to boil in their skins and peel at the table. Works well for mash etc too. Spear with a fork and peel the skin off easily.

Please sign and share my petition on Recognise Potato as an official food allergy. On change.org http://chng.it/WcmfFKwK thank you

Not an allergy I've heard of before.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articl ... to-allergy

Thank you for that link, Alan. I still have occasional problems, but it seems to depend on the potato variety! This year we grew 6 different varieties and grew them in identical conditions. If I remember rightly, only the two earlies affected me but not the later ones which I am using now. I am now so used to the possible problem that I thoroughly wash my hands after handling any raw and peeled potatoes in order to minimise the rash.

I cannot peel potatoes, I get horrendous allergy symptoms if I do. Sneezing, coughing, and puffy itchy eyes. My Dh has to do the peeling, but usually, I just use them with the skins on.