Is asparagus high in histamine?
Asparagus is mostly low in histamine: five lab samples averaged 0.34 mg/kg, with traces in only a few, but putrescine, a related amine, averaged 13.08 mg/kg.
- Histamine
- Varies by sample
- Other amines
- Notable levels
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | Average 0.34 mg/kg in 5 samples, highest 1.42 mg/kg; putrescine averaged 13.08 mg/kg. |
| Review of amines in plant foods, 2018 1 | Histamine was found in only a few asparagus samples, all below 2 mg/kg. | |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 2 | Asparagus is not on the review's chart of foods the diets exclude. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asparagus sold in Spain 1 (Table 1, row "Asparagus (wheat)") | 5 | mean 0.34 mg/kg, range nd–1.42 mg/kg | putrescine mean 13.08 mg/kg (8.58–16.27); tyramine mean 0.69 mg/kg; cadaverine mean 0.12 mg/kg |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
The study did not say how old the asparagus was or whether it was fresh or jarred, and no study we use followed amines in asparagus during storage. Heat does not destroy histamine, and in one study boiling did not lower the putrescine in asparagus.
Traces of histamine in a few of 5 samples; putrescine averaged 13.08 mg/kg. (measured)
Histamine was not tested after cooking; boiling did not lower putrescine in one study. (estimate)
Not measured separately; the paper does not say which form it tested. (estimate)
Why we rate asparagus 1
Asparagus is one of three vegetables, with pumpkin and chard, in which a University of Barcelona team found small amounts of histamine. They tested five samples of asparagus sold in Spain. Histamine averaged 0.34 mg/kg: some samples had none and the highest had 1.42 mg/kg. The authors describe these as very low levels, found in only a few samples. For comparison, tomato averaged 2.51 mg/kg in the same work and spinach 31.77 mg/kg, so even the highest asparagus sample sat below the tomato average.
The other amines were low except one. Tyramine averaged 0.69 mg/kg and cadaverine 0.12 mg/kg, but putrescine averaged 13.08 mg/kg, ranging from 8.58 to 16.27 mg/kg. Some researchers think putrescine competes with histamine for DAO, the gut enzyme that breaks histamine down, but that idea rests on old laboratory and animal studies.
Five samples is a small number, and no other study in the team's 2018 review reported amines in asparagus, so these are the only figures we have. The table labels the row "Asparagus (wheat)" and does not say whether the spears were green or white, fresh or jarred.
Cooking changes little. Histamine is not destroyed by heat. A study cited in the same review found that boiling lowered putrescine in spinach, cauliflower, chard, potato and green beans by moving it into the water, but had no effect on putrescine in asparagus. Histamine in cooked asparagus was not measured.
Asparagus does not appear among the foods charted as excluded by the ten published low-histamine diets in the team's 2021 review. Because that chart covers only some foods, we say that no diet in our sources excludes it, not that all ten allow it.
We rate asparagus 1, "mostly low". Histamine turned up in some samples at trace levels, which on our scale is a 1. Its putrescine is above the 10 mg/kg average that would move a 0 up one step, but that cannot push asparagus higher than 1. The review's general advice for plant foods applies: buy them as fresh as possible and use them soon.
Questions about asparagus and histamine
Does asparagus contain histamine?
Only traces, and only in some samples. Five asparagus samples sold in Spain averaged 0.34 mg/kg, and the highest had 1.42 mg/kg, which is below the tomato average of 2.51 mg/kg.
Does boiling asparagus lower histamine?
It has not been tested. One study found that boiling lowered putrescine in several vegetables by moving it into the water, but not in asparagus.
Evidence behind this page
- Five asparagus samples sold in Spain averaged 0.34 mg/kg of histamine (not detected to 1.42 mg/kg), 13.08 mg/kg of putrescine and 0.69 mg/kg of tyramine. 1
- The 2018 review reports that histamine in asparagus, pumpkin and chard was found in only a few samples and at very low levels, under 2 mg/kg. 1
- In a study cited by the 2018 review, boiling lowered putrescine in spinach, cauliflower, chard, potato and green beans, but had no effect on putrescine in asparagus. 1
- Asparagus does not appear among the foods charted as excluded by ten published low-histamine diets. 2
Sources
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Rabell-González J, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Biogenic Amines in Plant-Origin Foods: Are They Frequently Underestimated in Low-Histamine Diets? Foods 7(12):205, 2018. doi:10.3390/foods7120205 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2018)
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients 13(5):1395, 2021. doi:10.3390/nu13051395 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2021)
- Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). Food compatibility list for histamine intolerance. histaminintoleranz.ch (accessed November 2026), 2026. Link (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) 2026)