Hey Cilantro group, I got back from Jamaica and the chef had cilantro waiting for me at the resort! I ate it raw all week! My Grover's only broke out after working out. It healed quickly. I ate it raw morning and night. Now that I am back home I make a smoothie with cilantro, a banana, 3-4 strawberries, almond milk, and 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter. The smoothies definitely taste better than raw, but raw is doable! My rash is 80-90% gone.

Cilantro Club: Something is happening that I never thought possible. I am addicted to the smoothies! Although I am still not a fan of the cilantro taste, I now realize how quickly a smoothie can be made with using pre-frozen amounts of cilantro, bananas, strawberries and sometimes cherries and blueberries. I am still using unsweetened almond/cashew milk with almond coconut milk and almond chocolate milk. Freezing the cilantro in small baggies is a great idea. Nothing to chop. Just smash it up while still in the bag and dump in the blender. Still including stems. Now I can buy a few bunches at a time and just wash and separate. My next step will be to add some protein powder. I'm still on whole 30 so no peanut butter for me. As for the Grover's, if I get even one new itchy bugger I increase the cilantro and add more liquid and banana to help with the taste. I have discovered that I would rather drink two full glasses of weak tasting than one glass of very strong tasting cilantro. My gratitude again to all of you.

Fantastic! I can make 2 glass fulls with half a bunch. So I drink one smoothie and put the other (in a travel mug with lid) in refrigerator for the next day. That amount is keeping the Grover’s away for now. My wife was skeptical of cilantro until she read about all the health benefits. Now she’s a believer too.

I been in the cilantro smoothie club for 12 days now. Still tough to swallow, but I am used to it. I have stayed with half a bunch thus far. Symptom wise, i frankly don't know. The itching seems to have been reduced – the rash not so much – i have lots of red dots as of late, but very few raised (never had more than about 8 raised). I have the Grover's symptoms with less rash and more itching – especially on the back. The red dots are underneath my pecs. I was thinking of using more than a half a bunch to see if the rash actually goes away but not sure i can stomach that much more cilantro in my smoothie. Want to get it in one glass vs two. Will keep you all posted. So happy its working for many of you.

Did you try blending with fruit yogurt and orange juice? That makes it actually taste decent…to me. Hope things go well.

Yes – i dull it with OJ and some strawberry banana smoothie mix. It tastes like cilantro with a little OJ and Strawberry banana smoothie mix. If i hold my nose, i can get it down in a few big gulps.

@mariannj

Cilantro Club: Something is happening that I never thought possible. I am addicted to the smoothies! Although I am still not a fan of the cilantro taste, I now realize how quickly a smoothie can be made with using pre-frozen amounts of cilantro, bananas, strawberries and sometimes cherries and blueberries. I am still using unsweetened almond/cashew milk with almond coconut milk and almond chocolate milk. Freezing the cilantro in small baggies is a great idea. Nothing to chop. Just smash it up while still in the bag and dump in the blender. Still including stems. Now I can buy a few bunches at a time and just wash and separate. My next step will be to add some protein powder. I'm still on whole 30 so no peanut butter for me. As for the Grover's, if I get even one new itchy bugger I increase the cilantro and add more liquid and banana to help with the taste. I have discovered that I would rather drink two full glasses of weak tasting than one glass of very strong tasting cilantro. My gratitude again to all of you.

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I just bought some more cilantro and will freeze a bunch to try it. I am having great success keeping it a week by rinsing the cilantro and letting the leaves dry and bit and then trimming the ends by 1 inch and putting in a jar with a few inches of water and topping it will a plastic bag with holes in it and keeping it in the refrigerator. I change the water every 2 days and it easily lasts a week.
I also am making a double batch sometimes and drinking the extra the next day as frogger does.

I am reporting my progress to inspire others, now after 2 1/2 months am 95% better. Hang in there if you are newly in the club and keep drinking the smoothy for several months before you give up. I am surprised I am not reverting because I am now gardening again, although coming in by noon to not overdo still the heat and sweat is not triggering a new outbreak. I don't care that the pink papuale scars have not faded. I still have a few dozen scabs hanging on my back lower torso. What I care about is that the itching and pain are almost gone. For me the pain was more intense than the itching. As I have mentioned I couldn't lay on my back or sit back in a chair. Even driving I had to hunch over the steering wheel. Right now I am laying on my back in my bed typing this.

@mariannj

Cilantro Club: Something is happening that I never thought possible. I am addicted to the smoothies! Although I am still not a fan of the cilantro taste, I now realize how quickly a smoothie can be made with using pre-frozen amounts of cilantro, bananas, strawberries and sometimes cherries and blueberries. I am still using unsweetened almond/cashew milk with almond coconut milk and almond chocolate milk. Freezing the cilantro in small baggies is a great idea. Nothing to chop. Just smash it up while still in the bag and dump in the blender. Still including stems. Now I can buy a few bunches at a time and just wash and separate. My next step will be to add some protein powder. I'm still on whole 30 so no peanut butter for me. As for the Grover's, if I get even one new itchy bugger I increase the cilantro and add more liquid and banana to help with the taste. I have discovered that I would rather drink two full glasses of weak tasting than one glass of very strong tasting cilantro. My gratitude again to all of you.

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What type of protein powder will you use? Most are whey, as cheese byproduct and I believe you are avoiding dairy.

@gardeningjunkie

What type of protein powder will you use? Most are whey, as cheese byproduct and I believe you are avoiding dairy.

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I bought plant based vegan, no dairy, sugar, grains and gluten free. It is chocolate and I compared several cans of it. Made it this morning and I couldn't even taste the cilantro, but something was amiss. There was this little "kick" so I read all the ingredients again and it has STEVIA, for gosh sakes. In addition, it has "natural flavors", which is a no-no for me. I will give this can away to one of my daughters. I am determined to stick to my plan till I get to my desired weight. But, boy oh boy, it was more chocolatey than cilantroish.

@mariannj

I bought plant based vegan, no dairy, sugar, grains and gluten free. It is chocolate and I compared several cans of it. Made it this morning and I couldn't even taste the cilantro, but something was amiss. There was this little "kick" so I read all the ingredients again and it has STEVIA, for gosh sakes. In addition, it has "natural flavors", which is a no-no for me. I will give this can away to one of my daughters. I am determined to stick to my plan till I get to my desired weight. But, boy oh boy, it was more chocolatey than cilantroish.

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The only sweetener allowed for me is Stevia, yet my diet is not for weight control- it is for yeast detoxing and is anti-inflammatory. The protein powder you used sounds great on my plan. What brand did you use?
Inadvertently I have lost 10 lbs since I have been restricting gluten and sugars in October and can't go any lower in my weight without looking too thin. I do eat mainly meat, poultry and seafood plus an abundance of veggies. and unsalted almonds and walnuts. I do feel amazing and am not hungry. I added back carbs after initial 2 month detox (except gluten), but now think I may have to increase the volume as I seem to loose about another lb every month. I weight as much as I did in high school but at age 70 one needs to hang on to more weight.

Purchased it at Costco. If you lived closer, it would be yours now.

@gardeningjunkie

The only sweetener allowed for me is Stevia, yet my diet is not for weight control- it is for yeast detoxing and is anti-inflammatory. The protein powder you used sounds great on my plan. What brand did you use?
Inadvertently I have lost 10 lbs since I have been restricting gluten and sugars in October and can't go any lower in my weight without looking too thin. I do eat mainly meat, poultry and seafood plus an abundance of veggies. and unsalted almonds and walnuts. I do feel amazing and am not hungry. I added back carbs after initial 2 month detox (except gluten), but now think I may have to increase the volume as I seem to loose about another lb every month. I weight as much as I did in high school but at age 70 one needs to hang on to more weight.

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I just read all about Vega on the internet. Be sure to read the negative reviews before purchasing. With all your allergies it may not be the right one for you.

@gardeningjunkie

Did you know one commonality of those of us with GD is having another auto-immune disease? I had leukemia. Like you before my first major GD breakout that lasted a year I was itchy at the neck and bra area I always had to remove tags from clothing. Yet that could have been my Allergic Contact Dermatitis, ACD, causing it because I am allergic to blended fibers, so even if wearing a cotton shirt if the tag is blended I itch. i can't wear any elastic as it has an element of rubber in it. So wearing bras, unless 100% cotton is out. I kept thinking my torso itching was an allergic reaction and I was missing what I was exposed to as I have changed my mattress, clothing, grooming products and much more. I know now I had a combination of issues the GD and ACD.

Have you ever had the 5 Day Extended Patch Test for ACD? Medicare pays for this expense test which gave me the names of my allergic tormentors. Google this exact test as it is not the 30 minute prick test for environmental allergies. I ask this because now I have 3 forms of eczema, not realizing I had additional form/forms for years before learning I had added news one that required different treatment. GD is the hardest to deal with as it has a mind of it's own.

This new outbreak is mild so far compared to previous ones and I only have a few spots on front torso, previously that area would break out but never as severely as the back torso,

Your Whole 30 diet is more restrictive than the anti-inflammation diet I am on, yet there are many similarities. I started my detox in October as an anti-inflammation diet plan. Major success with my chronic yeast issues and this is the first year in the last 4 that I have not required a super scary shot for long term use, its a cortico-steroid (Kenalog 40) which I would get each Dec. So far I have none of the internal stinging and burning that would radiate throughout my body inside my skin that would begin about 10 months after my shot. I would make myself wait the full year, yet I have been told by others they get this shot more frequently. My diet kills off internal yeast (fed by all sugar and carbs) as yeast raises our inflammation, ie histamines that make us itch. Your diet will kill yeast also.

Like you, even with my safe clothing, it must be very soft. Most of us with fiber allergies are safe wearing 100% cotton (free of wrinkle free additives, Scothguard, fire retardent), 100% polyester, 100% silk. Make sure you don't wear any poly-cotton or other blended fibers.

Keep trying the cilantro. My new break out seems stalled. It's still have it in the early stages beginning about 1 1/2 months ago. Now going on 3 weeks of fresh cilantro, however by week 2 on cilantro my breakout wasn't advancing and is still mild. Yet with GD we have permanent cellular changes to our torso skin. There is no cure and hopefully we can keep the inflammation down so our symptoms are less severe or go into remission.

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@gradeningjunkie – I have an appointment to see my derm again next week and am requesting the patch test. My last visit did not give me any answers. Derm said he did not think it was Grover's and just thought allergies of some sort. I am still really itchy with this rash that comes and goes on different areas of my body but is specifically shows up more often on my inner elbow and forearm area and by lower stomach and on my lower back and buttocks. It does not seem to be the Grover's but I am not certain. No red bumps. It looks a little like hives but not exactly. My question to you is do you think it's common to have multiple itching rashes occur at or about the same time? I have NEVER had any skin allergy issues in all my 55 years prior to this. It just seems so odd. The Cilantro certainly struck down the itch and bumps of Grover's, and I was completely free of itching for over a month and still free of red bumps. But this new rash is almost as frustrating. Not quite as itchy but still annoying to be itchy all the time.

There are dozens of types of eczema and as I mentioned I have 3, Grover's is just one type. You may also have multiple forms. This confuses doctors as they often keep treating symptoms as they should for your originally diagnosed form. My ACD was absolutely the most miserable form I had (I still have as it is for life but am symptom free) and it was the first type I developed. My first symptom was hand eczema. Mainly because I turned out to be allergic to my dish soap (preservatives), protective gloves which had an element of rubber in them, MBT also I garden and used hoses with rubber and held them without protection. Now I use vinyl hoses or wear vinyl gloves if touching a rubber hose. I was also allergic to all my topical moisturizers, except plain old Vaseline. Even my linens if not 100% cotton. I am even allergic to 3 of the 5 classes of steroids. With each allergic contact your reaction time is less and the symptoms more severe. This test saved my life!!! I was ready to end it all because the 24/7 pain and itching escalated and became unbearable. Sleep was impossible. It progressed to where I became allergic to more and more elements, yes some of the allergic elements are natural. Yes rashes can spring up everywhere or you may have no rash symptoms to show but it internalizes and for me it felt like my nerves inside my skin were inflamed. I would get taser like stinging and burning randomly anywhere. Itching and stinging always worse at night as our histamines are elevated in the evening. ACD is probably the second most common form, after Atopic.
Like you I never had a skin allergy till middle age. Not even acne. For me it was around my menopause time at age 50. It's most common to get ACD later in life as our body looses it's ability to tolerate what it believes to be a poison. Your body is raising your histamine warriors trying to kill off what it considers poison, a common ACD allergy for those in the medical profession is latex. Working with many latex products for decades the nurses and doctors have been absorbing the latex though their skin. It goes into the blood stream and finally the body says "no more", raising histamines to try to purge it. Thus rashes, inflammation and itching. Your rash doesn't even have to be at the contact site because the element that is off gassing and transferring through your skin and has entered your bloodstream can manifest a histamine reaction anywhere. Perhaps this is why you develop rashes in random places. A common area of sensitivity is the inner elbow. Most derms recommend trying a new topical in the inner elbow for 2 weeks before putting else where on your body. Often this site will react the soonest to allergies.
Even if you test negative to anything, the test will give you direction. You will know to keep searching for the correct type of eczema If you are allergic and have ACD you can eliminate contacts and be ACD free like me because now you will have names of your tormentors.
Have you gone to the New Zealand Dermatology site and searched all the forms of eczema? You can view photos of each type and perhaps you will see a rash that looks like yours and that can help identify your type.

@gardeningjunkie

There are dozens of types of eczema and as I mentioned I have 3, Grover's is just one type. You may also have multiple forms. This confuses doctors as they often keep treating symptoms as they should for your originally diagnosed form. My ACD was absolutely the most miserable form I had (I still have as it is for life but am symptom free) and it was the first type I developed. My first symptom was hand eczema. Mainly because I turned out to be allergic to my dish soap (preservatives), protective gloves which had an element of rubber in them, MBT also I garden and used hoses with rubber and held them without protection. Now I use vinyl hoses or wear vinyl gloves if touching a rubber hose. I was also allergic to all my topical moisturizers, except plain old Vaseline. Even my linens if not 100% cotton. I am even allergic to 3 of the 5 classes of steroids. With each allergic contact your reaction time is less and the symptoms more severe. This test saved my life!!! I was ready to end it all because the 24/7 pain and itching escalated and became unbearable. Sleep was impossible. It progressed to where I became allergic to more and more elements, yes some of the allergic elements are natural. Yes rashes can spring up everywhere or you may have no rash symptoms to show but it internalizes and for me it felt like my nerves inside my skin were inflamed. I would get taser like stinging and burning randomly anywhere. Itching and stinging always worse at night as our histamines are elevated in the evening. ACD is probably the second most common form, after Atopic.
Like you I never had a skin allergy till middle age. Not even acne. For me it was around my menopause time at age 50. It's most common to get ACD later in life as our body looses it's ability to tolerate what it believes to be a poison. Your body is raising your histamine warriors trying to kill off what it considers poison, a common ACD allergy for those in the medical profession is latex. Working with many latex products for decades the nurses and doctors have been absorbing the latex though their skin. It goes into the blood stream and finally the body says "no more", raising histamines to try to purge it. Thus rashes, inflammation and itching. Your rash doesn't even have to be at the contact site because the element that is off gassing and transferring through your skin and has entered your bloodstream can manifest a histamine reaction anywhere. Perhaps this is why you develop rashes in random places. A common area of sensitivity is the inner elbow. Most derms recommend trying a new topical in the inner elbow for 2 weeks before putting else where on your body. Often this site will react the soonest to allergies.
Even if you test negative to anything, the test will give you direction. You will know to keep searching for the correct type of eczema If you are allergic and have ACD you can eliminate contacts and be ACD free like me because now you will have names of your tormentors.
Have you gone to the New Zealand Dermatology site and searched all the forms of eczema? You can view photos of each type and perhaps you will see a rash that looks like yours and that can help identify your type.

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