I started to get a bitter taste in my mouth after eating. At first I thought I was going to die so I Googled on it – how many people a minute go through that process! My scatter gun approach to diagnosis came up with a series of suggestions. I either had jaundice or I was diabetic or I had eaten pine nuts (possibly from China) in the last few days. My skin isn’t yellow and my pee isn’t orange and I am not thirsty all the time but I had eaten a new kind of pine nut in the last few days so the third option looks like it warrants attention. After Googling start blogging.
There is a very short scientific-like paper out there Taste disturbances after pine nut ingestion. In the initial case the pine nuts were oxidized and not fit for consumption but six other cases are mentioned and it is not clear if these were oxidized. A test subject also consumed two portions of nuts which I guess they wouldn’t do if they were oxidized. Importantly there was no fungal contamination, no pesticide contamination and they didn’t know what species of tree the nuts were from but they had come from China.
The wikipedia pine nut page currently summarises and has a few links to discussion groups where the effect is mentioned.
Now I eat pine nuts a lot (I am a veggie) and this is the first time this has happened. It is also the first time I have had ‘Baby’ pine nuts which were sold as being small. My theory is that these are actually a different species of pine nut. This would be fun to investigate.
What candidates do we have among commonly eaten pine nut species ( according to Wikipedia)
Pinus gerardiana, known as the Chilgoza Pine, ‘noosa’, or ‘neoza’, is a pine native to the northwestern Himalaya in eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwest India, growing at elevations between 1800-3350 m. It often occurs in association with Blue Pine (Pinus wallichiana) and Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara).(Wikipedia) – This is a possible one. Are its seeds smaller than P. koraiensis I wonder?
Pinus koraiensis is Korean Pine. It is native to eastern Asia, Manchuria, far eastern Russia, Korea and central Japan. Korean Pine differs from the closely related Siberian Pine in having larger cones with reflexed scale tips, and longer needles. The seeds are extensively harvested and sold as pine nuts, particularly in northeastern China; it is the most widely traded pine nut in international commerce. – Very likely. (Wikipedia)
Pinus pinea Stone Pine (or Umbrella Pine) Native of Southern Europe in the Mediterranean region (Wikipedia) – not likely contender.
Pinus edulis Colorado Pinyon or Two-needle Pinyo is native to the United States and so not likely contender.
Pinus cembroides Mexican Pinyon – mexican so not likely to bother us.
Pinus monophylla Single-leaf Pinyon – USA native so not likely to bother us.
Looks like there are two contenders. Common things happen commonly so I have probably been eating P. koraiensis for years as it is the most commonly traded. Perhaps these new seeds are P. gerardiana?
I will investigate further.
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1,515 Responses to “Bitter taste after eating for days – caused by pine nuts?”
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How long does this awful taste last – I need to know worst case scenario! I am only on my second day of suffering.
I will never eat them again.
I bought pine-nuts from New World in Auckland, NZ. The day after I had a handful of them in pesto I developed all the same symptoms discussed here. It’s only the second day for me – here’s hoping it doesn’t last 10 days like some people have experienced!!
Isn’t it funny how the human mind works?! We all thought we were dying! This is by far the nastiest thing I have had medically happen to me. I too have eaten pine nuts before without any problems. So as everyone else has done I went googling. I was just as relieved to find an answer to what was happening to my taste buds. My husband and I tried to play detective too thinking maybe we had some sort of gas leak in the house or something. The nuts we consumed came from a local Giant Eagle and shocker, they too were from China! No wonder they all stay so skinny in China!! Who wants to eat with this awful aftertaste to follow?!!!! Anyway I am relieved and yet nervous to know if there are any long term affects from this “poisoning”. Just wanted to note that along with the bitter taste after eating my tongue also felt a little numb. Weird!!! have we all been poisoned or will we be ok??? We need answers!!!
OMG this has to be it. I ate pine nuts 2 days ago and now everything has this taste. I NEVER eat pine nuts….
A dirnk of bitter before a meal improves the flavour of the meal
OMG! I am so relieved that I am not really sick. I can’t believe this strange phenomenon. I eat a lot of pesto so it is difficult to pin point but it was either when I had pesto at a restaurant on Tues or at our work canteen on Weds. I had the bitter taste on Fri morning when I had my breakfast. Thought that I was going crazy. The hairspray taste is a good description. Especially bad with wine which is a real pain. Thanks for sharing – these comments have made me laugh with relief! Don’t think I will be giving up pesto though.
I had Pesto Tuesday & Wednesday, also ate some pine nuts out of the package. Friday evening (dinner was fine) drank some wine later and said it was horrible. This morning, coffee was bitter and finally, everything I tasted was bad. I liken it to bile or a bitter tree bark. After the google search with all the bad things it could be, I was overjoyed to find the pine nuts the culprit. Interestingly, so far, none of the other 11 people at dinner have had a problem.
@Kathy
Despite a recent colonoscopy and recently good bloodwork and a clean bill health of health in general, I was convinced I had some gastrointestenal disorder from this bitter taste in my mouth that has, so far lasted three days! I cook with pine nuts all the time, but on Wednesday night I made a delicious pasta dish with scallops and pinenuts. On Thursday we ate leftovers. My husband had it to. He had no problems. Friday morning the bitter taste began. (I thought the milk in my cereal was sour). We bought the pine nuts from the grocery store (Also Badja brand cause they’re cheaper!)but from this blog, I don’t think it makes a difference. You have a bad one, and that’s all it takes! Good to know I am physically (and mentally) OK. Everyone else thinks I’m nuts (no pun intended) and I am tired of complaining about the disgusting taste I keep on having! I hope this ends soon. I love food way too much!
@Sue Yu
I actually roasted my pinenuts before I cooked them and still got the bitter taste, so I don’t think it matters whether they are cooked or raw. If you get a bad one, you get a bad one.
My ‘Pine mouth’lasted about four days,i was thinking the bitter taste was due to a cold i was suffering from so when the taste went i was relieved.Only thing was i hadn’t heard of Pine Mouth last week so on Friday i had another handful of my Seed Mix and now i’ve re-infected myself!!! Thanks to google i was able to discover it was the pine nuts and i wasn’t dying after all!I think i’ll be avoiding them after all this though!Just hope it goes as quick.
I have found that eating highly spicy, hot salsa mixed into soup is palatable until after it is gone, at least. Also, strong peppermint Altoids help as long as you are eating it – when gone, bitter comes back.
I wish someone would try to do a study to find out if there are some common ailments, medicines or other foods that might trigger this in some but not all of those who get it. Others in our group didn’t eat it 2 days in a row and I may have been the only one to eat them raw. Also, they were from China.
Txting from UK . Same problem for me – I incorporate pinenuts in the w/meal bread I make myself (machune) and have never had any symptoms before, suddenly did – ghastly !!
On a recommendation, may have been here,I have been eating a big tub of live “bio yoghurt” for the last 5 days, – tesco’s actually, rhubarb, cant remember the maker, but comes in 450g tubs, very nice – and symptoms nowhere near as bad. Looks to be working.
Bit worrying in that this can also be a symptom of diabetes, but had tests and heard nowt, so presume it isnt that that thank goodness.
Thank you for thIS fORUM, AS SAID ELSEWHERE IT IS REASSURING TO KNOW OTHERS HAVE THIS PROBLEM.
tHERE SEEMS A DEFINITE LINK = HOWEVER TENUOUS – TO PINE NUTS.
Oops, sorry bout caps !
Add me to the list. Cento Pine Nuts bought at Giant Foods in Charlottesville, VA. Distributed by Cento Fine Foods of Thorofare, N.J.
Have spent the past 6 days worrying that i had been poisened by my aftershave or perhaps my girlfriend!! he he, couldn’t get rid of the wierd taste in my mouth just thought i’d swallowed some and this was the reason for the taste but 6 days on and I still have it, was getting a bit freaked out. Anyway well please when i found this info as it has put my mind at rest…
This is truly unbelievable! I am so relieved to have an answer to this horrible taste in my mouth – and better yet, an idea of when it will end! I had a pasta salad over the weekend that had the baby pine nuts in it – lots of them…And I love them! Phooey…Never again!
What a relief. Thanks for this advice.. I was convinced I had mercury poisoning or worse. After a pasta with pine nuts on Sunday night, (and leftovers for lunch on Monday) my foul taste started about 24 hours later.. I thought the chicken I was eating was contaminated with disinfectant or something. Two days on and everything is so disgusting, I am barely eating.. perhaps I may shed a few kilos while this bitterness lasts.
Geees! Thank goodness for you and all the comments people left! Thought I was degenerating from the inside somehow! This is terrible! I am starving – eating is hardly possible! When will the misery end…. day 2 and counting
Happened to me too! Made a WONDERFUL salad, added some pine nuts and now can’t get rid of the bitter taste (only starts when I’m eating or drinking. Will start on the pro-biotics
PINE NUTS!! Ugh…I will never eat them again! I polished off a bag the other night mixed with sunflower seed, pecans, walnuts and almonds. I went out the following night with friends and had a small glass of red wine. The next day I heated up a pot roast cooked the day before and when I ate my dinner everything tasted bitter, especially on the back of my tongue! I thought the roast went bad in the fridge so I threw it out to the ground hog and foxes that frequent my back yard for scraps. That was almost a $30.00 meal gone to the wild animals. lol
OMG…it’s been 4 days now and I still have that bitter, almost metalic taste! I feel great, no pains, no indigestion, no headache just that friggin’ bitter taste that makes everything I put in my mouth taste horrible. This has never happened to me, ever, and I have alway put pine nuts on my salads. I hope it goes away soon. Is there any way to get this sh*t out of my system and out of my mouth quickly? It tastes like I somehow got hairspray in my mouth. I will never eat pine nuts again and I love them, but this taste is not worth them! ICK
Another for your files. Had a grilled salmon salad with pesto and a ton of pine nuts at a restaurant in Evanston, IL, on Friday, and finished the leftovers over the next day or two. Monday night everything started tasting horribly bitter, especially towards the back of my tongue. It’s Wednesday now, and no change, so I googled my symptoms and found sites like this one. I called the restaurant to let them know they might have a bad batch of pine nuts, but they person I talked to didn’t know where their pine nuts came from or what type they were. They were raw, not toasted, by the way. So far the only relief is to drink lots of water. Will try the yogurt suggestion though. Couldn’t be any worse!
Made a new dish Sunday, broccoli with pine nuts and grated Parmesan cheese. It was a hit, until Tuesday when I started noticing that a muffin I was eating had a bitter aftertaste, which got worse with time. At dinner that night, my red wine tasted unspeakably bad. Bought the nuts at Bulk Barn in Truro, Nova Scotia. By today, Wednesday, everything pretty much tastes like soap. This is pretty unpleasant, but it’s also kind of fascinating. I hope someone figures out what causes this and what, if anything, can be done to reverse it.
Well, add me to the list too! After several days of bitter taste in my mouth i was certain I had a tumor or ALS or toxic fish poisoning. What a huge relief to discover it was just the PineNuts. And, of course, they are from China (despite the name Pignoli on the label, which sounds Italian.) Straight into the trash with the rest of these.
Me too! Ate them out of the Trader Joe’s bag on Saturday,and made pesto. Sunday morning – everything tasted bitter. It’s been 4 days now and it’s subsiding. Thanks to Dr. Google I felt like I wasn’t going crazy. The bag stated that the nuts were from “Russia, Vietnam or Korea” So not the domestic variety. I will now be a choosy shopper.(wasted all that basil!)
I am amazed and relieved my problem could be resolved, i had lamb with pine nuts which i cooked myself on sunday by monday i have had a bad taste in my mouth so i googled it and all these symptoms came up which i was getting worried about, then i came across this site i still have the bad taste and hoping it will go away soon. I wont be eating pine nuts again!!!
I too have this! I thought I was pregnant again as I got the same bitter taste when I was pregnant with my first. Alas I’m not and ate stupid pine nuts! It must have been just one dodgy one as I’ve been eating from the same packet for the last few weeks. Glad I’m not the only one but am really annoyed as I have a bottle of Gerwurtstraminer in the fridge which just tastes disgusting!
I’ve been on a Vegetarian diet for two months now, and the other day I had Pine Nuts (I don’t know what kind or where they are from because I no longer have the packaging). Although I have had them before, (in Italian cookies, ect.) they have not been a real part of my diet until recently. Anyways, today I noticed a distinct bitter taste in my mouth that would not go away no matter what I ate or drank. Good to know the underlying reason for this awful taste and that I’m not going to croak and that my husband is not trying to poison me (joking)! Thanks for the informative article!
I am so relieved that I am not the only one that has this bitter taste in my mouth. I was so worried until I googled “bitter aftertaste” and found this page. I had about 20 pine nuts for lunch two days ago; I purchased the pine nuts from Whole Foods-their brand 365 product of China distributed to Whole Foods in Austin, Texas. I called the store manager, but he said I should call their headquarters, which I will do as soon as morning comes.
Thank goodness for this info from everyone, I too am a victim I guess. Couldn’t figure out what this taste was from, going over everything I ate yesterday because I began to get the taste last night after eating a few chips and some vitamin water. Ignored it, it was late, but today wow like everything I ate or drank was soaked in rubbing alcohol. Now funny this was the first time we had pine nuts in our kitchen, so I through some in a chicken dish for my husband, and only tasted that, but the next day I went out to lunch and had chicken and pasta in a pesto cream sauce! Ah Ha! It must have been that, it is the only logical explanation. Does that mean that I (we all) are allergic to the nut….why does it only affect some? Anyone know…I have had pesto before and never had the problem. Or just a bad nut in the mix!
I would love to know what to do…yogurt…any thing else…and how long could this be? I think I lost weight already…I certainly don’t want to eat, the after each bite taste is horrible. And my husbands the one trying to lose weight go figure!
Well,i left a comment a few days ago and am now pleased to say my taste buds have returned to normal.5 days in total.So rest assured that if you’ve got Pine mouth it will go eventually!There seems to be a lot of you in America,i’m from the uk.I wonder if there has ever been any cover on this subject in the press or on tv?My local pharmacist didn’t have a clue about it and was fascinated.Asda are carrying out testing on the product i ate from so i’ll keep you posted.
@Ali
Hi Ali, You should read my comments on 11th & 17th. Feb. on this site. It is worth reporting every problem to the Food standards agency.
Also I am considering writing to the BBC One show who may well be interested in discussing this.I also have a contact with Simon Rimmer (something for the Weekend) and intend to e-mail him before the Sunday show
Good Luck Theresa
This is so strange. I also noticed a bitter taste in mouth only after eating or drinking on monday 22nd. After 2 days of this I googled it(like everybody else!) and found the info on pine nuts. And yes you guessed it, i had made pesto the day before. plus ate a couple handfulls of the nuts. My nuts came from Trader Joes. Have also found on the blogs that they are aware of this problem but have not found and explanation yet. So this is my 5th day and its still with me. Hope it goes away soon.
Me too me too! I had Sabra hummus with roasted pinenuts and for the last few days everything I eat has a horrible aftertaste particularly, like some of you have mentioned at the back of my tongue. I have a cold too, and I’ve never had this happen from post nasal drip alone. this is the third day. UgHH
Well Like everyone else I started having this taste in my mouth after I eat its been two days now. It could make me quit drinking wine the taste plus wine is like eating dish soap. After reading this I realized I ate a whole small bottle of pine nuts thought they were so good but goodness they must be poison I hope it doesnt last to long
Yuck Pine Nuts!!! I was starting to think something is really wrong
I have the same thing with pine nuts from ASDA, interestingly i cooked a meal with this same bag of pine nuts and had no problems but i found it in the cupboard the other day and ate a few, sure enough the next day i got the bitter taste.Possibly something to do with storage??
Theresa,I had a letter back from Asda yesterday,and i wasn’t surprised to discover that they had just included info from the F.S.A website!To be honest it made me cross,and a little frustrated.Obviously thousands of people are suffering from this,and until you find out what causes the bitter taste you worry that you’ve got something awful! So yes i’m in agreement with you…a bit of coverage on this would be great.Thanks for your interest anyway!
I bought a bag of dry roasted pignolias (bag says that they are a product of Korea or Russia) from Trader Joe’s yesterday and ate several handfuls before I served them on a salad to 9 guests. I have been experiencing an increasing bitter taste in my mouth especially when eating. I am so glad I did a google search and found this website/blog. I am also happy to hear that my taste buds will eventually return to normal and I can stop worrying that I have a brain tumor or some other strange condition. Since this seems to be prevalent, I wonder if I should contact Trader Joe’s to make them aware of the situation.
This sour taste thing happened to me August 09 and I posted comment at the time, takes about 7 days to clear up. I purchased pine nuts in Brisbane Australia(on the container was noted “Packaged in Australia from imported ingredents”)Have not eaten pine nuts since and have never experienced the sour taste in my mouth again….Regards Ray
Had pine nuts Thursday …. Never had anything like this… Wine and food tastes horrific! Can’t enjoy anything and if I try eating I get a horrendous headache after. I thought I had mouth cancer till I saw this website. Thanks for the re assurance but please make it go away!!!! Four days now and counting … Hey though it should ve sold as an appetite suppressant … Lost half a stone but I’m missing my food.
((
I ate two handfuls of pine nuts from Whole Foods and sure enough, about a day later (perhaps even sooner), everything leaves a nasty bitter aftertaste. Hard to describe really. I have eaten pine nuts many times in the past with no adverse effects. Of note: these did not have a country of origin listed on them so I can’t tell exactly but I know Whole Foods many times sources items from China – their frozen strawberries in particular. On day three now and just about as bad as day one although slightly better, I think. Nothing tastes right and while it goes away after I stop eating for a while, it is almost like it gives food a lingering -BAD- aftertaste for a good 10 – 20 minutes. Apple juice in particular tastes different going down and then has a horrible aftertaste for a while. I ate them raw, but don’t think it makes a difference.
I too prepared a recipe using pine nuts, and two days later experienced a very bitter taste in my mouth…Thank goodness for Google, I thought I had a serious illness! I purchased the Badia brand at Publix, Tampa, FL. and am calling the Company to inform them…Think it is a bad import!
@Audrey
I too have this bitter, pepper sensitive taste in my mouth. I didn’t connect to my pine nuts from Trader Joes until I came across this site. I wonder if its the nuts themselves or are they sprayed with something. I sure hop this goes away soon.
Very interesting to read all these comments re pine nuts. I am just another sufferer who suddenly wondered if anyone else might have experienced this phenomenon. My wife and I have had this bitter taste for four days now and were about to ring the gas company to see if it could be caused by the boiler giving off Carbon Monoxide.
All I can say is I’m relieved we’re not alone and, yes, we had a large dose of pine nuts on Saturday.
So far it’s cost two bottles of good wine which became ‘undrinkable’, a delicious bean chilli (which we assumed had somehow gone off in the freezer and a couple of bowls of mixed muesli, various bananas, pineapples and even roast potatoes. Very strange but now forewarned.
What a relief! I’m glad I continued to Google my symptoms. I came across one diagnosis which talked about a throat or sinus infection or possibly a lesion on your brain. In a panic, I was about to call my doctor before I came across this site. I recently became unemployed and was making a lot of beautiful dinners for my husband (salads with pine nuts) and most recently made a batch of southwestern cinnamon rolls with pine nuts and chili cinnamon. I’ve had a cinnamon roll every day for 4 days straight. Not looking forward to this awful taste in my mouth lasting much longer. Funny thing how the taste only appears when I eat or drink something. Otherwise it completely disappears for a while.
ME TOO! Phew, ive not got some horrible illness…its Pine mouth
I think i’ll follow suit and make some complaints. I bought my pine nuts from my local Morrisons, UK, (own brand)and have now had this awful bitter taste for 3 days. Hoping it goes soon as EVERYTHING tastes nasty. All i can say is thank goodness for Google!!
Thank you to all of you. I was just about to go and see a doctor. I thought that there was something wrong with me. I cooked with Pine nuts on saturday and have been eating them raw believing a was being healthy only to have this horrid taste in my mouth!
I have just binned the ones left over. Thank you! Thank you ! Thank you
Thank goodness for the plethora of info. on the internet! I too thought I had contracted some weird sickness and then read about Pine Mouth. We had pine nuts in salad on Sunday, so it makes perfect sense. Whew! Not looking forward to everything tasting like bile for up to 2 weeks, but glad I’m not dying or something. =)
I eat some pasta with pinenuts today for lunch….and the bitter taste start straigh away…hope this end soon….
Same for me.Bought a triple berry seed mix from ASDA -(English supermarket) -have had a bitter taste for the last week.Have eaten pine nuts before and often have Pesto with no ill effects.Pine nuts in berry mix do look small but there is no country of origin on the packaging.
OMG!! What a relief. Everything I’ve been eating this week has tasted terrible!! I was starting to get nervous. Then I read this. I had Pine Nuts in my salad on Tuesday. That was a first for me. Hopefully this doesn’t last much longer!
Thank you so much for finally answering my question. I’ve been moaning about this taste in my mouth since late friday evening (a week ago today)i ate a large handful of pine nuts on friday lunchtime they were from a british supermarket and i think they were from china . the taste is exactly the same as that nail biting solution you can use as a deterent to biting. It is fasinating how a natural product can have such a radical effect on your taste .It comes immidiatley on tasting the minutest piece of food or drink and totally spoiles it !!!!!!!!!!
Mine is still here and its been a week !At least I’m not ill. thanks