Background

• The cashew nut tree is native to Brazil and northern and western South America. European traders and explorers recorded its existence in 1578. The plant was taken from Brazil to India and East Africa, where it soon became naturalized. In 16th-Century Brazil, cashew fruits and their juice were taken by Europeans to treat fever, sweeten breath, and "conserve the stomach."
• Cashew nuts are commonly eaten as food around the world. Cashew nuts are a source of protein and fat and are eaten as is, lightly salted, or sugared. In certain areas of the world, other parts of the tree are also consumed, such as the leaf in Malaysia and the fruit in South America.
• The cashew nut tree, poison ivy, and poison oak are in the same botanical family, Anacardiaceae, and they share similar chemicals, which cause allergic contact dermatitis.
• Cashew has been used by many cultures as a treatment for diarrhea, although at this time, there is a lack of high-quality, controlled human trials to support its use for any indication.
• Cashew is used by various tribes throughout the Amazon rainforest for a variety of indications. The Tikuna tribe in the northwest Amazon region uses the juice of the cashew to protect against influenza and as a treatment for diarrhea. The Wayãpi tribe in Guyana uses a bark tea as a colic remedy for infants. In Brazil, a bark tea is used as a douche for vaginal discharge and as an astringent to stop bleeding after a tooth extraction.
• The Cuna Indians of Central America used the bark in herb teas for asthma, colds, and congestion.

References

1. Chakraborty S, Roy M, Taraphdar AK, et al. Cytotoxic effect of root extract of Tiliacora racemosa and oil of Semecarpus anacardium nut in human tumour cells. Phytother Res 2004;18(8):595-600. View Abstract
2. Clark AT, Anagnostou K, Ewan PW. Cashew nut causes more severe reactions than peanut: case-matched comparison in 141 children. Allergy 2007;62(8):913-916. View Abstract
3. Criado RF, Criado PR, Malaman F, et al. Nonoccupational allergic contact dermatitis to cashew nut simulating photosensitivity eczema. Am J Contact Dermat 2002;13(2):85-86. View Abstract
4. Davoren M, Peake J. Cashew nut allergy is associated with a high risk of anaphylaxis. Arch Dis Child 2005;90(10):1084-1085. View Abstract
5. Ferdman RM, Ong PY, Church JA. Pectin anaphylaxis and possible association with cashew allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2006;97(6):759-760. View Abstract
6. Goncalves JL, Lopes RC, Oliveira DB, et al. In vitro anti-rotavirus activity of some medicinal plants used in Brazil against diarrhea. J Ethnopharmacol 2005;99(3):403-407. View Abstract
7. Inomata N, Osuna H, Ikezawa Z. [Oral allergy syndrome due to cashew nuts in the patient without pollinosis]. Arerugi 2006;55(1):38-42. View Abstract
8. Menezes EA, Tome ER, Nunes RN, et al. Extracts of Anacardium occidentale (cashew) pollen in patients with allergic bronchial asthma. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2002;12(1):25-28. View Abstract
9. Phan TG, Strasser SI, Koorey D, et al. Passive transfer of nut allergy after liver transplantation. Arch Intern Med 2003;163(2):237-239. View Abstract
10. Pieters M, Oosthuizen W, Jerling JC, et al. Clustering of haemostatic variables and the effect of high cashew and walnut diets on these variables in metabolic syndrome patients. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 2005;16(6):429-437. View Abstract
11. Rance F, Dutau G. [Asthma and food allergy: report of 163 pediatric cases]. Arch Pediatr 2002;9 Suppl 3:402s-407s. View Abstract
12. Rance F, Bidat E, Bourrier T, et al. Cashew allergy: observations of 42 children without associated peanut allergy. Allergy 2003;58(12):1311-1314. View Abstract
13. Schutte AE, Van Rooyen JM, Huisman HW, et al. Modulation of baroreflex sensitivity by walnuts versus cashew nuts in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Am J Hypertens 2006;19(6):629-636. View Abstract
14. Singh D, Aggarwal A, Mathias A, et al. Immunomodulatory activity of Semecarpus anacardium extract in mononuclear cells of normal individuals and rheumatoid arthritis patients. J Ethnopharmacol 2006;108(3):398-406. View Abstract
15. Weber C. Eliminate infection (abscess) in teeth with cashew nuts. Med Hypotheses 2005;65(6):1200. View Abstract