Arugula is not considered low histamine. The Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI), one of the most widely referenced food compatibility databases, gives arugula (specifically wild rocket, Diplotaxis tenuifolia) a compatibility rating of 2 on a scale from 0 to 3, where 0 means well tolerated and 3 means very poorly tolerated. A score of 2 places arugula in the “poorly tolerated” category for people with histamine intolerance.
Why Arugula Scores Higher Than Expected
Many people assume all leafy greens are safe on a low histamine diet, but that’s not the case. Arugula belongs to the brassica family, and certain plants in this group can trigger histamine-related symptoms even if they don’t contain large amounts of histamine themselves. Some foods act as “histamine liberators,” meaning they prompt your body’s mast cells to release stored histamine rather than delivering it directly through the food. The SIGHI list flags arugula with an “L” designation, which stands for histamine liberator.
This distinction matters because you won’t find arugula registering high histamine levels in a lab test the way aged cheese or canned fish would. The problem isn’t histamine in the leaf itself. It’s what the compounds in arugula may do once they’re inside your body.
How Arugula Compares to Other Greens
If you’re building a salad-friendly rotation on a low histamine diet, the differences between greens are significant. Spinach, often cited as the leafy green to avoid, is classified as a medium histamine accumulator by dietitian Adriana Duelo’s food table, one of the more detailed clinical references for histamine intolerance. Chard, by contrast, falls into the low accumulation category and is generally better tolerated.
Lettuce varieties (romaine, butter lettuce, iceberg) are typically rated 0 on the SIGHI scale, making them the safest swap for arugula in salads. Other greens that tend to score well include bok choy and most fresh herbs like basil and parsley. The general guidance from Johns Hopkins’ low histamine diet protocol is that “most fresh vegetables” are lower in histamine, but it notes that individual tolerance varies, and it does not single out arugula as safe.
The Quercetin Factor
Arugula does contain one compound that’s interesting in the context of histamine: quercetin. Raw wild arugula provides roughly 66 mg of quercetin per 100 grams, which is a relatively high concentration compared to most vegetables. Quercetin is a plant flavonoid that has been studied for its ability to calm overactive immune responses, including stabilizing mast cells so they release less histamine.
This creates a bit of a paradox. Arugula contains a compound that may help with histamine issues, yet the food itself is flagged as a histamine liberator. In practice, the liberating effect likely outweighs any benefit from quercetin for most people with histamine intolerance, especially during an elimination phase. If you’re interested in quercetin’s benefits, capers (which contain over 230 mg per 100 grams) and red onions are better tolerated sources.
What About DAO Support?
Your body breaks down histamine primarily through an enzyme called diamine oxidase (DAO), which relies on vitamin C and vitamin B6 as cofactors. Arugula is not a meaningful source of either. One cup of raw arugula provides just 1.5 mg of vitamin C (about 2% of your daily needs) and 0.01 mg of vitamin B6 (less than 1%). So there’s no real DAO-supporting upside to offset arugula’s histamine liberator status.
For DAO cofactor support, better vegetable choices include bell peppers and broccoli for vitamin C, and potatoes and sweet potatoes for B6, all of which tend to score lower on histamine compatibility lists.
How to Test Your Own Tolerance
Histamine intolerance is highly individual. A SIGHI rating of 2 means most sensitive people react, but not everyone will. If you’ve completed an initial elimination phase (typically 2 to 4 weeks of strict low histamine eating) and your symptoms have stabilized, you can reintroduce arugula as a single new food and monitor for reactions over 24 to 48 hours.
Common symptoms to watch for include headaches, nasal congestion, skin flushing, digestive discomfort, or itching. If a small portion (half a cup or so) causes no issues, you may tolerate arugula in modest amounts. If symptoms flare, it’s worth removing it again and retesting after a few more weeks of stabilization. Keeping a food and symptom diary during reintroduction makes it much easier to spot patterns that would otherwise be easy to miss.