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Chinese cabbage (Napa)

Low histamine

Napa cabbage is low in histamine when fresh, but fermentation (like in kimchi) changes that significantly.

Fresh Napa cabbage is generally well-tolerated because it hasn't undergone the bacterial processes that build up histamine.

  • Fresh vs. fermented — as a raw or cooked vegetable, it sits comfortably low on the histamine scale; once fermented into kimchi or similar dishes, histamine levels climb steeply

  • Cooking it fresh — steaming or stir-frying keeps it in a safe zone, and it doesn't have any known histamine-releasing or DAO-blocking properties

If you enjoy Asian-inspired dishes, fresh Napa cabbage is a friendly swap for fermented versions.

Track your reactions to chinese cabbage (napa) in Histamine Tracker. Log meals and symptoms to spot the patterns that matter for your body.

For educational purposes only. Not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for personal guidance.

References

  1. SIGHI Food Compatibility List — SIGHI (2026)
  2. Histamine and histamine intolerance — Maintz & Novak (2007)
  3. Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art — Comas-Basté et al. (2020)
  4. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? — Sánchez-Pérez et al. (2021)
  5. Histamine Intolerance: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Beyond — Jochum (2024)
  6. Guideline on management of suspected adverse reactions to ingested histamine — Reese et al. (2021)