You can adjust any recipe to suit your own needs but obviously they won't come out quite the same.

Cloves I could see being an irritant, cimmamon much less so... I'd think if anything in a "curry" was causing problems it would be chilli !

Steve

I would be very surprised if spices were the cause, and as most of the GP's I've seen are not too good at anything special, I would question the diagnosis.

Cloves, or clove oil is a local anesthetic, cassia contains a 'blood thinning' agent, allspice is not Indian, and is not in genuine garam masalas.

Seeds in general could be a problem with people with Diverticulitis.

If the GP thinks spices is the problem, I would seek another opinion, you have the right (in the UK). My SIL was misdiagnosed, she had pneumonia earlier this year, and ended up in hospital, needless to say she doesn't see that one now.

Too often, a GP doesn't know the answer, and guesses, until, after several attempts, either gets it right, or the patient gets better, or doesn't, with horrible consequences.

It is a shame that people are deprived of things they love on just an unthinking/prejudiced comment from their GP about causes of possible allergy. Before people are deprived of things they love/like, a proper diagnosis of allergy should be made in my humble view. Or, only one thing should be withdrawn at a time. Now that you have already stopped all these things spicy anyway, one simple way of checking it is by introducing one of these at a time, for say two weeks, and see if any problems return. I would be surprised if they do. Lapis is right, people who do not eat Indian food have a fear of all things spicy, without actually understanding them. Chillies, perhaps even black peppers, especially too much of them, may cause irritation, I can?t imagine anything else doing it. Cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamoms and cumin are often used in indigestion remedies.

It just seems such a strange collection of spices to suddenly ban. A second opinion is definitely called for, perhaps from an Asian Doctor who could have a better understanding of spices.

Winton

Your husband's doctor may well be correct and, while seeking a second opinion is fine, please follow your doctor's advice in the interim. I am highly allergic to a compound called eugenol which is present is cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and (minimally) in basil I believe. Cloves are by far the worst culprit. However, increasing exposure to the substance, increases the severity of reaction and therefore even low exposure (e.g. to relatively low levels in nutmeg) can have a pronounced adverse effect. I am a scientist but not medically qualified. However, I know enough to state that a very cautious approach is required until better definition of your husband's condition is obtained (even if this means no curries for the moment!). Good luck.