Salicylates Salicylates are common in vegetables and fruit. Medicinal salicylates came from plant sources such as willow-bark methylsalicylate. As oil of wintergreen, methylsalicylate has been rubbed on many cold-stricken chests and inhaled by coughing children for many years. ASA is an effective drug, with diverse benefits, but it routinely causes GIT irritation and bleeding. It is a good allergen and causes many rashes and hives.
Salicylates occasionally trigger asthma.
Dr. Feingold postulated that salicylates and food dyes produced hyperactivity in children, popularizing low salicylate diets. Feingold recommended avoiding foods that contained natural salicylates or chemically similar substances. His lists excluded such foods as peaches and cucumber, for example, which are low in our list of symptom-producing foods. Food Colors Food colors and preservatives have been suspected of producing allergic reactions, and behavioral disturbance. Their exclusion was part of Dr. Feingold's program for treating hyperactive children.