I’m having the same problem. The smell almost makes me sick, so I pulled the lilies out and put them into the garage.

Lillys kill me, they were my Ex partners fave, but it was me or them, I lost

There's something in the pollen/scent that triggers a 'response' in me that seriously makes me aggressive and unwell, chicken or the egg , who knows?

I am the nicest most honest and helpful guy that you might ever meet, but exposure to the lilly's literally changes me, besides that I have to run away from them, it makes me

uncharacteristically aggressive.

You didn't 'lose' a partner so much as 'shed a layer', I wish you great joy as the butterfly emerges.

Pax

It was like carrying an anvil round with me, but now that butterfly is free 🤣

I have a constant problem with irritable arms and shoulders which attack me if I relax too long, also can be bad in bed. Recently I was given a large bunch of flowers with 1 stargazer lily in, the flowers didn't start to open until till day 4, the aroma kept getting worse as more flowers opened. My irritable arms were worse could not sit in peace for 25 minutes, then my right leg started kicking, followed by the left leg the day after. Day 7 & 8 when I went to bed I could not sleep was constantly getting up because leg kicked every 25 seconds and irritable arms unbearable, even went on exercise bike at 1 am to stop my legs twitching, Day 9 by 5.30 pm I was going up the wall and worrying about going to bed, I looked at the Lily and said to it it's you isn't it, so I removed the vase to the utility room, my daughter called shortly after and I sent flowers home with her. The aroma stayed, I was still kicking and couldn't sit still. I went to bed with a hot chocolate and slept soundly all night, no leg twitching or irritable arms. I have been fine ever since except the occasional bout which I always get. I am absolutely sure that it was all caused by the lily, even though I am getting laughed at about it.

Beautiful to look at but I can't tolerate the scent of lillies. I become breathless, grumpy, lumpy feeling in my throat, headache, neck glands are sore to touch, congested sinuses, sensitivity to light and physical fatigue - utter madness really.

Once exposed to them they literally put me out of action - even when moved to another room and locked away they still affect me up to 2 or more days after.

Sadly lavender and vanilla scent also overwhelm me and a lot of perfumes and cleaning products, so I put it down to fragrance sensitivity - glad I came across this blog as I was beginning to think it was all psychological. I have learned over the years how to block this by simply not breathing through my nose when around such scents, but nothing I do prevents the effects of lillies - beautiful but toxic

It isn't just the pollen from lilies that are a problem for some people, it's also the scent. And it isn't just a "dislike", it can be a serious problem. For someone like myself with MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome, being near lilies or hyacinths sets off a severe asthmatic reaction (though I don't actually have asthma) that has led repeatedly to pneumonia and other respiratory problems. Mast cells are what provoke an allergic response, flooding histamines into the body to protect it from foreign substances. Some people's immune system "sees" particular scents or even normal environmental things (like cold) as an "intruder", so activates mast cells. Reactions can be so severe as to cause hives or even anaphylaxis. And even those who don't have a typical allergic reaction can find breathing difficult when they're confined in a room with them. On a "good day", I wind up with laryngitis that lasts for hours, even after a few puffs on an inhaler. Stoking up on antihistamines way in advance of Easter doesn't always prevent it, either. Lily pollen is insidious, clings to fabric and gets kicked up into the air as crowds walk over the floor, etc. It also stains like crazy. Hyacinths are so very beautiful, but one blossom can scent a very large area. Sadly, I had to rip them out of my garden, as much as I love them, as the scent would waft into the house. There are alternatives that can help -- one of which is to have anthers removed (the yellow parts, NOT the stamens). But DO use gloves, for even those normally unaffected can have a reaction to being bombarded by lily pollen. In churches, removing stamens is often hard, as they order many plants and the blossoms aren't always opened before arrival. But some suppliers will do it for you, at a charge, of course. The others include a multitude of spring flowers that are appropriate, low/no pollen, and less/no scent. Plant nurseries have a list of those. Callas are so appropriate, and create no problems for even very sensitive people. Mums, daffs, tulips, etc all can be used in church displays, as can perennials like azalea, forsythia, etc., which can actually enhance landscaping. But it's very, very difficult to get people to change their habits in decorating for Easter. Kudos to those who show consideration for their congregation!

I know exactly what you are talking about. A lady brought some into work the other day and I had to move it to another room. Then it was still to close so I moved it to another side of the building. I had forgot I put them back there and was wondering what that horrible smell was. I asked my coworkers if they thought they smelled bad. They said no. I sneeze and my eyes water too. I got ill the same day and wonder if it's from them. Seems a little severe son is probably just a coincidence.

I realize this post is 16 years old but I would like to add, that I despise the scent of lilies as well. Today, I received a Mother’s Day bouquet containing rose lilies and I had to pick them out and throw them away. The scent is extremely overpowering and gives me a headache.

Thats it then, they need eradicating 🤣

I am very allergic to Lillies - can cause you to have asthma and chest infections. I love the beautiful flowers but they can be aeeful

My partner was bough some yesterday which has triggered my asthma this morning. I've put them outside, so see the sparks fly when she notices 🤭

Absolute nightmare to me. I can't stand the overbearing smell. For this reason they were traditionally used around corpses to hide the odour of . They literally take my breath.

Think I'd rather smell a corpse

I adore lilies but they have to stay outside. In a room or even a large hall they give me a raging headache and breath problems.

I'm so glad I found this thread I just had an allergic reaction to the lillies where I felt like my throat was swelling up. I did not have a problem with the smell of the lillies strangely even though the scent was terribly strong. But I was clearing out some of the dead flowers and I had my drink next to the vase. I'm assuming some of the pollen got inside the glass and I wasn't aware at the time so I drank the juice 30mins after i felt like i had a swollen throat. The whole experience was so strange but now i know.

Have same issue. It makes really sick. And even gagg. I can't troup up when smell lilies. Horrible smell

Well they now have many lilies with no fragrance so that should help those of us who find their aroma toxic. I actually find perfume toxic and these car air fresheners that people hang in their cars!😣😏

I had a large basket of cut Lillies in the house. I thought I was coming down with tonsilitis. My throat was swollen and my tonsils. I had a very painful sore throat. I also had breathlessness at times. I was feeling so tired and sleeping all the time probably from the breathlessness. I also was feeling moody and irritable. My throat felt so tight. My sister mentioned to me it could be hay fever. It then occurred to me all these symptoms occurred when we brought a large bouquet of lilies in the house. The symptoms got worse when the flowers opened. My husband was also sneezing with a runny nose. He thought it was a bad cold.I binned them and I am already feeling better. As soon as I binned them my breathlessness that I had been having went away. I have also planted Lillies in the garden and I am debating whether to pull them up since I reacted so bad plus I realised Lillies are toxic to cats and dogs.

Defo pull those lilies out. That's more like allergy then hay fever

I have a potplant with Stargazer Lilies in my lounge - it has 7 very beautiful deep pink flowers with a very strong smell. Today I was in my lounge where the lilies are for about 45 minutes - then I started to feel funny - I went outside and my head started to spin. This lasted for at least 3 hours after I took some herbs for it.

I agree totally, I have a lily allergy it causes my RLS to to go through the roof, can't sit still for 5 minutes if in the same room. As soon as I gave them away my RLS started to improve and was back to it's normal self ( which is not ever good )in 3/4 hours.

With so many adverse reactions, why isn't the Lilly banned from all greenhouses! I have always detested the smell and it gave me an imediate headache, so they never got a chance to make me sick becuase I threw them out of my house.... until recently that is. I don't know if it is because of the new oderless versions or becuase I selectivly lost my sense of smell of them after COVID; but either way I became very ill and thought I was I was infected with the Omega varient and destined to die miserably. (bad heavy coughing, sneezing, fatiqued, headache, shortness of breath) After the third day, my wife said, " maybe it's the Lillies you got me for Valentine's day?" I am an idiot with regard to flowers and only knew Lillies by their smell, so I didn't realize what I had given her and placed into our home! After coughing through the night, I got up early and put on a mask and carefully plucked the Lillies ( yes, I Googled it to be sure) from the vase and placed them gently into the trash and took it outside.

Immediately I stopped coughing and could breath again. I was able to go outside and shovel the snow from the drive without a single cough or shortness of breath. Here's the thing, I don't have any alergies that I am aware of, none! I just knew I hated the smell of Lilly's and they put me in a foul mood because I couldn't understand why anyone would tolerate them. Now I read that they are making oderless Lillies, why? just nuke them all and get them out of our lives before someone get's seriously ill or dies. Even cats with their nine lives can't survive this obviously alien plant species! Selling oderless versions is just plain irresponsible, like selling oderless natural gas to residences!

Come on guys!

I fully agree with you about lily's I will not have them in the house anymore. About 18 months ago I had a vase full sat about 3/4 mtr from me, I suffer badly with restless leg syndrome it had been bad for a c0uple of days could not sit still could not sleep etc, was getting up in the night and coming into our sun lounge not ever thinking it was the lily's. The day after I was a mess picked up the lily's told them it was them causing extra problems, and put them in the utility room, straight away my leg stopped kicking out and I could actually sit still and relax. I do get laughed at when I tell people but I firmly beleive it was those that exegerated my RLS.

Yes, for me its the coloured ones usually found in bouquets. Very strong scent. It starts immediately with a headache, burning eyes then dry ’growly’ throat. After 20 minites i have broken out in red spots on my arms and chest/stomach. all you can do is remove them and get some fresh air.

Yes totally agree, I'm sensitive to thm they make my Resless Leg Syndrome unbearable, As soon as I gave them to my daughter RLS started to improve straight away,

I describe my illness to lillies as superman with kryptonite. This last time was the worst with back and neck pains. Took benadryl and tylenol pain went away. Unfortunately my body is trying to recover from the trama. Every Easter this happens but this year has been the worst.

@Chauna Ellis I am the same as you and had to leave my office today as a coworker received an assortment of flowers for mother’s day. i thought i would be ok if she removed them as the lillies had barely bloomed. I went outside while they were removed, but even after returning, everything started to swell again. I told HR i had to leave and i did. One benadryl and 4 hour nap later; still hives, swell swelling and headache. First exposure in 4 years and the worst reaction thus far. Anaphylactic shock to lillies is a thing

I am so glad to have found this thread. I did not have a reaction to the scent but I unwisely used my bare hands to fix a bouquet I received and this included pulling leaves off. I handled the bouquet for quite a few minutes and not long after my palms started itching. It's been three weeks and they haven't stopped. The only relief I get is when I take an antihistamine.

I am searching online because I haven't found any cases of this itching of the palms. If anyone reading this has heard of the palms itching as a result of handling lilies without gloves, could you please reassure me by posting a comment here? Thanks.

I keep wondering if it's something else and that maybe the reaction was coincidental. So I am doing tests to rule out diabetes and other possible causes. If this is truly the lilies, I would say they're pretty potent re allergies. Please be cautious. Thank you.

Like others so glad to have found this thread. We received a bouquet of flowers in our household recently. Thought nothing of it and put it out in a vase for display. A few days later a strange SICKLY SWEET smell started to rise in our house. Having no knowledge of flowers at first I thought some vegetables had started to rot. On closer investigation I traced the smell back to 3 what I discovered via Google were Stargazer Lilies in the bunch.. The sickly sweet smell got stronger and stronger till it engulfed the whole house. Now while thank goodness no one suffered an allergic reaction the smell became unbearable. Having no experience of this I began to imagine I might die from this as if I had been attacked by Triffids Anyway I threw the culprit flowers away and with all doors and windows open it took a whole day to finally purge our house of that aweful disgusting smell. Can anybody out please give me some information as to what it is that I encountered. Thank you.

I know more people who hate the scent than like it!

Lillies make my throat close up, but the scent doesn’t bother me. My reaction starts almost immediately when I’m around them with a cough that progresses. The first time happened after my dazzling third grade performance as a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz. I held my bouquet on 5 minute drive home, sniffing in it’s glory. The last thing I remember was my mom handing me Benadryl. It’s gotten worse through the years and it sucks. I avoid certain events, grocery stores durning the Easter and Mothers Day season, check with hotels about what arrangements will be in the lobby, and have left quite a couple of restaurants.

@HU-352350638 it could be that the lillies trigged an eczema breakout. I hope that you’re doing better now!

Yes i get the worst session of resless leg syndrome if i have them in the house, so i end up giving them away.

If you don't have an allergic, but more an emotional reaction to some smells it may be due to an association in your brain from childhood. I would sit with the smell, notice how you feel in your body and if any memories spring to mind. It is likely the source of your issue. You could work with an EMDR therapist in the case that it is something traumatic in the smell association.

There are many people who flee from stargazer lilies - to me they smell like burning aluminum and I have embarrassed myself more than once by reporting possible burning wiring in a store only to find a bouquet of stargazers on a nearby countertop. There appear to be no studies on adverse reactions, because there is no money in exploring the question. You have my sympathy. Many lilies have a obnoxious odor, but stargazers outrank them all, for me. We can thank Leslie Woodriff for creating this annoying but beautiful hybrid in 1974. Grrrr.

Yes i agree they make my RLS much worse to the point of not getting any sleep, my foot will start its jerks that keeps you awake . then my shoulders and arms get so irritable its like an electric shock and I have to move and do something.

I am extremely sensitive to lilies - they give me a headache and I find the smell strong and repugnant.

I have said the exact same thing about kryptonite as @diana Hudgins. I get dizzy, dissasociative, nauseous, fatigued and anxious when I am in the vicinity of lilies. Easter lilies in particular. Now even looking at pictures of them starts to trigger anxiety since I know the physical reaction that stems (hah) from them. They feel like a mortal threat to my self-awareness. Like I am being undone. It is not a histamine reaction as far as i can tell. I can smell lilies the second I walk in a building even if they are on another floor. My whole body goes on alert. I have no other allergies and would likewise describe myself as in robust health.

Im so happy to read all these comments. ive been having reactions to lillies and hyacinth for a long time, headache, sore throat, stiff neck, achy glands, irritable and unable to concentrate. i now find myself suffering the same symptoms with jasmine in the garden. i feel constantly tired. Does anyone have any ideas for reducing the symptoms? i was going to try local honey but i think its the scent rather than pollen.

Ive been ill for the past 5 days. its taken me 4 days to clean one room - 5 mins housework then a lie down for 20 mins. Feel light headed, nauseous, dizzy and generally very unwell with no sign of improving. eventually finished cleaning the room and sat down to think what could be causing my illness and i remembered having the same symptoms a few years ago after being given bouquet containing Oriental Lilies. I’ve recently been given flowers with an Oriental Lily. a few minues ago i threw it away and opened all the windows. i hope to feel better very soon

I don’t have any of the allergic symptoms but I find the smell totally repulsive - especially stargazer lilies. It smells very chemical to me - almost like burning plastic. My kids think I’m insane.

Happy Valentines Day!! My husband brought me lilies for Valentine’s Day. What a sweet man. Okay now that’s outta the way. I had Covid a year ago in January. I lost my sense of smell and taste,it still hasn’t returned. I woke up to a beautiful bouquet of lilies and the worst smell ever, that immediately made me sick to my stomach and gave me a horrible headache.The longer they were in the house the sicker I got,to the point of being dizzy. We had to put them outside. I can’t smell
my coffee or my toast that burnt,but I can smell them. Never do I want to come in contact with them again.

My husband bought me a large bouquet that included 6 Oriental lilies. I have had a reaction to lilies before but not all lilies. I now know for sure that Oriental lilies are problematic for me - itchy watering eyes, and slight shortness of breath. In addition the aroma is overwhelming. However I have found a solution that works for me but may not work for people with more extreme reactions. I noticed that my flowers seemed to open overnight, so I kept them in a separate room, and the next morning, with an open window, I cut out the whole reproductive system (anther, pistil, stamen ?) within the flowers that just opened. I carefully held a paper towel so the pollen heads could fall into it, which was important because they carry a truck load of pollen that can easily fall all over you. However, it only took one snip with a scissors on each flower. Although I find that the flowers are prettier fully intact, I still can enjoy the lilies without the miserable side effects. (My husband pointed out that I could have used a mask also! I hadn't thought about that ahead of time.)

I never cared for the scent of stargazer lilies but didnt have any trouble with them until yesterday. i was around a bouquet with the lilies Friday night and all day Saturday. i coughed all day Saturday and then Saturday night i woke up with severe mucus/coughing/trouble breathing. Now this morning i just feel really drowsy/drugged. I definitely will do my best to stay away from them in the future!

This is the same as happened to me. when I got to hospital in the ambulance the doctor said I had had an asthma attack brought on by the lillies. I now carry an inhaler. I do hope you are recovered now?

Lilies give me stomach cramps, headache, light sensitivity and make me so lightheaded that I feel like I could pass out. I also react to hyacinth, Lavender and lilac. Lush is one shop I can never go in because of the very strong smells and all my perfume is musk, woody or citrus smelling as I can't wear anything floral.

We lived in Georgia when I was eight years old. Had a cool creek that ran through the backyard that my friends and I spent lots of time in, catching crawdads and throwing lily pads at each other. The first week of May I got horribly sick with what the docs guessed was an allergy. I couldn't breathe, even though I've never had asthma. My face turned very red and swelled to the point that I couldn't see. My hands swelled so much that they actually cracked and clear liquid ran from the cracks. It lasted for several days and then disappeared as suddenly as it came on. The following year it was back -- again in the first part of May. It was worse the second time and I ended up in the hospital, on oxygen and being pumped full of antihistamines. After asking tons of questions about anything new in my environment, the doctor finally told my mother that he believed I was deathly allergic to something that only bloomed during that time of year. His suggestion, besides documenting everything that I'd recently come into contact with, was to be GONE from the area well before the following May. Needless to say, we moved up North, and there were no more episodes until I went to an Easter Sunday service where the church was filled with blooming LILIES. The uncontrollable coughing started before we were even seated. Within five minutes I was having trouble breathing and freaking out. Mystery solved. I got out of there like my pants were on fire and my butt was catching! Nowadays I don't go to Easter services, or weddings, or funerals. I steer clear of the floral department in garden centers and grocery stores. No more lilies for me. For the record, I don't think I'm allergic to ALL types of lilies, but I have no plans to test that theory.

Looks like I found my group..... I am highly allergic to this beautiful flower as well. Just being around it causes my eyes to burn and my chest to tighten and a constant cough. Later during the night I will get severe chest congestion. Someone at work had a delivery and they were in her bouquet. She is in the office next to me that is separated by walls. Every time someone opened her door the smell reached its way to me. The smell was in the hallways where they were delivered. She was really nice and removed the stamina out of each flower and put them in the garbage outside of the building. That small amount of time they got me.... I am miserable today. What are you doing to stop this from happening?

Yes Angela it is a good idea to remove the stamens. They can stain your clothes and the furniture etc and are possibly the source of the smell of lilies. such a beautiful flower too. Oh and be super careful if you have a cat.

Sorry if someone else has warned of these things. Doesn't hurt to hear it again, I guess.

Yes one of my co- worker got flowers from her husband for valentines day ,my desk is next to her’s i couldn’t figure out why i started feeling sick to the point i had to leave work heading to the ER..i started seeing things that wasn’t there and talking out my head.those flowers are no joke.

Tiger Lilies give me a headache and make me almost choke they also make my partner very chesty.