Haggis Hag
Macro Mondays – Poisonous (Explored - 12 Jun 17)
A cherry pip, safe on its own and intact, but if chewed or ground, the amygdalin releases cyanide when metabolised within the body.
Various plant seeds or pits contain amygdalin, which releases cyanide when metabolised, including cherries. The amounts are small, so that in general, toxicity is not seen except in cases where a combination of factors seriously exacerbates the problem. Essentially, you need a pit or seed from some fruit of a plant in the family Rosaceae, generally from Prunus genus (cherries, plums, peaches, apricots, and almonds).
Under such conditions, you can ingest enough amygdalin to kill you. However, while some cherry pits do apparently contain amygdalin at the same concentrations as bitter apricot kernels, the amount you would have to eat is considerably more than two pits. The LD50 for bitter almonds (which are also similar to cherry and apricot kernels, with ~5% amygdalin content) in rats is estimated to be a little more than 3 grams per Kg of body weight.
Macro Mondays – Poisonous (Explored - 12 Jun 17)
A cherry pip, safe on its own and intact, but if chewed or ground, the amygdalin releases cyanide when metabolised within the body.
Various plant seeds or pits contain amygdalin, which releases cyanide when metabolised, including cherries. The amounts are small, so that in general, toxicity is not seen except in cases where a combination of factors seriously exacerbates the problem. Essentially, you need a pit or seed from some fruit of a plant in the family Rosaceae, generally from Prunus genus (cherries, plums, peaches, apricots, and almonds).
Under such conditions, you can ingest enough amygdalin to kill you. However, while some cherry pits do apparently contain amygdalin at the same concentrations as bitter apricot kernels, the amount you would have to eat is considerably more than two pits. The LD50 for bitter almonds (which are also similar to cherry and apricot kernels, with ~5% amygdalin content) in rats is estimated to be a little more than 3 grams per Kg of body weight.