More and more producers are recalling apricot kernels. Eating just one apricot kernel can be dangerous.
G&W Gezondheidswinkel, Superfoodz, Jacob Hooy, Erica and Hanoju have so far recalled apricot kernels. At the end of last year, apricot kernels were discredited after they almost killed a 74-year-old man. The seeds look like regular nuts, but eating a small handful of them can be deadly.
The Nutrition Center states on its website that eating apricot kernels is dangerous. Apricot kernels contain plant toxins. These substances are converted by your body into cyanide (prussic acid). A high dose of cyanide in your body can interfere with breathing, it can cause headaches, fever, sluggishness, muscle aches and low blood pressure. Cyanide can even cause cardiac arrest.
What about other pips? Eating seeds from certain other fruits can also be dangerous. You cannot eat peach pits, apple pits, plum pits, pear pits, cherry pits and avocado pits.
If you swallow an apple seed once, that's okay. The kernel is not digested and leaves your body through your feces. Only a small amount of cyanide can be released once you bite a wick, but a small amount will not cause any problems.
Don't eat seeds
There are stories on the internet about the positive effects of eating ground kernels. Those positive effects have not been proven. What has been proven is that you can get sick from eating seeds. In 2016, the European Food Safety Authority calculated that an adult can exceed the safe health limit after eating just one apricot kernel. It makes children sick even faster.
Leave the apricot kernels for what they are and opt for regular nuts.
