Do cherry seeds have cyanide? Cherry seeds contain cyanide, as well as apricot, peach, plum seeds, bitter almonds, and the seeds of other stone or pome fruits (pear, apple).
Eating just 3–4 pits of the Morello cherry or 7–9 pits of red or black cherries may lead to cyanide toxicity
Healthline
Cyanide is generated by breaking down the amygdalin present in cherry seeds. it protects the seed, thus preventing predators from eating them.
In this way, stone fruit trees have, on the one hand, edible fruits to favor their consumption and expansion, but on the other hand, they protect the seeds chemically with amygdalin (it decomposes into cyanide and benzaldehyde, providing an unpleasant taste and potentially lethal). It is important to prevent the consumption of cherry seeds. These seeds are found inside the cherry pit and contain amygdalin, our digestive system breaks it down into hydrogen cyanide.
How much cyanide does a cherry seed have?
The amount of cyanide contained in a cherry seed can vary according to its size, variety. According to the data from different sources that we have analyzed, the amygdalin present in a cherry pit is of the order of 3%. However, only part of it decomposes into cyanide (approximately 0.17% of the mass of the pit). Considering that a cherry pit weighs around 0.5 grams or 500 milligrams, we can estimate that the cyanide content of a cherry seed or pit is 0.85 mg.
Lethal amount of cyanide
Cyanide tolerance can vary greatly from person to person, however, the lethal amount of cyanide is estimated to be 50 milligrams in adults. Other sources estimate the lethal dose at 1 milligram per kg of body mass. It is important to take into account the consumption of cyanide, in addition to being fatal, it can also cause headaches, dizziness, or vomiting at lower doses.
How many cherry pits are deadly?
Healthline specifies that eating just 3–4 pits of the Morello cherry or 7–9 pits of red or black cherries may lead to cyanide toxicity.
What if I eat a cherry pit?
We should not be concerned if we have inadvertently swallowed or eaten a cherry pit. The seed will remain practically intact inside the bone and without having barely been able to release said toxic substances. Even so, we must avoid the repeated consumption of cherry seeds or pits, since as we have seen, hydrogen cyanide can be lethal.
Are cherries poisonous?
Cherries are not poisonous, it must be made clear that the danger is consuming the pits or seeds of cherries. Cherries have a high content of antioxidants, anthocyanins, and vitamins as such, are very healthy.
Symptoms of Cyanide Poisoning
Symptoms of mild poisoning are dizziness, headache, vomiting, confusion, and anxiety. A higher dose of cyanide can lead to shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, and kidney failure. Doses close to lethal amounts can cause coma, seizures, and death from respiratory arrest.
Cyanide blocks the arrival of oxygen to the cell and induces suffocation by preventing cellular respiration, this being the cause of its lethality. According to this theory, cyanide mainly suffocates cancer cells.
Now you know the symptom to watch out for. Always be careful while consuming cherry and if you accidentally chew a pit, sick medical attention immediately.
