earlw@pesnta.UUCP (Earl Wallace) (02/08/86)
I heard that the seeds of apples contains arsenic or strychnine (or something like that). If you chew about 10+ seeds, you're a gonner. Any truth to this I wonder? "an apple a day will make you pass away..." :-)
lotto@talcott.UUCP (Jerry Lotto) (02/08/86)
In article <3012@pesnta.UUCP>, earlw@pesnta.UUCP (Earl Wallace) writes: > I heard that the seeds of apples contains arsenic or strychnine (or something > like that). If you chew about 10+ seeds, you're a gonner. Any truth to this > I wonder? > > "an apple a day will make you pass away..." :-) Yup. I have been eating apples daily, core and all, for nearly ten years now. This gives me an excuse to not do any work around the house. -- Gerald Lotto - Harvard Chemistry Dept. UUCP: {seismo,harpo,ihnp4,linus,allegra,ut-sally}!harvard!lhasa!lotto ARPA: lotto@harvard.EDU CSNET: lotto%harvard@csnet-relay
marco@andromeda.UUCP (the wharf rat) (02/08/86)
In article <3012@pesnta.UUCP>, earlw@pesnta.UUCP (Earl Wallace) writes: > I heard that the seeds of apples contains arsenic or strychnine... > Any truth to this > I wonder? Yes. Apple seeds contain prussic acid, which apparently turns into cyanide after you eat them. I've heard that the lethal dosage is about a cup, though. W. rat
aoki@oracle.UUCP (Don Aoki) (02/09/86)
In article <3012@pesnta.UUCP>, earlw@pesnta.UUCP (Earl Wallace) writes: > I heard that the seeds of apples contains arsenic or strychnine (or something > like that). If you chew about 10+ seeds, you're a gonner. Any truth to this > I wonder? > This rumor is partially true, although it would take more than 10 seeds to kill you. Apple seeds, as well as the seeds of cherries, plums, almonds, peaches, apricots, and crabapples, contain "cyanogenetic glycosides." When ingested, these compounds form hydrogen cyanide gas as the result of an enzymatic reaction. In large quantities this may be fatal. I have read that Turkey has reported nine cases of lethal poisonings from apricot seeds since 1957. Of the seeds listed above, almonds contain the greatest amount of amygdalin, the most important cyanogenetic glycoside. It is said that it would take 50-70 of them to kill an adult; therefore the number of apple seeds constituting a fatal dosage would be higher. Probably about a cupful. By the way, if the seeds are roasted before ingestion, the enzymes that produce the lethal byproduct are destroyed, rendering the seeds safe. I have also heard that most birds that consume these fruits are "smart" enough to leave the seeds alone. -- Don Aoki ("The Oak") ORACLE Corporation (415)598-8077 Belmont, California hplabs!oracle!aoki
hedden@atux01.UUCP (D. Hedden) (02/10/86)
In article <3012@pesnta.UUCP>, earlw@pesnta.UUCP (Earl Wallace) writes: > I heard that the seeds of apples contains arsenic or strychnine (or something > like that). If you chew about 10+ seeds, you're a gonner. Any truth to this > I wonder? Believe it or not, I know two people who regularly eat an entire apple, core and all. They have been doing it for years, and plan to do it tomorrow if they are still alive. "The moving hand writes ..."
rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson) (02/11/86)
In article <410@oracle.UUCP> aoki@oracle.UUCP (Don Aoki) writes: >Of the seeds listed above, almonds contain the greatest amount of >amygdalin, the most important cyanogenetic glycoside. It is said that >it would take 50-70 of them to kill an adult; therefore the number >of apple seeds constituting a fatal dosage would be higher. Probably >about a cupful. > If you mean 50-70 almonds, then I'm already dead several times over. I've been known to down 2-3 *pounds* of almonds over the course of a couple of hours when I used to visit my father in California -- he'd have the 10-pound bag of fresh [unroasted, unsalted, un-everything-but-tasty] almonds and I'd go nuts...er...crazy. *Sigh*. Another rumor sadly disposed of. When are we going to get the rumor that we all laugh at that turns out to be true two weeks later? I'm beginning to think you guys aren't too well placed in your respective corporations/schools -- get out there and dig up some *real* dirt! ;-) -- The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291) alias: Curtis Jackson ...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd mgnetp ]!burl!rcj ...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua masscomp ]!clyde!rcj
benn@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (T Cox) (02/11/86)
In article <3012@pesnta.UUCP> earlw@pesnta.UUCP (Earl Wallace) writes: >I heard that the seeds of apples contains arsenic or strychnine (or something >like that). If you chew about 10+ seeds, you're a gonner. Any truth to this >I wonder? > >"an apple a day will make you pass away..." :-) I had it from a reliable source that LARGE amounts of apple seeds will be dangerous. Ten seeds would NOT. A man died of arsenic poisoning after eating, all in one day, one cup of seeds he'd been saving. He was a health food nut [no pun intended] as I recall . . . -- T Cox ...ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!benn benn%sphinx@uchicago.bitnet
hamilton@uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU (02/13/86)
>I heard that the seeds of apples contains arsenic or strychnine (or something >like that). If you chew about 10+ seeds, you're a gonner. Any truth to this >I wonder? > >"an apple a day will make you pass away..." :-) i also eat whole apples (and occasionally potato skins too). and once i start, i rarely eat just one; usually it's 3-4. hasn't killed me yet. wayne hamilton U of Il and US Army Corps of Engineers CERL UUCP: {ihnp4,pur-ee,convex}!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!hamilton ARPA: hamilton%uiucuxc@a.cs.uiuc.edu USMail: Box 476, Urbana, IL 61801 CSNET: hamilton%uiucuxc@uiuc.csnet Phone: (217)333-8703
mcewan@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (02/13/86)
>In article <410@oracle.UUCP> aoki@oracle.UUCP (Don Aoki) writes: >>Of the seeds listed above, almonds contain the greatest amount of >>amygdalin, the most important cyanogenetic glycoside. It is said that >>it would take 50-70 of them to kill an adult; therefore the number >>of apple seeds constituting a fatal dosage would be higher. Probably >>about a cupful. >> >If you mean 50-70 almonds, then I'm already dead several times over. >I've been known to down 2-3 *pounds* of almonds over the course of >a couple of hours when I used to visit my father in California -- he'd >have the 10-pound bag of fresh [unroasted, unsalted, un-everything-but-tasty] >almonds and I'd go nuts...er...crazy. > >*Sigh*. Another rumor sadly disposed of. When are we going to get the >rumor that we all laugh at that turns out to be true two weeks later? >I'm beginning to think you guys aren't too well placed in your respective >corporations/schools -- get out there and dig up some *real* dirt! This is true for *bitter* almonds, which are different from the almonds you buy in the grocery store. It is also true about apple seeds and several other seeds. I believe that there were cases of people dying of cyanide poisoning from Laetril (made from apricot seeds). The concentration is low enough that it is unlikely you will suffer from any ill effect unless you eat at least a cup of seeds in one sitting (and cyanide does not build up in the body). I repeat, this is TRUE, it is not just a rumor. If you don't believe me, look up "cyanide" in an encyclopedia. Scott McEwan {ihnp4,pur-ee}!uiucdcs!mcewan "What? That? It was just a filthy demon! It wasn't even from this dimension!"
stu16@whuxl.UUCP (Pippin) (02/14/86)
> I heard that the seeds of apples contains arsenic or strychnine (or something > like that). If you chew about 10+ seeds, you're a gonner. Any truth to this > I wonder? Could this possibly be true? (Boy! Did I split an infinitive there!). Horses eat LOTS and LOTS of apples at one time. Dogs love to eat windfalls, and they all eat the seeds and cores. Should I start worrying about this? No smiley-face this time. -- Pippin Stuart whuxl!stu16
jxs7451@ritcv.UUCP (02/16/86)
I allways thought that you must chew the apple seeds in order to
get any bad effects..Otherwise they just pass through your system.
jeff "in sunny downtown Rochester"(or something like that)
{allega | seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jxs7451cgf@infinet.UUCP (Chris Faylor) (02/16/86)
> >>I heard that the seeds of apples contains arsenic or strychnine (or something >>like that). If you chew about 10+ seeds, you're a gonner. Any truth to this >>I wonder? >> >>"an apple a day will make you pass away..." :-) > >i also eat whole apples (and occasionally potato skins too). and once i >start, i rarely eat just one; usually it's 3-4. hasn't killed me yet. I have been injecting both strychnine and cyanide directly into my jugular vein every hour or so for 15 years. People call me weird, but I just laugh along with them. You won't catch me eating apples, though... -- -cgf- I feel more like I do now than I did when I first got here. decvax!wanginst!infinet!cgf emacs!infinet!cgf@cca-unix.ARPA
leimkuhl@uiucdcsp.CS.UIUC.EDU (02/17/86)
Ok, now that apple seeds have been retired, what about aflatoxin. Does anyone have the real scoop on this--reportedly incredibly deadly-- substance that forms in peanut mold? I was once told (and read in Graham Greene's The Human Factor) that packaged peanuts are checked under a blacklight for afla mold, because just one or two bad peanuts can kill you. I'm just a little concerned because I've been known to eat two pounds of unsalted in-the-shell peanuts at a time, and I don't see how they can know that there's no mold INSIDE the peanut by looking at it. -Ben "Mr. Peanut" Leimkuhler
dougs@hammer.UUCP (Doug Smith) (02/20/86)
So, I get home from work, and settle down in front of the tube, ready to watch last night's Hill Street Blues (taped, of course; why should I stay up so late?); shove in the tape, kick back, and watch as G. I. Joe starts nuking his way across the screen. Totally pissed, I realize my 7-year-old has figured out how to run the VCR, and has used MY TAPE (but, Dad, it was in the machine) to record "his program" because he was forced to attend his violin lesson (which, as we all know, occurs at that particular time to ensure that he can't see "his program"). So, as I'm about to remove the tape and chuck it across the Delaware, this grayish blob that Joe et alia are fighting attracts (distracts) my attention, and what do you suppose they are fighting it with? Apples. Seems it's a one-celled lab escapee (I estimate It covers 9 square miles) that devours anything it touches as it runs amok, and one of the Good Guys has figured out that if they feed it enough apples, it will get poisoned, and die, and the world will be saved, and Joe and the Good Gal with the big ... uh, never mind. So, I just wondered, does Usenet have a direct link to G. I. Joe, or does the "writer" for this show tap in somewhere on the Arpanet? Let's be careful out there, Doug Smith tektronix|tekecs|dougs
aoki@oracle.UUCP (Don Aoki) (02/21/86)
In article <1019@burl.UUCP>, rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson) writes: > In article <410@oracle.UUCP> aoki@oracle.UUCP (Don Aoki) writes: > >Of the seeds listed above, almonds contain the greatest amount of > >amygdalin, the most important cyanogenetic glycoside. It is said that > >it would take 50-70 of them to kill an adult; therefore the number > >of apple seeds constituting a fatal dosage would be higher. Probably > >about a cupful. > > > If you mean 50-70 almonds, then I'm already dead several times over. > I've been known to down 2-3 *pounds* of almonds over the course of > a couple of hours when I used to visit my father in California -- he'd > have the 10-pound bag of fresh [unroasted, unsalted, un-everything-but-tasty] > almonds and I'd go nuts...er...crazy. Curtis, your almonds may have been "unroasted", but you did not indicate whether they were "bitter." My information source is "The Straight Dope," by Cecil Adams, (c) 1984, Chicago Reader, Inc. Adams fields a wide range of bizarre questions from his readers, and on p. 161, you will find the information I summarized in my article. Here is the text of the original question and Adams' reply: "I'm afraid for my life. All these years I've been eating the seeds of fruit, such as apples, oranges, apricots, peaches, plums, etc. I started when I began living with my grandfather, a dentist, about 10 years ago. He said they were good for the teeth because of the minerals they contained. Over the years I've cultivated a taste for them, and was extremely delighted when I found I could buy them in quantities of a pound or more at health food stores. Recently, however, a friend told me that all fruit seeds contained cyanide, and that he had read an item in a newspaper once about someone who had died from eating apple seeds! I am especially concerned about apricot kernels, my favorite. What's a lethal dose? Can any be eaten safely? If so, about how many? I really like them and would be loath to give them up, but on the other hand I really don't want to be slowly poisoning myself and my guests and roommates. -- John T., Phoenix." [ADAMS' REPLY:] "You've got good reason to be afraid, pal. Fruits of the rose family -- including cherries, apples, plums, almonds, peaches, apricots, and crabapples -- contain in their seeds substances known as cyanogenetic glycosides, which on ingestion release hydrogen cyanide gas through an enzymatic reaction. They can most certainly do you in. Since 1957, Turkey -- a big apricot country -- has reported nine cases of lethal poisoning from apricot seeds. Unfortunately, victims of such poisonings have a habit of kicking the bucket before doctors have a chance to ask them how many seeds they've eaten; in addition, the amount of amygdalin -- the most important cyanogenetic glycoside -- varies from species to species, and since the poisoning does not involve a direct transfer of cyanide from one place to another, "lethal dosages" of these various seeds are hard to pin down. Use the following as guidelines: (1) bitter almonds contain by far the greatest amount of amygdalin, and IT TAKES 50-70 OF THEM TO KILL AN ADULT, 7-10 TO KILL A CHILD [my caps]. (2) Ingestion of about a cupful of any of the above seeds is pushing things a bit. "If you've been munching on seeds for years and have never felt any ill effects, you can safely continue to eat them in similar quantities without worrying. Keep in mind, however, that one gluttonous binge will put you away forever. Sub-lethal doses of cyanide gas are detoxified and passed out of the body rapidly, so it's impossible to slowly poison yourself over a period of time. Symptoms of cyanide poisoning are excitement, convulsions, respiratory distress, and spasms. Another warning sign is death, which can occur without any of the other symptoms. "All of this, by the way, applies only to fresh seeds. Roasting the seeds will destroy the enzymes needed to produce the lethal reaction without apprciably affecting the mineral content of your munchies. NOTE TO SHOCKED ALMOND FREAKS: REGULAR OLD ALMONDS CONTAIN FAR LESS AMYGDALIN THAN THE BITTER VARIETY [my caps again]." [** END OF ADAMS' REPLY **] By the way, victims of cyanide poisoning (such as the recent case in New York and the Chicago cases a few years ago) are easily identifyable by pathologists. Their tissue samples smell like "bitter almonds." I don't know if there's any significance to this fact, but I thought it was worth mentioning. -- Don Aoki ("The Oak") ORACLE Corporation (415)598-8077 Belmont, California hplabs!oracle!aoki
ins_ampm@jhunix.UUCP (Michael P McKenna) (02/22/86)
In article <1019@burl.UUCP> rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson) writes: >In article <410@oracle.UUCP> aoki@oracle.UUCP (Don Aoki) writes: >>Of the seeds listed above, almonds contain the greatest amount of >>amygdalin, the most important cyanogenetic glycoside. It is said that >>it would take 50-70 of them to kill an adult; therefore the number >>of apple seeds constituting a fatal dosage would be higher. Probably >>about a cupful. >> >If you mean 50-70 almonds, then I'm already dead several times over. >I've been known to down 2-3 *pounds* of almonds over the course of >a couple of hours when I used to visit my father in California -- he'd >have the 10-pound bag of fresh [unroasted, unsalted, un-everything-but-tasty] >almonds and I'd go nuts...er...crazy. > >*Sigh*. Another rumor sadly disposed of. When are we going to get the >rumor that we all laugh at that turns out to be true two weeks later? >I'm beginning to think you guys aren't too well placed in your respective >corporations/schools -- get out there and dig up some *real* dirt! Well actually I'm pretty sure that this is in fact true. However different types of almonds contain different amounts of amygdalin. The 50-70 figure refers to bitter almonds (in fact the amygdalin is why they are bitter). Anyone who could eat 50+ of these at one time probably deserves to die :-) Dwight S. Wilson "You Warren? You're the 'they' in 'That's what they say.'?"