Do Apple Pips Contain Cyanide?
Strangely enough apple pips do contain cyanide, although only in absolute minute quantities. Other kernels containing cyanide are apricots and peaches (although you would need a very robust set of teeth to be able to chew a peach stone). Historically apple trees were not planted in the grounds of ‘mental asylums’ for this very reason. This is also why chidren are warned not to eat an apple seed because an apple tree will grow in their tummy if they do. The reasoning is askew, but the message is the same ‘Do not eat apple seeds’. There are also some ‘juice experts’ who recommend that before juicing apples the pips should be removed since they contain cyanide. However, eating the odd apple pip is not an issue and will do no harm, but repeatedly eating them or saving up a large amount and taking them within a short space fo time may cause a little problem, eating huge amounts within 24 hours would significantly increase the risk of cyanide poisoining.
