Tag: Poisonous nuts

While most common nuts are perfectly safe to eat, the raw shell of the cashew nut contains urushiol, a toxic oil also found in poison ivy. It is a little-known fact that humans cannot consume certain types of nuts in their raw state due to naturally occurring poisonous compounds.

While most common nuts are a safe and healthy snack, certain types of nuts or seeds contain toxic compounds that can cause severe illness, allergic reactions, or worse if ingested. It's crucial to understand what is a poisonous nut and how to recognize the dangerous ones to ensure your safety and that of others, especially when foraging or encountering unfamiliar foods.

According to plant geneticists, wild almonds contain deadly amounts of cyanide, a natural defense mechanism that makes them bitter and poisonous to consume. This means a simple question like, "can we eat forest almonds?" has a life-threatening answer for the inexperienced forager.

Over twenty years of reports have highlighted the toxic effects of uncooked candlenuts, a staple in Southeast Asian cuisine. The simple answer is no, you should never eat candle nuts raw, as they contain harmful compounds that can cause severe gastrointestinal distress and, in rare cases, more serious health issues.

According to a 2021 study, the bitter taste in almonds is caused by a compound called amygdalin, which when chewed, releases toxic hydrogen cyanide. This chemical reaction explains why a handful of raw bitter almonds can be dangerous, unlike their safe-to-eat sweet counterparts.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cyanide poisoning is a fast-acting and potentially deadly condition. This is precisely why you can't eat bitter almonds, as they contain significant levels of a compound called amygdalin that breaks down into hydrogen cyanide when ingested.

While most supermarket almonds are safe, a single bitter almond contains enough amygdalin to break down into a small, but notable, amount of hydrogen cyanide. A key part of any healthy nutrition diet is knowing the distinction, and being able to identify potentially harmful varieties by taste alone.

It may come as a surprise that the 'raw' cashews sold in stores are not truly raw at all, but have been heat-treated to make them safe for consumption. This is because real, unprocessed cashews are toxic, raising the question: which nut can you not eat raw?