Who Knew Cherry Seeds Could Kill?

A lady in one of the forums I subscribe to was concerned  because her daughter swallowed a cherry seed. One forum member posted this reply:

“LOL If I had a dime for every cherry pit I swallowed when I was a kid I could afford to landscape my lawn! If they don’t get stuck in the throat, they won’t do a bit of damage. “this, too, will pass”

As I laughed at this “passing” joke, I kept reading and saw this post from another member:

“Whole cherry pits aren’t a problem; they will pass thru the system. But the seed within contains cyanide. If you don’t break the pit you should be ok. Canned cherries could be a problem, between cooking, and breaking of the pit itself, exposing the seed. One seed hasn’t enough cyanide to do damage. But 1/4 cup or more can easily kill. Beware.”

Who knew cherry seeds could kill?  I sure didn’t, until today!

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Add comment July 14th, 2006