You may be wondering what these poisonous or harmful foods are. Most of these food contain a high level of cyanide, a poisonous chemical for humans as part of the plant's natural defences against insects and diseases.
List Of Most Poisonous Foods We Commonly Eat
Following is a list of 10 most poisonous or dangerous food in the world we commonly eat everyday or like to eat, which may become dangerous if not properly eaten.Poisonous Foods 1 : Fruit Seeds
Apple, Peach, Apricot, Plums, Nectarine, Cherries
Seeds of some fruits contain a substance called amygdalin, which is converted in to cyanide when it comes into contact with acids in the human digestive system. Eating accidentally a few seeds or pits will not harm, but consuming a high number will make you sick.The seeds of the fruits containing cyanide are apple, peach, apricot, plums, nectarine, cherries, etc. The seeds of all of these fruits are not edible.The pits of apricot is similar to almond (how to Grow almond from seeds Video), but bitter in taste, so do not eat it.
While making apple juice, it is advisable to remove the seeds.
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| Stone Fruits - Peach, Apricot, Plums, Nectarine |
Poisonous Food 2: Almonds
We all love to eat almonds, they are very nutritious and healthy. But occasionally we get a bitter almond, which we hate to eat. The bitter almonds contain relatively large amounts of hydrogen cyanide as in apple and apricot. The level of cyanide in bitter almonds (4–9 mg of hydrogen cyanide per almond) is such that even eating just 8 - 10 raw bitter almonds may cause problems for adults, and could be fatal for children; and 20 bitter almonds are enough to kill an adult [1 - 3].The bitter almonds must be heat-treated to remove poison before they are sold. The sale of raw bitter almonds is illegal in USA and New Zealand.
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| Almonds |
Poisonous Food 3: Potatoes
Potatoes have become the main vegetable of daily diet (How to grow potatoes in pots).But do you know that they can also become poisonous? However, the potato poisoning is rare, but it does happen from time to time. Potato plant contain poison in the stems, leaves and hoots, like tomatoes. Potato itself becomes dangerous if it turns green or of greenish tinge, the green is due to a high concentration of the glycoalkaloid poison. This poison can also build up in the potato if it is left too long in the light [4].
Potatoes naturally produce solanine glycoalkaloids as a defense mechanism against insects and diseases [5].
The poisonous potatoes and the potatoes which taste bitter can lead to diarrhea, cramping, confused headaches, or even coma and death. You should avoid eating green potatoes or drinking potato leaf tea.
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| Potatoes |
Poisonous Food 4: Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable and not a fruit. It is considered to be very healthy because it contains dietary fiber, protein, minerals, vitamin B,vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, potassium, magnesium and manganese.Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, which causes kidney stones [6]. The level of oxalic acid in the stalks of rhubarb are is too low to cause any harm. But the rhubarb leaves can make you seriously ill if eaten excessively.
The signs and symptoms of Rhubarb leaves poisoning may include burning sensation in the mouth and throat, breathing difficulties, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, damage to the cornea of the eye, coma.
Eating about 5 kg of rhubarb leaves would kill the person, but a small amount still can make the person sick. Rhubarb stems are safe to eat in small quantities.
Rhubarb Leaves Poisoning can be prevented by properly cooking rhubarb prior to consumption.
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| Rhubarb |
Poisonous Food 5: Taro
Taro is a rich source of iron, magnesium, fiber, potassium, zinc, manganese, copper, phosphorus, vitamins A, B6, C and E, making it a healthy food.Both the leaves and roots of the taro plant are edible, but you should not eat them raw. Raw taro contains both insoluble and soluble oxalates. Soluble oxalates are more readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract so they can contribute to kidney stones. The insoluble oxalates are safer. The calcium oxalate in raw taro will make your mouth feel numb [7].
Thoroughly cooking taro leaves and roots destroys the oxalate to make them edible [8].
How to grow taro at home video
How to grow Arbi at home in Hindi youtube video
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| Taro Leaves and Roots |
Poisonous Food 6: Cassava
There are several health benefits of cassava plant, because its tubes, roots and leaves contain calories, carbohydrates, proteins, fat, iron, calcium, Vitamin B and C.However, cassava is poisonous, the roots and leaves of cassava are rich in a toxin called linamarin which is converted into cyanide by the digestive system. They can be extremely toxic, if eaten raw. Just a few pieces of cassava roots can be fatal.
Symptoms of acute cyanide intoxication viz. vertigo, vomiting and collapse appear after four hours after ingesting raw cassava. It was reported that 20 children died in Philippines after eating cassava in 2005.[9]
The sweet cassava variety do not possess toxins, whereas the bitter variety are dangerous.
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| Cassava |
Poisonous Food 7: Bottle Gourd
Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria ) offers many health benefits due to its richness in Vitamins C, Vitamin A, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate; and minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc (Health benefits of bottlegourd juice).But Bitter bottle gourd contains a substance called Tetracyclic Triterpenoid Cucurbitacins which can be poisonous and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal bleeding and hypotension [ 10]. Extremely bitter bottle gourd can kill you due to multi-organ failure [11]. This compound is responsible for the bitterness in vegetables like cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, etc.
One should avoid these vegetables in raw form if they taste bitter. However, you can consume the cooked ones. Drinking even 50 ml of bottle gourd juice may produce side effects, 200 ml may be fatal. The worse thning is that there is no known antidote for this poisoning.
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| Bottle Gourd |
Poisonous Foods 8: Lima Beans and Castor Beans
Lima beans, also known as butter beans contain linamarin, a compound that decomposes into hydrogen cyanide, when consumed. Eating raw lima beans can be lethal. The lima beans should be cooked thoroughly, donot use the cooking water.The castor oil is not harmful, but the castor beans, when chewed and swallowed release ricin, one of the most toxic poisons. The ricin has been employed by secret agents and assassins. Eating just one or two castor beans can easily cause the death.
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| Lima Beans and Castor Beans are Poisonous When Eaten Raw. |
Poisonous Food 9: Mushrooms
We love to eat mushrooms and they are very healthy too. But many varieties of mushroom like Boletus piperatus (pepper bolete), Chlorophyllum molybdites (green gill) and Agaricus arvensis (horse mushroom) contain toxins that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, but usually short-term damage [12]. The toxins are produced by the fungus. The signs of a poisonous mushroom are a flat cap with no bumps, pink or black gills attached to the cap (not the stalk). However, these signs of poisonous mushroom are not consistent, so all mushrooms of unknown origin should be considered dangerous to eat. |
| Mushrooms |
Poisonous Food 10: Nutmeg
Nutmeg is the spice made from the seed of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) tree. It is used to flavour many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, sweets, potatoes, etc.Nutmeg contains myristicin and elemicin which can induce convulsions, palpitations, nausea and generalized body pain [13]. Nutmeg is actually a hallucinogenic, eating only 5 g (0.2 oz) of nutmeg could lead to convulsions. In large doses, raw nutmeg has psychoactive effects. That is why the spice mixtures contain less than 20 % nutmeg.
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| Nutmeg |
Poisonous Food 11: Raw Honey
Because it doesn't go through the pasteurization process in which harmful toxins are killed, unpasteurized honey often contains grayanotoxin. That can lead to dizziness, weakness, excessive sweating, nausea, and vomiting that last for 24 hours. Typically just one tablespoon of concentrated grayanotoxin can cause the symptoms above. Consuming multiple tablespoons would be a bad idea.Raw honey can poison us. Raw unpasteurized honey may contain grayanotoxin, which can cause food poisoning resulting in nausea, dizziness, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting, weakness and fever.
The honey can be toxic to human depending on from where bees obtain their nectar. The honey has been reported to contain morphine in areas where opium poppy cultivated [14 ].
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| Honey |
Video on 10 Poisonous Foods We Love To Eat YouTube Video
References
1. Almond - Wikipedia2. Sánchez-Pérez R, Belmonte FS, Borch J, Dicenta F, Møller BL, Jørgensen K (April 2012). Prunasin hydrolases during fruit development in sweet and bitter almonds. Plant Physiology. 158 (4): 1916–32.
3. Shragg TA, Albertson TE, Fisher CJ (January 1982). Cyanide poisoning after bitter almond ingestion. West. J. Med. 136 (1): 65–9.
4. Friedman, Mendel; McDonald, Gary M. (1999). Postharvest Changes in Glycoalkaloid Content of Potatoes. In Jackson, Lauren S.; Knize, Mark G.; Morgan, Jeffrey N. Impact of Processing on Food Safety. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 459. pp. 121–43.
5. Solanine - Wikipedia
6. Robb, H. F. (1919). "Death from rhubarb leaves due to oxalic acid poisoning". J. Am. Med. Assoc. 73: 627–628.
7. Noonan SC, Savage GP. 1999. Oxalate Content of Foods and Effect on Humans. Asia Pac. J. Clin. Nutr 8(1): 64-74 Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar.
8. Two cases of poisoningby raw taro leaf and how a poison control centre, food safety inspectors, and a specialty supermarket chain found a solution John D. Omura, Christopher Blake, Lorraine McIntyre, Dorothy Li, Tom Kosatsky, Environmental Health Review, 2014, 57(03): 59-64
9. 27 children die after eating cassava at Philippine school- China Daily
10. A Sukhlecha, Bitter bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria): Healer or killer? Int J Nutr Pharmacol Neurol Dis 2012;2:276-7, S. K. Sharma, et al., Assessment of effects on health due to consumption of bitter bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) juice, Indian J Med Res. 2012 Jan; 135(1): 49–55.
11. Jolt to Baba’s bottle of juice - If it tastes bitter, don’t touch it, The telegraph, Wednesday , October 26 , 2011.
12. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (June 4, 1982). "Mushroom Poisoning among Laotian Refugees – 1981". MMWR. USA: CDC. 31 (21): 287–8. PMID 6808348. Retrieved 2008-08-04. Mushroom poisoning
13. Demetriades, A. K.; Wallman, P. D.; McGuiness, A.; Gavalas, M. C. (2005). Low Cost, High Risk: Accidental Nutmeg Intoxication (pdf). Emergency Medicine Journal. 22 (3): 223–225.
14. Alistair McAlpine (2002). Adventures of a Collector. Allen &