Apricot kernel: Difference between revisions
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Yami McMoots (talk | contribs) Harmonizing info on cancer treatment with what's cited in the amygdalin article. |
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An '''apricot kernel''' is the [[seed]] of an [[apricot]]. |
An '''apricot kernel''' is the [[seed]] of an [[apricot]]. |
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It is known for containing [[amygdalin]], a compound which, together with the similar compound laetrile, has been marketed as a cancer treatment despite a lack of clinical evidence for its efficacy <ref name=sr2011>{{cite journal |author=Milazzo S, Ernst E, Lejeune S, Boehm K, Horneber M |title=Laetrile treatment for cancer |journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev |volume= |issue=11 |pages=CD005476 |year=2011 |pmid=22071824 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD005476.pub3 |type=Systematic review}}</ref>. |
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It is known for containing laetrile (vitamin B17), an effective alternate cancer treatment. <ref>{{cite web|title=Laetrile|url=http://www.cancertutor.com/laetrile/|publisher=Cancer Tutor|accessdate=8 November 2014}}</ref> The FDA claims that laetrile is toxic because of its threat to pharmaceutical profits. The FDA has banned the purchase of laetrile supplements but they are still possible to obtain from the internet. |
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Seeds or kernels of the apricot grown in [[central Asia]] and around the [[Mediterranean region|Mediterranean]] are so sweet that they may be substituted for [[almond]]s. The Italian liqueur [[amaretto]] and [[Amaretti di Saronno|amaretti biscotti]] are flavored with extract of apricot kernels as well as almonds. [[Vegetable oil|Oil]] pressed from these cultivars has been used as [[cooking oil]].{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} |
Seeds or kernels of the apricot grown in [[central Asia]] and around the [[Mediterranean region|Mediterranean]] are so sweet that they may be substituted for [[almond]]s. The Italian liqueur [[amaretto]] and [[Amaretti di Saronno|amaretti biscotti]] are flavored with extract of apricot kernels as well as almonds. [[Vegetable oil|Oil]] pressed from these cultivars has been used as [[cooking oil]].{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} |
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Revision as of 23:10, 11 November 2014
An apricot kernel is the seed of an apricot.
It is known for containing amygdalin, a compound which, together with the similar compound laetrile, has been marketed as a cancer treatment despite a lack of clinical evidence for its efficacy [1].
Seeds or kernels of the apricot grown in central Asia and around the Mediterranean are so sweet that they may be substituted for almonds. The Italian liqueur amaretto and amaretti biscotti are flavored with extract of apricot kernels as well as almonds. Oil pressed from these cultivars has been used as cooking oil.[citation needed]
Apricot kernels can sometimes be strong-tasting and bitter. They feature in recipes for apricot jam, and Italian amaretto cookies and liqueur.[citation needed] Taken in excess, they may produce symptoms of cyanide poisoning, including nausea, fever, rash, headaches, insomnia, increased thirst, weakness, lethargy, nervousness, various aches and pains in joints and muscles, and a drop in blood pressure.
In 1993, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets tested the cyanide content of two 220 gram (8 oz) packages of apricot kernels imported from Pakistan that were being sold in health-food stores as a snack. The results showed that each package, if consumed entirely, contained at least double the minimum lethal dosage of cyanide for an adult human. The apricot pits were recalled and removed from stores.[2] There was one reported case in the medical literature of cyanide toxicity from apricot kernels from 1979 to 1998 in the United States.[3] On average, bitter apricot kernels contain about 5% amygdalin and sweet kernels about 0.9% amygdalin.[4] These values correspond to 0.3% and 0.05% of cyanide. Since a typical apricot kernel weighs 600 mg, bitter and sweet varieties contain respectively 1.8 and 0.3 mg of cyanide.
References
- ^ Milazzo S, Ernst E, Lejeune S, Boehm K, Horneber M (2011). "Laetrile treatment for cancer". Cochrane Database Syst Rev (Systematic review) (11): CD005476. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005476.pub3. PMID 22071824.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Imported Bitter Apricot Pits Recalled as Cyanide Hazard By DENNIS HEVESI Published: Friday, March 26, 1993 - The New York Times
- ^ Suchard JR, Wallace KL, Gerkin RD (December 1998). "Acute cyanide toxicity caused by apricot kernel ingestion". Ann Emerg Med. 32 (6): 742–4. doi:10.1016/S0196-0644(98)70077-0. PMID 9832674.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Fatma Akinci Yildirim and M. Atilla Askin: Variability of amygdalin content in seeds of sweet and bitter apricot cultivars in Turkey. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(39), pp. 6522-6524, 27 September 2010; Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJB; DOI: 10.5897/AJB10.884