I think I poisoned dd!

[Jux]

Not too badly mind, she got a tummy ache.

Nectarines. The stone fell apart and inside was an almond-like nut. Curious, we ate half each. Definitely tasted of almonds, but had a very unpleasant bitter aftertaste. Our tongues went a bit tingly and numb.

Some hours later dd had horrid stomach cramps.

I had meanwhile looked up nectarine pits and discovered that they contain cyanide, which is released by some complicated chemical process or by being exposed to air, depending on what site you're reading.

Anyway, don't eat them if you find them, do tell your kids not to eat them - especially small children as apparently it could only take a few to kill a small child (dd is 13). This goes for peaches, apricots etc.

DD's fine today, btw, and is having a lovely time telling everyone that her mum poisoned her

[AngryFeet]

Some people believe that stuff cures cancer

[AngryFeet]

Apricot kernels I think they are called not sure if the same works for nectarines

[Trills]

If you eat apple seeds then a tree will grow out of your ear.

[Trills]

Amaretto is made from apricot kernels.

For some reason I knew that peach stones are poisonous, not sure how I knew though.

[Jux]

OK, so it's bollocks and the tummy pain was coincidence. I did wonder, and I knew I'd get sensible answers on MN!

[Japple]

...Dear AngryFt...The saying is, "An Almond a Day keeps Cancer Away".

[Trills]

I don't think it is bollocks - Snopes is fairly reliable for urban myths.

Peach and apricot pits contain amygdalin (a compound that breaks down into cyanide when metabolized), but since they are large and hard very few people deliberately chew them!

[Jux]

Thanks, Trills. It was a small nut-like thing inside the actual stone.

Nice to know though that you'd have to eat a fair few anyway, especially as they taste pretty vile so you're unlikely to want another after the first.

[VikingVagine]

I think most fruit stones contain trace amounts of cyanide, but you'd have to eat a whole bucketful of apple pips to get any form of poisoning (it's that slight almond taste you get when you bite into one).