# Apple seeds poisonous?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-seeds-poisonous/339985
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 14, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-seeds-poisonous/339985 "2006-01-14T19:31:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-seeds-poisonous/339985/1 "2006-01-14T19:31:41Z")

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I seem to recall from my youth that someone died from eating apple seeds.

Can they they kill you? What chemical do they contain that is poisonous?

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### Author: ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-seeds-poisonous/339985/2 "2006-01-14T19:38:49Z")

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[The Master speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_212.html)

Short answer: Yes. Apple seeds, along with various other seeds (cherries, plums, almonds, peaches, apricots, and crabapples), contain a substance that turns into cyanide upon ingestion. A small number of seeds won’t kill you, but don’t eat more than a cupful in one sitting.

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### Author: ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-seeds-poisonous/339985/3 "2006-01-14T20:59:01Z")

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> [@Khadaji](#):
>
> I seem to recall from my youth that someone died from eating apple seeds.Can they they kill you? What chemical do they contain that is poisonous?

OTOH Water mellon seeds have been blamed for many a pregnancy!

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### Author: ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-seeds-poisonous/339985/4 "2006-01-14T20:59:19Z")

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> [@Khadaji](#):
>
> I seem to recall from my youth that someone died from eating apple seeds.Can they they kill you? What chemical do they contain that is poisonous?

OTOH Water mellon seeds have been blamed for many a pregnancy! :rolleyes: