Eating bitter almond can cause poisoning, dizziness, sudden fainting, palpitation, headache, nausea and vomiting, convulsion, coma, cyanosis, dilated pupils, loss of light response, weak pulse, shortness of breath or slow and irregular symptoms. The side effects of eating almonds for a long time will be poisoned. It contains amygdalin, commonly known as vitamin B 17.

The structure is very special. The molecular structure contains cyanide, which belongs to α-hydroxynitrile. This substance itself is not toxic. Toxic hydrocyanic acid can only be produced when it enters the human body and is decomposed by digestive enzymes in the human body. Bitter almonds are eaten too much, and hydrocyanic acid obtained by the decomposition of bitter almonds in the body accumulates to a certain extent, and people will die of poisoning.

Almond is not poisonous, but it can decompose hydrocyanic acid in the body after eating. Many cyanides have a special smell, which we often call bitter almonds. Therefore, when detectives solve crimes in some film and television works, they say that they smell bitter almonds at the crime scene, and the initial judgment is hydride poisoning.

But bitter almonds are not absolutely inedible. It is still a traditional Chinese medicine and a commonly used expectorant and antitussive drug. In order to reduce toxicity, bitter almond must be processed before it can be used as medicine. Amygdalin is unstable when heated, but also soluble in water, which can be boiled or fried with hot water.

Extended data:

There are two kinds of almonds, one is sweet almond, also called south almond, which is non-toxic, slightly sweet and delicate and can be eaten. It can also be added to cakes, biscuits and dishes as raw materials, which has the effects of moistening lung to relieve cough and relaxing bowels, and can relieve dry cough without phlegm and chronic cough due to lung deficiency, so it can be safely eaten.

There is also a bitter almond, also called north almond, which tastes bitter and is used as medicine. It has the effect of moistening lung and relieving asthma, and has obvious curative effect on phlegm, cough, asthma and other symptoms caused by cold, and has certain anti-cancer effect. The anti-tumor effect of almond is mainly that bitter almond contains amygdalin. At the same time, because it is rich in carotene, it can prevent free radicals from attacking cells and has the effect of preventing tumors.

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