Are Cherry Pits Poisonous?

The seeds inside stone fruit pits contain cyanide-forming compounds. A 2018 study in the journal Molecules says cherry stones contain cyanogenic glycosides, including amygdalin, which are potentially toxic once broken down into hydrogen cyanide, and that these compounds can be extracted into cherry liqueur when the fruit is macerated. The European Food Safety Authority says amygdalin is present in apricot kernels, the seed inside the apricot stone, and converts to cyanide after eating.

Apricot kernels are the best studied. EFSA said in April 2016 that eating more than three small raw apricot kernels, or less than half of one large kernel, in a serving can exceed safe levels. A 2013 study in The Scientific World Journal estimated that, with a reported lethal dose of 0.5 to 3.5 mg of cyanide per kg of body weight, eating about 30 apricot kernels would make severe toxicity inevitable for adults. A 2011 BMJ Case Reports article describes a 35-year-old woman who ate more than 20 apricot kernels and, about 70 minutes later, developed headache, nausea and shortness of breath with low blood pressure and low oxygen levels.

EFSA says cyanide poisoning can cause nausea, fever, headaches, insomnia, thirst, lethargy, nervousness, aches and pains and falling blood pressure, and that in extreme cases it is fatal. In a May 2024 warning about certain apricot seed products, the FDA said laboratory analysis found high levels of amygdalin that could lead to fatal cyanide toxicity, and listed mild to moderate symptoms such as difficulty breathing, bluish skin, weakness and lightheadedness, and severe symptoms such as coma, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms and cardiovascular collapse.