OOPS: Even Chefs Can Mix-Up Poisonous Foods
Confusion Between Poisonous Fugu Fish Organs, Spices, and Herbs Spell Trouble for Cooks
The Dose Makes the Poison
Seeds from fruit trees in the Prunus genus -- cherries, peaches, plums, apricots and almonds -- all produce low levels of cyanogenic glycosides that can lead to cyanide poisoning, according to William J. Lamont Jr., a professor of horticulture at Pennsylvania State University.
But not to worry, Lamont and other horticulturalists noted it would take eating several whole pits to get sick.
Several popular flavors can be dangerous in high doses, too. High doses of licorice can cause high blood pressure and low potassium levels, causing problems for people with heart conditions.
As the Swedish magazine knows, nutmeg, a spice usually enjoyed safely in pinches and teaspoons, can become quite dangerous in large doses.
According Lamont, nutmeg contains a substance called myristicin, a narcotic that can cause hallucinations, nausea, vomiting and sometimes circulatory collapse.
Lamont explained that it takes eating one to three whole nutmegs to affect someone – far less than the pour Swedes put in the cake.
However, novice chefs may need to pay more attention to names than to doses when it comes to food safety.
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