Can bitter almonds be eaten?

After eating apricots, many people will smash the almonds and eat them, but they will taste bitter. So, can bitter almonds be eaten? Almonds are bitter when eaten raw, but it is not because they are bitter that they cannot be eaten raw. Instead, it is because the kernel is somewhat toxic. If you want to eat it, you can pickle the almonds, or you must cook the almonds before eating. But no matter how you eat it, it is not suitable to eat too much.

Can bitter almonds be eaten raw?

It is best not to eat bitter almonds raw. Bitter almonds contain certain toxicity and can easily cause poisoning if eaten raw.

Before eating bitter almonds, they must be soaked in water, peeled off the yellow skin, and then soaked in clean water for several days, changing the water frequently every day until the bitterness is gone. In this way, the content of cyanogenic glycosides can be reduced by more than 95%. It is also necessary to cook or fry it thoroughly before eating to avoid poisoning.

Although almonds have many medicinal and edible values, they should not be consumed in large quantities, and no more than 10 almonds a day. "Because hydrogen cyanide will volatilize when exposed to heat, it is recommended that when eating bitter almonds, you must soak them in water several times and heat them to boil to reduce or even eliminate the toxic substances in them. At the same time, be sure to peel and remove the tip (germ). In addition, pregnant women, young children, people with damp-heat constitutions and diabetic patients should not eat apricots and their products.

How to remove the bitterness of bitter almonds

Soak bitter almonds in water, change the water twice a day, and after soaking for 2-3 days, they will be completely non-toxic and the bitterness will be removed. You can eat it directly after soaking, but if you eat bitter almonds according to the above instructions, you don’t have to worry about poisoning, because bitter almonds are soaked during the production process, and there are no side effects at all when eating them.

There are many benefits of eating bitter almonds. It has antitussive, anti-inflammatory, and digestive effects. Almonds contain a large amount of amygdalin, which can be hydrolyzed by intestinal microbial enzymes or the amygdalin contained in the almonds themselves, producing trace amounts of benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid, which have an inhibitory effect on our respiratory center, thereby achieving the effect of suppressing cough. Almonds also have a very important effect on the digestive system. Almonds are bitter and can relieve gas, and they contain high levels of fat oil. Fatty oil can improve the lubrication effect of our intestinal contents on the mucosa, thereby effectively helping our stomach digestion. Therefore, eating almonds has the effect of aiding digestion. Friends who are often picky about food can eat some almonds regularly.

How to cure bitter almond poisoning

Apricot root juice

The creation of nature is amazing. Almonds are poisonous and should not be eaten carelessly, but the roots of the apricot tree are a good antidote for apricot poison. After symptoms of poisoning occur after eating bitter almonds, induce vomiting first, then use 60-100g of apricot roots, add water to boil the medicine, take a small bowl each time, drink it every 4 hours, it can play a detoxifying role.

Raw carrot juice

Raw radish juice contains a lot of water and vitamins, and has a certain dilution and detoxification effect. When poisoning occurs after eating a large amount of almonds, take fresh raw white radish, wash it, mash it to extract the juice, and drink it directly. Drink it once every 1 hour to detoxify.

Mung Bean Soup

Mung bean soup has a detoxifying effect, mainly because mung beans contain a large amount of protein and starch, which can adsorb toxins, especially protein toxins such as bitter almonds. When symptoms of poisoning appear, add mung beans to water and boil them into juice, eat the beans and drink the juice, or you can directly drink mung bean powder to detoxify.