Are Cherry Pits Really Poisonous?

What happens if you swallow a cherry pit?

Most of the time, nothing happens when you swallow a cherry pit. A cherry is a stone fruit. This means in the center of the fleshy, edible part of the fruit is a hard, stone-like shell (known as a pit). People often think that the pit is the fruit's seed, but this is incorrect. The seed is encapsulated within the shell and is sometimes called the kernel. If the cherry pit has not been chewed or broken open, it should pass intact through the digestive tract. Because of their widespread availability and the ease with which a cherry pit can be accidentally swallowed, cherry pit ingestions are a common reason people contact Poison Control.

Are cherry pits toxic?

The dangerous chemical found in the seeds of stone fruits is called amygdalin. Poisoning can occur when the seeds are crushed or chewed before swallowing, releasing the amygdalin. Amygdalin is then converted by the body to cyanide. Many other types of plants found in the US, both edible and non-edible, also naturally contain cyanide compounds. 

What is cyanide? Is it poisonous?

Cyanide's reputation for being deadly is well-deserved. Cyanide poisons the most basic and fundamental units of life—the cells—by depriving them of the oxygen needed for life. Even small amounts of cyanide can quickly lead to loss of consciousness, seizures, sudden loss of blood flow to vital organs, and death.

What other stone fruit pits are dangerous?

Apricots, plums, peaches, apples, mangoes, and nectarines are other examples of stone fruits. The amount of amygdalin in the pits of stone fruits varies widely, both between different types of stone fruits (such as cherries vs. plums) and even within the same type of fruit (such as cherries grown in one region vs. cherries grown in another region). 

In general, unintentional ingestions do not lead to poisoning because it is unlikely that someone would chew or crush the pits prior to swallowing them, and because unintentional ingestions tend to be of small amounts.

Does amygdalin have any health benefits?

A drug called Laetrile, a chemical that comes from amygdalin found in stone fruit seeds, gained popularity in the 1970s as a treatment for cancer despite no evidence to support this claim. It was even marketed as a new vitamin, "vitamin B17." Health-food stores began to sell apricot kernels for their natural amygdalin content and its claimed anticancer benefits. As a result, several cyanide poisonings from the ingestion of large amounts of apricot kernels occurred. Scientific studies have shown that Laetrile has no anti-cancer activity in humans, and it has since lost much of its popularity. However, there are still some apricot kernel products being sold, especially on the internet, with the same claims about the benefits of "vitamin B17."

I swallowed a stone fruit pit. What should I do?

If someone swallows a stone fruit pit or if you have a question about stone fruit pit safety, help from experts is available through the webPOISONCONTROL online tool and by phone at 1-800-222-1222. Poison Control’s expert guidance is always free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.

Serkalem Mekonnen, RN, BSN, MPH
Certified Specialist in Poison Information

Revised William G. Troutman, PharmD
Professor of Pharmacy Emeritus

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