Plant Cyanide

 

                                                                     Cyanide Plants 

1803

Robiquet & Fourcroy

Isolated amygdalin from bitter almonds

1830

Liebig & Wöhler

Demonstrated amygdalin hydrolyzes to yield HCN

19th c.

Pharmacognosists

Identified cyanogenic glycosides in wild cherry bark

Amygdalin: A cyanogenic glycoside found in:  Cherry pits/ Bitter almonds/ Apricot, peach, and plum pits.

When amygdalin is metabolized in the body (especially by gut flora), it can release hydrogen cyanide (HCN).

Lethal Dose of Cyanide (Humans)

Substance	Estimated Lethal Dose
Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN)	~0.5–3.5 mg/kg body weight
Amygdalin (cherry pit form)	~0.5–1.0 mg/kg of body weight (converted to HCN)

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