Bell pepper seeds are poisonous

[snopes]

Comment: There is a rumor/urban legend that bell peper seeds are
poisonous. I have been told this and my husband was commenting on it last
night that he had heard the same thing, but it is not true. Apparently a
lot of people have always heard the same thing. I do not know the origin
of this rumor, but apparently it is not true.

[Avril]

No, but they are kind of bitter. If they were poisonous, you'd think hot pepper seeds would be too, though, and yet millions of people eat them every day without incident.

I'd also heard that apple seeds are poisonous, but I've known people who ate whole apples, core and all (and obviously seeds), and didn't die from that.

And rhubarb leaves. They actually are, though I don't think the amount most people would find on what they buy at the store would be lethal.

Here's Dole's explanation.

[llewtrah]

I knew someone who used small amounts of rhubarb leaf as a purgative.

If capsicum seeds were poisonous, I'd be dead several times over. I can get quite lazy when preparing capsicums.

[Pudding Crawl]

Apple seeds are poisonous in that they contain cyanide (as with bitter almonds), but the amount is very small, so the poisoning risk to humans is insignificant. You'd have to eat masses of them. Maybe you wouldn't even be able to eat them quickly enough to build up a toxic dose, I don't know.

I don't take the seeds out of any pepper; I don't mind the bitterness, and although if you prefer mild heat it's a good way to cool a pepper down, that's not for me. I don't mind the taste of sweet pepper seeds. ('Hot' and 'sweet' peppers can be from the same species but are different cultivars.) Most of the heat is in the placental tissues of the pepper, and consequently the seeds- notice the increase in heat if you eat a pepper from the blossom end up.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by Pudding Crawl

I don't take the seeds out of any pepper; I don't mind the bitterness

The bitterness doesn't bother me unduly either. Cleaning peppers is more habit than anything else. If they're for cooking, I'm dreadfully lazy.

[DrRocket]

Whenever I prepare hot peppers, which are direct cousins to bell peppers, I NEVER remove the seeds. I eat the cores of apples all the time. I'm still here, 59 and going strong.

[Cervus]

Originally Posted by Pudding Crawl

Apple seeds are poisonous in that they contain cyanide (as with bitter almonds), but the amount is very small, so the poisoning risk to humans is insignificant.

I know they're considered poisonous to pets. I used to give my dog whole apples to eat, but I'd have to watch him and take it away by the time he got to the core.

[Dasla]

Originally Posted by DrRocket

Whenever I prepare hot peppers, which are direct cousins to bell peppers, I NEVER remove the seeds. I eat the cores of apples all the time. I'm still here, 59 and going strong.

We found out quite recently, like less then five years ago that my Dad is allergic to chilli (hot peppers?) seeds, severly so!! It surprised it took so long because will he has never been fond of peppers, hot or sweet, he has had them. His mum grew hot peppers in her yard, I have been making satay sauce since the early '80's with chilli in it. We went to Thai, Chinese and other asian restuarants regularly. I gues we were lucky he never ate seeds untill that one night.

I used to use dried chilli in my satay, and then bottled chopped chilli (without seeds). But like I said, pure luck.

[Dasla]

Originally Posted by Cervus

I know they're considered poisonous to pets. I used to give my dog whole apples to eat, but I'd have to watch him and take it away by the time he got to the core.

Really? Many of our labradors have eaten our apple cores when we had eaten the apple. Even if we did give them whole apples we would have to remove the core sinces labs tend to eat things in one mouthfull or a few at the most.

[Richard W]

Originally Posted by DrRocket

I eat the cores of apples all the time. I'm still here, 59 and going strong.

Yes, I've been eating apples whole (core and all) since I was about seven. And it's never done me any harm...

[Swordmaster]

My mom removes tomato seeds because someone told her that they can cause polyps in the colon.

[Dasla]

Originally Posted by Pudding Crawl

Apple seeds are poisonous in that they contain cyanide (as with bitter almonds), but the amount is very small, so the poisoning risk to humans is insignificant. You'd have to eat masses of them. Maybe you wouldn't even be able to eat them quickly enough to build up a toxic dose, I don't know.

I remember that was a solution in a Trixie Beldon book I read when I was young. I don't think it was the main mystery but a side one. One of Trixie's brothers was suffering from cyanide poisoning and they were trying to work out who was doing it. Then they found out his new girl friend was making him a salad with quarted apples (cores, seed and all). The girlfriend had no idea.

There was an author's note at the end that basically said that while apple seeds did contain cyanide, there wasn't enough to cause serious harm.

[compass]

I heard apple pips were fairly indigestible, so you wouldn't absorb the cyanide unless you chewed them open anyway.

[NobodyAtAll]

Originally Posted by Dasla

I remember that was a solution in a Trixie Beldon book I read when I was young. I don't think it ws the main mystery but a side one.

I loved Trixie Beldon and had forgotten her. Faithless reader mea culpa! Mea maxima culpa! Thank you for recalling her to me. The books I read were hardcover photographic, that one was Trixie with a horse I think .
Anyway thanks .

[Dasla]

Originally Posted by NobodyAtAll

I loved Trixie Beldon and had forgotten her. Faithless reader mea culpa! Mea maxima culpa! Thank you for recalling her to me. The books I read were hardcover photographic, that one was Trixie with a horse I think .
Anyway thanks .

My pleasure. Funny how things come back to you. I am sorting out my book shelves and while I have none of Trixie's books left I have a few Australian mystery book in a similar vein (in fact "Trixie" recomends them ) Don't know why I remember the part about apple seeds when I don't think I could remember any other plot point, except they liked riding hoarses. Maybe becauce at the time I thought it was a bit of a cheat.

[Spam & Cookies-mmm]

Originally Posted by Swordmaster

My mom removes tomato seeds because someone told her that they can cause polyps in the colon.

I have a friend who suffers from diverticulitis. He says small things like tomato seeds and sesame seeds can get stuck in the folds and cause painful inflammation.