Hydrogen cyanide

I think i poisoned myself last week. i was walking down a old logging road on an empty stomach with a empty water bottle so i was getting dehydrated and stopped to chew on a hand full of salmon berries so my mouth wasn't so dry. an hour latter my stomach was cramped, i broke into a cold sweet, was getting light headed and threw up a bunch of bile and seeds then curled up in bed shivering for 30 min.

apparently when i crushed up all the seeds and ate them on a empty highly acidic stomach they released enough HCN for my body to react to. it seams all fruit seeds can release varying amounts of HCN with apple seeds having enough HCN for a cup of dried seeds to be a lethal dose. and yes im sure i know what salmon berries look like.

im never going to eat fruit again, i'll stick to cheeseburgers.

sooo are you dying?

I've found death to be kind of tingley.

but then I got better.

?

Really?

Hyd cy doubtful.

Prolly you gots teh lupus.

Kn.

peppermint tea bro

ooo's noes, not teh lupus.

I've found death to be kind of tingley.

but then I got better.

yeah, it was a lot like that.

peppermint tea bro

uuuh oo, i just had some blackberry tea, is that going to make it worse?

yes

I think it was unlikely to be cyanide. Acute cyanide poisoning tends to affect the autonomic system and stop you breathing, rather than upsetting your stomach. Sure many seed contain cyanide, which you can smell in certain apples as an almond or marsepan odour. However the concentrations are low and you would have to eat a huge number of apple seeds.

Aboriginal friends of mine consume pounds of salmonberries and thiselberries almost at subsistence levels without ill effect.

I think it was more likely to be ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) which is known to cause stomach upset, diarrhea and cramps, combined with dehydration which can also cause craps, fatigue, nausea, headaches and the shivers.

Anyhow hope you are feeling better and not imitating a Norwegian Blue.

The first half of your second sentence is your most likely cause of illnesses. Dehydration and heat exhaustion exhibit the same symptoms you described.

Cyanosis is similar to what others have described, and you would have likely lost consiousness. Check colours of extremities, and even better colour of your lips. A purplish colour is a recognizable symptom because of the lack of oxygen in the bloodstream caused by cyanosis.

I've eaten loads of salmon berries, in a sitting, as as child and never had issues. I doubt they have sufficient cyanide, or have any at all.

But don't eat peach pits. They are bad. Same with peach-like fruits, like apricots and nectarines. Even raw almonds are bad (and probably why cyanide smells like almonds).

Anyhow hope you are feeling better and not imitating a Norwegian Blue.

thanks, im fine, it was a few weeks ago actually.

I've eaten loads of salmon berries, in a sitting, as as child and never had issues. I doubt they have sufficient cyanide, or have any at all.

the internets are saying the seeds have trace amounts. dehydration was the biggest factor, but i did make a point to chew on and crack the seed before i swallowed them which i haven't done any previous time i ate salmon berries. and when they are uncracked they tend to pass straight through digestion so i thought that might have something to do with it.