== Special Precautions of Apricot Seeds ==
* Cyanogenic glycosides, as the name suggests, contains cyanide attached to a sugar molecule. When this compound is acted on by an enzyme, the sugar molecule is cleaved off, leaving behind the well known poison, cyanide. The truth is if you were to seeds in large quantities, they could kill you, but in most cases, the seeds pass through the digestive system without releasing significant amounts of cyanide unless you chew on them to release the toxin. Even if some poison is released from the seeds, your body has the capability of neutralizing small amounts of cyanide and you probably wouldn't experience serious effects unless you were to eat seeds in very high amounts. Unfortunately, a small child or a pet may not be so lucky. It might not take a large number of seeds to cause symptoms in a child or pet which means you should avoid giving your pets apples unless you remove the seeds. The same applies to children. Seeds from Apples, peaches, cherries, and raspberries and the root of cassave contains Cyanogenic glycosides .
* There are some reports of muscular weakness and respiratory difficulties in patients taking Laetrile. Usually these side effects are seen in patients who self-administer excessively high doses or who consume large amounts of apricot kernels, which can be quite toxic. Other side effect indications include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. It is believed that these symptoms are related to the patient's impaired ability to dispose of the toxic products, as a result of tumor breakdown. In any case, no one should take Laetrile without appropriate supervision and monitoring. Oral Laetrile is converted to cyanide in the intestines by bacteria. Intravenous Laetrile, in the most common form of administration, appears not to lead to the uncommon side effect of cyanide toxicity. There have been reports of death and illness in children who took Laetrile tablets accidentally. However, these incidents are not the result of therapeutic administration of the drug.