Apricot kernels: benefits and harms, use
After eating a sweet ripe apricot, many people throw the pit into the trash, considering it to be absolutely useless. Chinese doctors used an alcoholic tincture of apricot kernels to treat eczema, dermatitis, bumblebee and mosquito bites. They used an alcoholic extract for gout, pneumonia, gangrene and blood poisoning, rubbed ointment on diseased joints.
Currently, in the perfumery and cosmetics industry, grated apricot seeds are used to make stone oil, which is part of creams and ointments.
Compound
Kernels of bones contain iron, phosphates, compounds of aluminum, zinc, coloring pigments, fats, hydrocyanic acid and other substances. The calorie content of the core of the seeds due to the content of protein, fat and sugar in them can be compared with gooseberries.
Apricot kernels exceed the pulp by more than 10 times in calories, juice - more than 12 times. The content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates (BJU) in the bones is higher than in the pulp of the fruit. One hundred grams of seed kernels contain:
- protein - 17.39 grams;
- fat - 33.23 grams;
- carbohydrates - 39.67 grams;
- calorie content - 458 thousand calories.
Apricot kernels, if consumed no more than 40 grams per day, are very useful for the human body. Undesirable side effects are practically not manifested.The complex effect of protein, trace elements, hydrocyanic acid and vitamins inhibits the growth of a cancerous tumor even in cases where traditional medicine is no longer able to help a person. Over the past ten years, physicians and well-known scientists from Europe and the world have been studying the beneficial and harmful effects of the use of preparations from apricot kernels.
Apricot kernels owe their bittersweet taste and pleasant almond smell to amygdalin B17. In the stomach, when interacting with acid, it forms two of the strongest nerve poisons: hydrocyanic acid and benzene aldehyde.
The effect on the cells of the human body of each of these substances is clearly manifested at a concentration of one gram per thousand liters of water or one cubic centimeter per cubic meter of air. These poisons do not cause significant harm to healthy cells, while cancer cells stop feeding and are completely destroyed by their effects.
Beneficial features
The benefits of using apricot kernels are manifested even in cases where traditional medicine can no longer help or when the side effect of the medicine far exceeds the therapeutic effect. Apricot kernels are extremely effective against intestinal parasites and worms, they are used as a high-calorie dietary supplement, they are used to prepare mixtures for cellular nutrition, which are used by astronauts, athletes, climbers, extreme sports enthusiasts and doctors for the fastest rehabilitation of seriously ill patients.
Alcohol tincture and extract from apricot kernels are used in the treatment of heart, cough, asthma, cancer, recovery of the body after a serious illness. A decoction of apricot kernels has a mild laxative effect.
To prepare an extract from apricot kernels, take 30 grams of fresh kernels and grind them in a coffee grinder or food processor. The resulting powder is poured into two glasses of boiling water, covered with a saucer and left to cool to room temperature. The resulting infusion of light brown color is filtered and poured into half-liter bottles. Store the composition in a cool dark place. Precipitation and turbidity of the solution is not allowed.
Crushed apricot kernels are used in the preparation of yogurt and jelly, caramel and marshmallows, cakes and cream, cakes and biscuits, ice cream and sweets. They have a spicy taste, roasted with salt, they can be used as a beer snack instead of roasted peanuts.
Stone oil is also used as a fatty base for ointments, in the treatment of cirrhosis of the liver, deep burns.
Contraindications
The main active ingredient in apricot kernels is hydrocyanic acid aldehyde or amygdalin. Prussic acid compounds, due to toxic effects on the human body, cannot be used for diseases of the liver and kidneys, breastfeeding and pregnant women, diseases of the nervous system, allergies, metabolic disorders, diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Like any medicine, apricot seeds should be used very carefully so as not to harm the body, with gastrointestinal diseases, bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus, metabolic disorders, diseases of the nervous system, liver and kidneys, allergies, angina pectoris, low or high blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances.If the first signs of allergy appear (severe pruritus, rash, nausea, difficulty breathing, redness of the eyes, runny nose), treatment should be stopped immediately and a doctor should be consulted.
Is it possible to eat?
In the summer months, a good harvest of fruits is harvested from apricot trees. These sweet, juicy, fragrant fruits are enjoyed by adults and children. They make jams and jams, make dried apricots and candied fruits. Almost everyone, having eaten an apricot, without hesitation, throws away the stone. They do not know that for health it is more valuable than the pulp.
Ancient doctors used a tincture from the inner shell and kernel of apricot kernels to treat inflammation of the bronchi and lungs, fungal infection of the blood. An ointment was prepared from the seed oil to combat eczema and fungus. In Chinese manuscripts, references were found to the treatment of cancer with a decoction of eucalyptus leaves and apricot kernels. Noteworthy is the ancient method of expelling tapeworms, roundworms and worms from the intestines with the help of an alcohol tincture from the kernel of apricot kernels.
Almost four hundred years later, in the 80s of the twentieth century, German doctors experimentally treated volunteers with cancerous tumors in stage IV and patients in the terminal stage of HIV infection with an alcohol extract from apricot kernels. In almost half of the cases, a significant increase in the life span of patients was achieved compared with the control group.
Gourmets use dried and smoked kernels as a snack for beer, a mixture of crushed kernels with herbs is used as a side dish for meat. They are used to make jams and jams, cook in sugar syrup and make candied fruits.Little children secretly from their parents, not paying attention to television programs about the dangers of hydrocyanic acid, can eat apricot kernels with pleasure.
According to culinary specialists and gourmets, stone fruit kernels can be used without restrictions in cooking for the preparation of desserts, jellies, marshmallows, biscuit cakes, custard, jelly and mousse.
How are they different from almonds?
Almond nuts have long been considered a culinary delicacy. They are used in cooking to make cakes, marzipans, cookies, sweets, sweet fillings, custards. The specific bitter taste and spicy aroma of almonds arises due to the content of hydrocyanic acid anhydride, amygdalin B17, in them. The chemical composition of almond nuts and apricot kernels is very similar, the difference is only in the number of several components.
The content of organic substances and trace elements per 100 grams of almonds:
- vegetable fibers - 0.35 g;
- thiamine B1 - 0.167 g;
- riboflavin B2 - 0.361 g;
- pyridoxine B6 - 0.15 g;
- alpha tocopherol E - 0.164 g;
- nicotinic acid PP - 0.31 g;
- potassium chloride - 0.299 g;
- calcium chloride - 0.273 g;
- magnesium sulfate - 0.585 g;
- phosphorus - 0.591 g;
- trivalent iron - 0.233 g;
- manganese oxide - 0.96 g;
- copper chloride - 0.14 g;
- zinc chloride - 0.177 g;
- sugar, dextrins - 0.13 g;
- amygdalin - 0.03 g.
Application
Apricot kernels contain vitamin B17, 20% vegetable protein, minerals, stone oil and hydrocyanic acid compounds.Alcohol tincture and powder from dried and ground nucleoli can be taken as a folk remedy for kidney diseases accompanied by protein excretion in the urine, general weakness after a serious illness, anemia, and in the treatment of cancer at stage IV.
To avoid side effects from hydrocyanic acid, it is not recommended to consume more than 40 grams of apricot kernels per day. To enhance the impact, in parallel with them, you can use almonds, apple seeds, kernels from the seeds of plums, peaches, grapes, cherries, wild berries.
Salted and dried kernels instead of peanuts and hazelnuts are used as gourmet snacks for beer. From sunflower seeds with the addition of peanuts, walnuts, apricot kernels and honey, they make a favorite treat for children - kozinaki. Grated apricot and almond pits are used to make buttercream and pudding.
Passing through the trading rows of the eastern bazaar, you can hear the sonorous voice of the seller, briskly selling smoked apricot pits - don shurak or shur donak. To prepare this delicacy in Uzbek style, the bones are split with a sharp knife along the seam, soaked in salt water and baked in ash or sand. For beauty, they are sprinkled with crushed chalk or ash.
In folk medicine
Apricot pulp is used to make a medicine for allergies, a vitamin extract for scurvy, a remedy for treating kidney diseases, an ointment for skin itching, a tincture for cleaning the liver, drops for indigestion, an alcohol extract to strengthen the immune system, a remedy for the prevention and treatment of cancer, a decoction for liver cleansing and powder to normalize digestion, an extract to strengthen the body's defenses, a decoction to strengthen hair roots and dandruff tincture.
In cooking
The addition of raisins and chopped apricot kernels to the curd mass gives this product an unforgettable taste and aroma. Experienced chefs add olive oil, vanilla sugar, dried apricots and cocoa powder to the cheese mass. A dish with the taste and smell of chocolate, similar to Nutella paste, is very fond of children. The kernels of the stones are used as a flavoring additive in the preparation of desserts, butter cream, pudding, cake toppings, pastry, meat dishes, cold and hot smoked fish, salmon, ham, marinades, compotes and drinks.
Traditional healers use apricot pulp and kernels to prepare medicines for allergies and skin rashes, gastrointestinal disorders, strengthen immunity, and improve hair structure.
In cosmetology
Scrubs and masks are prepared from the nucleoli of apricot kernels. They nourish the skin, promote healing of wounds, abrasions and scratches, cleanse contaminated pores, relieve irritation.
You can use the following recipes.
- Nourishing mask cleanses pores, restores the epidermis, reduces pigmentation. Take 10-12 apricot kernels, dry in a microwave oven, grind into powder in a coffee grinder, dilute in 25 grams of apricot oil. The mask is kept on the skin for 20 minutes, washed off with cool water without soap. The mask is used twice a month.
- Toning scrub for neck and décolleté restores elasticity to the skin on the neck and décolleté. To prepare the scrub, grind 10-12 nucleoli, add 50 grams of apricot pulp, 50 grams of papaya or pineapple pulp, 15-20 drops of lemon juice. The scrub is applied for 10-15 minutes, after which it is washed off with cool water. Such care preserves skin tone and allows you to preserve the natural beauty without tightening.
- Skin cleansing mask. Pour one hundred grams of fresh apricot leaves with two glasses of cold water, boil for 30 minutes, add 10-12 apricot kernels and 40 grams of dry celandine, boil for 20 minutes. Add 50 grams of apricot pulp and 100 grams of apple pulp, boil for 30 minutes. Apply the resulting mask on the skin of the face for 30 minutes, rinse with cleansing lotion.
- For skin regeneration you need the pulp of one ripe apricot, 50 grams of cherry or cherry pulp, mix 50 grams of banana pulp, apply on the face. Wash off with water without soap after 15-20 minutes.
Tips
Vitamin B17 has a pronounced antitumor activity. The “target” for it is free radicals, which cancer cells produce in large quantities. By binding free radicals, amagdelin kills the cancerous tumor - it stops absorbing nutrients and collapses. This was experimentally confirmed by Dr. Ernest Julion Krabs, studying the effect of hydrocyanic acid aldehyde, discovered by him, on the development of sarcoma in mice. After the addition of amagdelin to food in the amount of 0.000001 grams per kilogram of body weight, in 12% of cases, a cessation of tumor growth and the disappearance of toxicosis were noted, in 2% - a sharp decrease in the size of the tumor and its complete destruction.
By studying the reviews of people who have treated cancerous tumors with apricot kernels, one can make encouraging predictions even at the last stage. With the combined use of chemotherapy at a reduced dose and apricot seed extract, positive changes in dynamics were obtained in three cases out of 100 patients.
To restore the body's defenses after surgery and serious illness, with oncology and HIV infection, you can use sprouted apricot pits and sprouted wheat grains.Vitamins and hormones contained in sprouts strengthen the body's defenses and weaken the inhibitory effect of chemotherapy on the immune system.
To enhance the cytostatic effect on a cancerous tumor, it is possible to use germinated apricot pits for the manufacture of therapeutic agents. All the power of life is concentrated in the sprouts and young shoots of plants. In addition to vitamins A and D, they contain auxins - plant growth hormones that normalize metabolism, stimulate cell regeneration and division, strengthen immunity, and increase endurance.
Germinating apricot pits is quite simple. To do this, take the fruits that have ripened on the tree and separate the pulp from the stone. The bones are slightly split at the base along the seam with a sharp knife. 2/3 plastic boxes are filled with washed river sand or shell rock, covered with cotton cloth or gauze, and chipped bones are laid on it. From above they are covered with another layer of cloth or gauze and sprinkled with a layer of sand 0.5 cm thick. The earth in the box is watered with water, preventing the formation of a puddle. Boxes with seeds planted in them are placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator at a temperature of 0. + 2 ° C for 2-3 weeks. With prolonged exposure of the bones "on the verge of death", vitamin A and growth phytohormones are formed in them: auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid and gaseous ethylene.
After 2-3 weeks, a sprout penetrates into the split gap, which is a sign of the readiness of the bones for use as a cytostatic agent. Sprouted bones are ground into flour in a coffee grinder. For 100 grams of ground seeds, take 20 grams of butter, 5 grams of sugar, vanillin on the tip of a knife. Use this mixture in a teaspoon after meals once a day.
At home, a folk remedy for intestinal cancer is prepared from sprouted ground apricot seeds and dried prunes. One hundred grams of prunes are crushed in a blender, 20 grams of apricot kernel powder, 30 grams of crushed wheat germ are added. The mixture is taken on an empty stomach 15-20 minutes before meals.
About the benefits and harms of apricot kernels, see the following video.