Fruits with Side Effects

[tru]

Hey everyone, I was very surprised to learn that loquats contain a sedative that will make you very sleepy if you eat too many!
Does anyone else have some cool examples/side effects of the chemistry in fruit?

Here are some others I've thought of:
- Grapefruit affecting medication (it blocks a super important digestive enzyme)
- Starfruit and Caramboxin
- Annonas and Acetogenins
- Garcinias are pretty famous for making that weight-loss drug that caused liver failure

Any other interesting ones?

[1rainman]

Blackberries are a laxative when eaten in large quantities

[Jaboticaba45]

I think white sapote also has a soporific effect.

[brian]

Kumquats create a tingling sensation similar to szechuan peppercorns

[drymifolia]

It's an obvious one, but this thread wouldn't be complete without a mention of Synsepalum dulcificum (miracle fruit), which uses its magical chemistry to make sour things taste sweet for awhile.

[elouicious]

I think white sapote also has a soporific effect.

Correct- they are sometimes called the sleepy sapote

Also the seed in incredibly toxic

[Epicatt2]

While not a fruit per se but a spice which some of our TFFers are growing (I am, for one), one should be aware that there are two separate species that are called called cinnamon.

One is Cassia cinnamon [Cinnamomum cassia], also called Chinese cinnamon, the bark of which is the type most often found on the spice shelf at the grocery store, the rolled quills of which are thick and heavy and very hard to break.  This type of cinnamon is full of coumarin which acts as a blood thinner.  People prescribed blood thinners by their doctor should avoid this type of cinnamon, either in quill form or ground.

A second and far safer type of cinnamon is known as True  cinnamon [Cinnamomum verum], also called Ceylon cinnamon.  It has by comparison only a trace of coumarin, so it is safe for those who are on blood thinners.  The difference is easy to tell because its rolled bark quills are thin, brittle, and papery and can be broken very easily. 

The flavor of Ceylon or True cinnamon is more delicate and not so pronounced as Cassia cinnamon so if you are using blood thinners it is important and safer to use True/Ceylon cinnamon instead of Cassia cinnamon. 

Ceylon/True cinnamon can be found as quills or ground powder in bulk packaging online, e.g, at Amazon, and it proves to be equivalently a lot less expensive than buying a small bottle from Publix, etc.

OK, hope this isn't TMI . . . .

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

[pagnr]

Durians can cause people to wretch and become aggressive and hostile.

That is of course people who don't or won't eat them. Smell alone or even just seeing one.
People who eat them do not have the same reaction.
I was once ejected from a Chemist ( drug store ) in Cairns for carrying in a Durian from the fruit market across the road.
Lucky I didn't urgently need medication, just a frozen yoghurt soft serve cone from their $1 machine.

[Jaboticaba45]

Durians can cause people to wretch and become aggressive and hostile.

That is of course people who don't or won't eat them. Smell alone or even just seeing one.
People who eat them do not have the same reaction.
I was once ejected from a Chemist ( drug store ) in Cairns for carrying in a Durian from the fruit market across the road.
Lucky I didn't urgently need medication, just a frozen yoghurt soft serve cone from their $1 machine.

Conversely, durian can also make people lose their common sense and draw people in to spend money on eating them.
This happened to me. I've spent countless dollars to eat these lol. Oh well. It's worth it!

[tru]

Kumquats create a tingling sensation similar to szechuan peppercorns

Never knew that! Been thinking about getting a kumquat tree and this is all the more reason

[Epicatt2]

Kumquats create a tingling sensation similar to szechuan peppercorns

Never knew that! Been thinking about getting a kumquat tree and this is all the more reason

I have a 'Meiwa' and it has never caused any tingling effect when I've eaten the fruits.

Is this effect limited only to certain cultivars of Kumquats?

Paul M.
==

[vnomonee]

Nagami does it for me, store bought ones that look ripe colorwise but aren't. My homegrown ones don't have the same effect

Kumquats create a tingling sensation similar to szechuan peppercorns

Never knew that! Been thinking about getting a kumquat tree and this is all the more reason

I have a 'Meiwa' and it has never caused any tingling effect when I've eaten the fruits.

Is this effect limited only to certain cultivars of Kumquats?

Paul M.
==

[CeeJey]

It's a flower and not a fruit, but buzz buttons probably count: https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Fresh_Flowers_Buzz_Button_4873.php

The flavor of Ceylon or True cinnamon is more delicate and not so pronounced as Cassia cinnamon so if you are using blood thinners it is important and safer to use True/Ceylon cinnamon instead of Cassia cinnamon. 

True cinnamon is *really* subtle compared to ceylon. I mostly use true cinnamon for things that need just a hint of the flavor but sometimes I miss that gritty in-your-face "cheap cinnabon in the airport" hit from Cassia.

[brian]

It's very noticeable in nagami, fukushu, marumi.  You can often find nagami kumquats at grocery stores. I have them all growing in my greenhouse.

[vnomonee]

Persimmons can cause bezoar / stone in stomach if eaten at the wrong stage of ripeness

[Raulglezruiz]

While not a fruit per se but a spice which some of our TFFers are growing (I am, for one), one should be aware that there are two separate species that are called called cinnamon.

One is Cassia cinnamon [Cinnamomum cassia], also called Chinese cinnamon, the bark of which is the type most often found on the spice shelf at the grocery store, the rolled quills of which are thick and heavy and very hard to break.  This type of cinnamon is full of coumarin which acts as a blood thinner.  People prescribed blood thinners by their doctor should avoid this type of cinnamon, either in quill form or ground.

A second and far safer type of cinnamon is known as True  cinnamon [Cinnamomum verum], also called Ceylon cinnamon.  It has by comparison only a trace of coumarin, so it is safe for those who are on blood thinners.  The difference is easy to tell because its rolled bark quills are thin, brittle, and papery and can be broken very easily. 

The flavor of Ceylon or True cinnamon is more delicate and not so pronounced as Cassia cinnamon so if you are using blood thinners it is important and safer to use True/Ceylon cinnamon instead of Cassia cinnamon. 

Ceylon/True cinnamon can be found as quills or ground powder in bulk packaging online, e.g, at Amazon, and it proves to be equivalently a lot less expensive than buying a small bottle from Publix, etc.

OK, hope this isn't TMI . . . .

Cheers!

Paul M.
==

Cassia is also suspicious of be the causant of cancer cells in several studies..

[happyhana]

Meiwa has the tingle, more so in Hawaii than mainland Meiwa

Obscure but lychee can cause encephalitis in malnourished children

[tru]

Meiwa has the tingle, more so in Hawaii than mainland Meiwa

Obscure but lychee can cause encephalitis in malnourished children

I remember reading about that the first time I ate a lychee! Googled it afterward and found that same story. Chemistry is so quirky

[kittycatus]

Unripe ackee can cause illness or death.

[Mango Stein]

Apples are good to eat in the morning to wake you up. White sapote and to lesser extent kiwifruit are good before bed.

Mamey fruit (Mammea americana) causes immense stomach pains or some kind of visceral allergic reaction in some people, even lab rodents have died from consuming the pulp...

[tru]

Apples are good to eat in the morning to wake you up. White sapote and to lesser extent kiwifruit are good before bed.

Mamey fruit (Mammea americana) causes immense stomach pains or some kind of visceral allergic reaction in some people, even lab rodents have died from consuming the pulp...

Ooh! Mammea americana also makes people lose hair and even fingernails in large quantities, good call!

[pagnr]

Durian again. Well known for aphrodisiac properties.

[ericalynne]

It's a flower and not a fruit, but buzz buttons probably count: https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Fresh_Flowers_Buzz_Button_4873.php

Also called toothache plant. It produces numbness on lips, tongue and gums.
Spilanthes oleracea