Are Ginkgo Nuts Poisonous?

Are ginkgo nuts poisonous? Some people in life have raised this question. So, do you usually experience any discomfort symptoms when eating ginkgo nuts? In fact, if you follow the scientific method to eat ginkgo nuts raw, it is impossible to get poisoned, and it may even help relieve certain uncomfortable symptoms. But in some cases, if it is consumed improperly, poisoning may occur. So, how to eat ginkgo nuts?

Are ginkgo nuts poisonous? That depends on the specific situation. Reasonable and appropriate consumption of ginkgo nuts has certain effects and functions, such as relieving cough, moistening the lungs, and treating tuberculosis, bronchitis, asthma and many other diseases. But at the same time, you should also understand some precautions when eating ginkgo nuts to avoid poisoning.

If children eat raw ginkgo nuts, they may be at risk of poisoning if they eat about 20 nuts in a row, and adults may eat about 50 nuts in a row. The way to prevent ginkgo poisoning is to cook it before eating. However, the toxins in cooked ginkgo are not completely destroyed, so it is not advisable to eat too much. In addition, drinking water soaked with ginkgo leaves is also dangerous. According to research, ginkgo leaves contain a component called ginkgolic acid, which can damage the heart if taken in excessive doses or for a long time.

Ginkgo fruit, commonly known as gingko nut, consists of a fleshy exocarp, a bony mesocarp, a membranous endocarp, and a kernel. It can be boiled or fried, and has the effects of removing phlegm, relieving cough, moistening the lungs, and relieving asthma, but eating a large amount can cause poisoning. Ginkgo nuts contain hydrocyanic acid toxin, which is highly toxic. Its toxicity decreases when exposed to heat, so it is more likely to cause poisoning if eaten raw. The general toxic dose is 10-50 pieces, and the poisoning symptoms occur 1-12 hours after eating ginkgo nuts. To prevent ginkgo poisoning, it is not advisable to eat too much ginkgo, let alone eat it raw. This disease is more common in children.

What causes ginkgo poisoning (gingko poisoning)? This disease is caused by eating a large amount of raw or underripe ginkgo nuts, which contain hydrocyanic acid toxins. They all have different medicinal values, and here we focus on the medical and health care effects of ginkgo kernels. According to Compendium of Materia Medica, “cooked food warms the lungs, replenishes Qi, calms asthma and cough, reduces urination, and stops leukorrhea; raw food reduces phlegm, disinfects and kills insects.” Modern science has proven that ginkgo seeds have anti-Escherichia coli, diphtheria bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Streptococcus. Traditional Chinese medicine has always used ginkgo seeds to treat diseases such as bronchial asthma, chronic tracheitis, tuberculosis, leucorrhea, stranguria, and spermatorrhea.

Ginkgo seeds can also remove spots and wrinkles, and treat sores and ringworms. For patients with cough and thin sputum, boil 30 grams of ginkgo seeds and 15 grams of rock sugar in water and drink it twice a day. It can be cured in half a month. For children with enuresis, simmer 5 ginkgo seeds, take the seeds and drink them before going to bed every night. It can be effective in half a month. Ginkgo seeds are called ginkgo nuts because after removing the yellowish outer testa, the hard seed coat (mesotesta) is white. The edible part of ginkgo is the kernel, which has a fleshy endosperm and tastes greasy, sweet and slightly bitter. Ginkgo nuts are fresh and tender and can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a fragrant taste and crispy flesh when eaten raw, but the inner seed coat is difficult to peel and eating too much can easily cause poisoning. Therefore, they are rarely eaten raw and are mostly eaten cooked. After frying the ginkgo nuts with their shells on, peel off the shells and remove the inner seed coat. The kernels are soft, fragrant and very delicious. The kernels can also be used as a condiment for dishes. Ginkgo nuts are sold in restaurants and grocery stores in Japan and the United States as cold dishes and side dishes.

In my country's Song Dynasty, ginkgo has been widely used in cooking. It is often paired with pork, mutton, cattle, poultry and eggs. It is made into delicious dishes by frying, steaming, simmering, stewing, braising, stewing, roasting and sautéing, such as ginkgo steamed eggs, ginkgo braised chicken and ginkgo whole duck. Recently, the chefs of Shandong Qufu International Travel Service and Beijing Kong Shantang have skillfully created the famous Ken dish "Panda Smelling Ginkgo", which is not only excellent in color, fragrance and taste, but also allows the diners to appreciate a fine handicraft. In addition, ginkgo can also be made into canned food, moon cakes, snacks, and processed into wine, beverages and other delicacies for people to eat. As mentioned earlier, since ginkgo kernels contain toxic substances such as ginkgolic acid, ginkgol, and ginkgo alcohol, it is not advisable to eat too many ginkgo nuts at one time, otherwise it will cause poisoning. To prevent poisoning, when cooking ginkgo nuts, make sure the lid of the pot is not loose, and make sure the ginkgo nuts are cooked thoroughly to allow the toxins to evaporate. Do not eat undercooked ones.

Ginkgo has high medicinal value. According to Compendium of Materia Medica, “cooked food can warm the lungs, replenish qi, calm diarrhea, reduce urination, and stop white worms; raw food can reduce phlegm, disinfect and kill insects.” Traditional Chinese medicine has always used ginkgo to treat diseases such as bronchial asthma, chronic tracheitis, tuberculosis, leucorrhea, gonorrhea, and spermatorrhea. For example: patients with asthma, cough and thin sputum can use 30 grams of ginkgo kernels and 15 grams of crystal sugar, boil them in water until the kernels are cooked and take them with the residue, 1 to 2 times a day; for children with enuresis, take 5 ginkgo nuts, simmer them with the shells, take out the kernels, and eat them all at once before going to bed every night; for patients with tuberculosis, peel the ginkgo nuts and take out the kernels, soak them in cod liver oil, and take it after half a year, once before meals, 3 times a day, and take it for 1 to 3 months to recover; rubbing the raw ginkgo pulp on the affected area can remove blisters and wrinkles, eliminate scabies, kill lice, and it also has a certain effect on treating facial dark spots and ringworm blisters. Modern medical research has proved that ginkgo has anti-Escherichia coli, diphtheria, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Streptococcus.

There are many ways to eat ginkgo nuts in life, such as stir-frying, stewing, steaming, braising, etc. It can also become a delicious dish in life. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, ginkgo nuts can also be used as a prescription, which has obvious effects on the treatment or prevention of certain diseases. Therefore, if people eat ginkgo nuts properly on a regular basis, they don't have to worry about poisoning.