Is it safe to juice whole apples, including their seeds?

by Rachel W.
(Massachusetts)

I remember when I was young my mother told me there was arsenic or some such thing in the seeds and that I should not eat them. Also, I have a centrigual juicer, so I'm not sure if that's a factor.

Thanks!

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From Sara:

Rachel, thank you for bringing this up. Of late, many centrifugal juicers are being promoted with their "big mouth feeders" that could take a whole apple for fast juicing. I am not agreeable with juicing a whole apple due to the toxicity of the seeds.

Apple seeds contain cyanogenic acids. When taken in small amounts it probably does not pose any problem. But constant exposure to this cyanide compound might prove hazardous to your health.

Some of the symptoms of mild poisoning could be headache, giddiness, confusion and vomiting. More serious poisoning could lead to high blood pressure and palpitation, difficulty breathing and kidney problems.

So yes, please remove apple seeds when juicing.