Avocado pit: edible or not, can it be used

Avocado, or American Perseus, is a fruit that has long been grown in areas with a humid tropical climate. Avocado has been known since the existence of the Aztec civilization. The pulp and pit were used to make medicinal “forest oil”. The avocado pit is located in the center of the fruit and is rarely used because many consumers are not familiar with the unique properties of the drupe.

Can you eat an avocado pit

Avocados are trees and fruits of the same name. Trees grow up to 20 m, have evergreen leaves of a lanceolate shape. The branches grow in a short period of time, stretching up to 5 – 8 m.

Fruits can be of different colors, it depends on the variety. However, the main characteristics of the fruits are approximately the same:

• the shape of the berry is semi-oval, its minimum length is 5 cm, maximum – 20 cm;
• weight varies from 100 g to 1 kg;
• The peel is hard and dense, dark green or black;
• the pulp of all berries is light green and oily, when fully ripe it can release oil;
• fruit seeds are light or dark brown pits.

Avocado pulp is known to be healthy and nutritious. It is valued for its content of essential oils and organic acids. The degree of maturity is determined by the density of the structure. The bone, which is located in the center, is most often removed and not used.

This is due to the widespread belief that the avocado pit contains toxic substances. This information is only half true. The avocado seed was used as food by the ancient Aztecs and is a well-known spice in the Middle East.

The benefits and harms of an avocado seed for the body can be tracked if you familiarize yourself in detail with the features of this part of the avocado.

Few housewives, when choosing this fruit, know that the fruit of an oblong pear-shaped form contains a voluminous bone. Small round fruits have small seeds. But at the same time, large fruits are considered more juicy and dense in structure, while small avocados are watery and may have streaks.

The bone is a kind of assistant when cutting the fetus into halves. The flesh is probed with a knife and they begin to cut before the tip of the blade begins to rest against the bone. Then the fruit continues to be cut in a circle and opened, leaving the drupe intact in the center.

Is an avocado seed poisonous?

Information about the toxicity of avocado seeds appeared after scientists released data on the properties of the composition of the product. Its peel, leaves and seeds contain a highly toxic substance – persin, which was first isolated from avocado leaves and recognized as harmful to health.

This compound of a sparingly soluble type is similar in molecular formula to organic fatty acids and has similar properties. In high dosages, persin is dangerous, but a small amount of the substance will remain harmless to the human body.

This quality of persin can be compared with the harm and benefits of eating sugar. Daily intake of sucrose in large quantities will certainly lead to poor health, but, despite this, sugar is considered one of the most popular components of the grocery basket.

The knowledge that avocado leaves, skin, and pits can cause gastrointestinal illness in animals and even their further death also does not speak of the benefits of avocado pits. Eating leaves in large quantities by animals inevitably leads to diseases, since animals receive an excess of persin, which begins to measure hundreds of grams.

It is safe to conclude that, despite the presence of a highly toxic substance, the avocado pit cannot be harmful to health when taken in moderation, in a controlled manner.

What is useful avocado seed

However, the fact that scientists and researchers are arguing about the toxicity of the avocado seed, its benefits and harm to the human body is explained by the fact that the seed has high medicinal qualities. The external use of extracts of all parts of the avocado has long been used at an industrial level.

Ingestion is complicated by methods of preparation. The drupe is quite rigid in structure. To use it for food, you need to get a powder or cut off the particles with a sharp knife for further cooking.

The avocado seed contains several groups of substances that have beneficial properties:

• Tannins. These are compounds that are known for their tannic properties. They contain pomegranate seeds, bird cherry berries, persimmons. They are famous for their qualities to stop bleeding, improve blood clotting, and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Tannins can be part of antidotes due to their astringent qualities and ability to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria;
• Amino acids. Organic compounds that are an indispensable part of most chemical reactions. They improve metabolic processes, structure cells. Amino acids also help reduce the risk of developing heart and vascular diseases;
• Fibre. When cooked properly, the avocado pit retains its fiber structure. Fiber helps to normalize digestive processes, removes harmful substances from the body and has a positive effect on peristalsis. The ability of fiber to normalize the passage of gastric juice is also important;
• B vitamins. Important components of any processes in the body. They affect the condition of the skin of the face, hair growth, the quality of the nail plates;
• Active components. Among the components, there are traces of substances that activate the production of collagen or elastin. They slow down the aging process and help improve the protective properties of the epidermis;
• Compounds of substances with an unusual bitter taste act as one of the natural aphrodisiacs;
• Substances with bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects, help improve the body’s defenses and are regarded as activators of natural immunity. Powder-based decoctions help to normalize the patient’s condition during a cold.

Scientists are actively researching Persin: the therapeutic value of the component may be associated with its protective properties against the formation of cancer cells.

How to use an avocado pit

Using an avocado pit is possible at home. You can make your own spice mix or make a face mask using this fruit. The use of pomace and extracts from fruit parts in industrial production is widespread.

In cooking

To use the avocado seed at home for cooking, it is crushed. The process, as a result of which the powder is obtained, step by step looks like this:

1. The bone of a ripe avocado is cleaned of pulp.
2. Remove the top brown skin.
3. The content is cut in half.
4. The resulting pieces are fried in a pan or baked for 15 minutes.
5. The resulting mass is left to dry for 10 hours.
6. Then it is crushed with a blender or meat grinder to a powder state.

Ripe avocado powder will have an orange-yellow hue. Iranians use the powder to season any meat dishes.

A decoction of the powder can be taken in case of indigestion, for this, boil 1 tbsp. l. powder with 1 tbsp. water. The drink has a pleasant taste, it can be sweetened or supplemented with lemon juice.

In cosmetology

The avocado pit is popular in the preparation of masks for the face, body and hair. This is due to the fact that the composition has anti-inflammatory, vasoconstrictive and bactericidal properties. For the preparation of cosmetics, an avocado seed is used in one of the forms:

• like paste;
• as an alcohol-based infusion;
• as an abrasive.

The powder, ground with water or cream, is suitable for softening the skin, eliminating inflammation and redness. If you add vegetable or olive oil to the paste, you can use the mixture as a massage oil or sunscreen.

With regular application of such cream-based preparations, the appearance of wrinkles can be significantly reduced due to the content in the seed of substances that promote the production of natural collagen.

The powder is insisted on alcohol for 7 days in a ratio of 1:3. The mixture is wiped with inflamed areas, applied to small pimples and boils. Overnight, the infusion is able to dry the skin and lighten redness.

Powder infused with water is suitable for rinsing hair. Substances of the composition make the hair more dense and shiny. Its weekly use helps to activate hair growth and improve the condition of the hair follicles.

Avocado pits, like apricot pits, are suitable for preparing scrubs that allow you to remove the upper stratum corneum of the epidermis.

In treatment

Avocado seeds have long been known for their medicinal properties. On their basis, decoctions are prepared for the treatment of diarrhea, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Since the avocado seed has a low glycemic index, it is used as a means of increasing the elasticity of blood vessels in patients with diabetes.

Adding a small amount of powder to tea or water at the beginning of the day improves brain activity.

Damage to avocado pits

Uncontrolled intake of drupes is almost impossible, but an excess of persin can be harmful to health. You should be responsible for taking funds based on powder or dense seed pulp.

Contraindications to the use of avocado pits

In addition to useful properties, the avocado seed has direct contraindications. It is not used:

• pregnant and lactating women;
• children up to 8 years;
• people suffering from complex allergic reactions to food;
• persons with individual intolerance to avocado oil;
• those who have been diagnosed with liver disease (essential oils can negatively affect the state of the liver);
• who adhere to a certain diet related to a health condition;
• older people taking a variety of drugs based on analgesics.

Conclusion

The pit of an avocado is a part of the fruit that can become both harmful and beneficial. The unique medicinal properties of the seed are taken into account in the preparation of a variety of cosmetics, and are also used for certain diseases associated with digestion and the state of the vascular system of the body.