Are Sloes Poisonous? Beware of The Popular Fruit

Sloes – despite hydrocyanic acid, a food since the Stone Age

Sloe fruits have a strong sour taste that “puckers” the mouth. The bushes aren’t very inviting either: long thorns sticking out in all directions prevent many a hiker from getting through. And yet we know that our Stone Age ancestors ate the long blue fruit.

• Many popular types of stone fruit, including blackthorn fruits, have amygdalin in their pits, a plant substance that contains hydrocyanic acid. You are therefore not allowed to eat the stones.
• The pulp is digestible, so not poisonous. Harvest after the frost, or let the berries freeze through in the freezer. Enzymes ensure that the bitter tannins are broken down. So the taste changes and the fruit loses its bitterness.
• “Schlehenfeuer” and other liqueurs are made from sloes. You can also process the fruit into delicious jelly and syrup. The berries are also rich in vitamin C.
• Leaves, flowers, and fruits have also been used in folk medicine for a long time. The fruit puree or 1-2 tablespoons of juice should stimulate the appetite in the morning.