"S.B. Feldman" wrote:
> One question is the undefined use of the word toxin without reference to
> magnitude of the amounts involved. The cyanide in almonds and in certain
> fruit woods are parts of metabolic processes that may or may not have
> anything to do with self-preservation.
I may be way off base here, so please don't take the following as anything
definitive. I vaguely remember reading something a while ago that said
the compound in almonds is not cyanide, but is cyanide-like and is not
actually harmful. If I remember correctly the discussion also involved
vitamin B-17, that might help one find the info using a search engine.

Ilya