What are the toxic effects of yuca?

What is YUCA? Identification name: Manihot esculenta L. Family: Euphorbiaceae Habitat: native to Brazil, South America Medicinal parts: root, leaf Key chemical constituents: it contains starch molecules amylose and amylopectin; sugars sucrose, fructose, dextrose; iron; phosphorus; calcium; vitamin C; proteins; cyanogenic glycosides. Specifically, cyanogenic glucoside linamarin; hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is poison. Properties and uses: analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitumor, antiviral, diuretic, febrifuge, mosquitocide, piscicide, cyanogenic. Curiosity: there are about 60-99 species of the Manihot genus. It grows well even in poor soil without fertilizer and is drought resistant. Traditionally used for abscesses, angina, boils, bites, infections, eczema, fever, gout, rheumatism, headache, itch, dysentery, diarrhea, cancer. Raw yuca flesh is white but when you cook it, it turns yellow, slightly translucent, and a little sweet and chewy. Caution: the tuberous roots of yuca contain a high concentration of cyanogenic glucoside, so they have to be specially treated to eliminate the toxic substances before consumption. To eliminate toxicity, tuberous roots can be grated and fermented for one or more days, but this reduces the quality of it and intoxications can still occur. The best way to obtain a safe product is to break down the cyanogenic glycoside and then eliminate HCN by drying or heating. Within a few minutes of eating raw yuca, you may feel distressed, weak, have difficulty breathing and standing. If severe enough and untreated, it can lead to tetanic seizures and death. The antidotes to yuca intoxication for animals and humans are sodium thiosulfate and sodium nitrite.

Cassava is also called YUCA. Yuca is often used in Latin American and Caribbean recipes to make mash, stews, chips, bread. Raw yuca can cause cyanide poisoning.

​References Olsen, Kenneth M., and Barbara A. Schaal. "Evidence on the origin of cassava: phylogeography of Manihot esculenta." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 96.10 (1999): 5586-5591. National Center for Biotechnology Information. "PubChem Compound Summary for CID 768, Hydrogen Cyanide" PubChem, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Hydrogen-Cyanide. Accessed 18 July, 2023. De Bruijn, G. H. "Cyanogenic character of cassava (Manihot esculenta)." Chronic cassava toxicity. IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 1973. Wangari, Mburu Faith. "Potential toxic levels of cyanide in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) grown in some parts of Kenya." Library Kenyatta University (2013). Duke, James A. Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of Latin America. CRC press, 2008. Burrows, George E., and Ronald J. Tyrl. Toxic Plants of North America. John Wiley & Sons, 2013. What Is Cassava (Yuca)? (thespruceeats.com).