Raw Cashews
I’m not referring to the cashews you get salted in the holiday jar or even those steamed varieties sold in grocery bulk bins. However, beware of truly raw cashews, which contain a chemical called urushiol, which gives poison ivy or poison oak it’s itchy, rash-worthy, uncomfortable repercussions. Understandably, on the inside these can be fatal when ingested in large amounts.

Blood Clams
Although blood clams are a relatively rare delicacy, these bivalve mollusks reside in an ocean environment at extremely low oxygen levels. This means they filter along with water and nutrients, high levels of viruses and bacteria—such as dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid—which when ingested can result in extreme outbreaks and illnesses in humans.

Cassava
Even though this South American-originating tuber (also called yuca) may taste delectable mashed or fermented into piwarry juice, if you dare to eat the leaves and roots raw, you’ll end up with a deadly case of cyanide poisoning. This is due to an enzyme called linamarase, which when emitted, transforms the tropical veggie into a deadly substance.

Nutmeg
Nutmeg was once used as a psychedelic trip (akin to LSD), but too much of the tree seeds’ hallucinogenic effects (0.2 ounces or more) can result in severe gastrointestinal upset, nausea, vomiting, and explosive diarrhea, as well as dangerous convulsions, heart arrhythmia, seizures, and “nutmeg psychosis,” which includes a sense of impending disaster and can lead to suicidal thoughts, in mere hours to days after ingestion.
