This Popular Michigan Fruit Is Actually Full of Neurotoxins!

Thursday, Sept. 19th was a special holiday for a special fruit in southern Michigan. In fact, it's so special, they named it twice, AND named a town after it. But be careful when eating it, because this commercially elusive fruit is actually full of a neurotoxin that could throw your whole body out of whack.

Of course, we're talking about the Paw Paw fruit.

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Yes, Sept. 19th was National Paw Paw Day, and it's a fruit that should be celebrated. It's a pseudo-tropical fruit that grows in some fairly harsh conditions for its type, and still manages to prosper.

The Asimina Triloba, or American Paw Paw, mostly grows in the eastern parts of the United States, especially in more humid areas like southern and western Michigan, but also in the Great Smokey Mountains to our south.

The Paw Paw is a yellowish-green, even brown fruit that essentially grows from a tree in the magnolia Order, and genuinely looks unassuming. Inside, though, is a custard-like "meat" of the fruit that many say tastes like Banana, Mango, and pineapple all combined. It's also the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States.

Most people eat the fruit raw, which is fine, but you'll also want to eat it in moderation, because lurking not only in the tree's bark, leaves, and seeds, but inside the FRUIT is a powerful neurotoxin.

Annonacin, is a potent neurotoxin that can seriously inhibit your nervous system. In some cases, people will begin feeling a tingling feeling, or lose feeling altogether if a lot is ingested. And this stuff is all over in the fruit.

Thankfully, though, the part of the Paw Paw you eat isn't so bad, but it's still there, and you should probably eat Paw Paws in moderation. And DEFINITELY don't eat the seeds.