Animals who eat the
poisonous parts of the
avocado can experience
loss of appetite (
hyperexcitability and
anorexia) and sometimes liver and lung damage. In the
Philippines a piece of the avocado seed is applied to decayed
teeth to
relieve the pain. The seed and the roots contain an
antibiotic which prevents
bacterial spoilage of food. The seed yields a milky liquid that becomes red when exposed to air. The
Spaniards found they could use this reddish brown or even blackish indelible liquid as
ink. The brown peel of the seed may be mixed with cheese in to a paste that will kill
mice and
rats.
The seed may be grated and then toasted: Two teaspoons of this mixture can be used in one cup of boiling water to make a
tea for
urinary retention. (a
diuretic)
The avocado seed
weevil (
Conotrachelusis aguacatae) a pest that can destroy
avocado seeds and
trees.
To grow an
avocado tree from the seed plant it with the big end down in moist soil in a warm room. Water daily. (the big end is where the
baby tree lives, the rest of the seed is food for the
little tree. You can also put toothpicks in the seed and suspend it over water like a
potato.
The seed is 13.6%
tannin