Almond, Almond Extract, Almond Oil, Almendra Dulce, Almendro Dulce, Amande, Amandier, Amande Douce, Amandier à Fruits Doux, Amandier Doux, Amendoa Doce, Amygdala Dulcis, Amygdalus communis var. dulcis, Expressed Almond Oil, Extrait d'Amande, Fixed Almond Oil, Huile d'Amande, Huile d'Amande Douce, Mandorla Dolce, Mindal' Sladkii, Prunus amygdalus var. dulcis, Prunus amygdalus var. sativa, Prunus communis var. sativa, Prunus dulcis, Suessmandel, Suessmandelbaum, Sweet Almond Oil, Zoete Amandel.
Sweet almond is a plant. It produces kernels (nuts) that are a familiar food. Sweet almond oil, prepared by pressing the kernels, is used to make medicine.
Sweet almond is used as a mild laxative, and as a remedy for cancer of the bladder, breast, mouth, spleen, and uterus.
Some people apply sweet almond directly to the skin to soften chapped skin, to soothe mucous membranes, and to kill germs.
Sweet almond is also used to dissolve certain medications in a liquid so they can be given as shots.
In manufacturing, sweet almond is used widely in cosmetics.
How does work?
Sweet almond might work as a laxative due to the presence of many fatty acids. When applied to the skin, these same oily ingredients might help chapped skin and irritated mucous membranes.
Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...
- High cholesterol. Early research suggests that eating raw almonds daily for 4-9 weeks might lower total cholesterol and “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in people with high cholesterol. However, eating almonds does not appear to improve “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol or blood fats called triglycerides.
- Skin damage caused by radiation treatment for cancer. Early research suggests that applying almond ointment to the skin does not protect against skin damage caused by radiation treatment in women with breast cancer.
- Constipation.
- Chapped and irritated skin.
- Cancer of the bladder, breast, mouth, spleen, and uterus.
- Other conditions.
QUESTION
See AnswerThere is not enough scientific information available to know if sweet almond is safe to use as medicine.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There is not enough reliable information about the safety of taking sweet almond if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Diabetes: Sweet almond might lower blood sugar in some people. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes and use sweet almond.
Surgery: Sweet almond might lower blood sugar in some people. In theory, sweet almond might interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgical procedures. Stop using sweet almond at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.
Sweet almond might lower blood sugar in some people. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking sweet almond along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.
Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
The appropriate dose of sweet almond depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for sweet almond. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Abbey, M., Noakes, M., Belling, G. B., and Nestel, P. J. Partial replacement of saturated fatty acids with almonds or walnuts lowers total plasma cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59(5):995-999. View abstract.
Almeida, I. F. and Bahia, M. F. Evaluation of the physical stability of two oleogels. Int J Pharm 12-11-2006;327(1-2):73-77. View abstract.
Bowers, E. M., Ragland, L. O., and Byers, L. D. Salt effects on beta-glucosidase: pH-profile narrowing. Biochim.Biophys Acta 2007;1774(12):1500-1507. View abstract.
Bulow, A., Plesner, I. W., and Bols, M. Slow inhibition of almond beta-glucosidase by azasugars: determination of activation energies for slow binding. Biochim.Biophys.Acta 2-9-2001;1545(1-2):207-215. View abstract.
Clemetson, C. A., de Carlo, S. J., Burney, G. A., Patel, T. J., Kozhiashvili, N., and Taylor, R. A. Estrogens in food: the almond mystery. Int J Gynaecol.Obstet 1978;15(6):515-521. View abstract.
Dey P. Inhibition, transgalactosylation and mechanism of action of sweet almond alpha-galactosidase. Biochim.Biophys.Acta. 1969;191:644-652.
Dey, P. M. and Malhotra, O. P. Kinetic behaviour of sweet almond alpha-galactosidase. Biochim.Biophys.Acta 1969;185(2):402-408. View abstract.
Field, R. A., Haines, A. H., Chrystal, E. J., and Luszniak, M. C. Histidines, histamines and imidazoles as glycosidase inhibitors. Biochem.J 3-15-1991;274 ( Pt 3):885-889. View abstract.
Fraser GE, Jaceldo KB, and Sabate J. Effect on body weight of a free 76 Kilojoule (320 calorie) daily supplement of almonds for six months. J Am Coll Nutr 2002;21(3):275-283.
Grundy, S. M. Monounsaturated fatty acids, plasma cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. Am.J.Clin.Nutr. 1987;45(5 Suppl):1168-1175. View abstract.
Maiche A. Effect of chamomile cream and almond ointment on acute radiation skin reaction. Acta Oncol 1991;30(3):395-396.
Nishibe H and Takahashi N. The release of Carbohydrate moieties from human fibrinogen by almond glycopeptidase without alteration in fibrinogen clottability. Biochim Biophys Acta 1981;661:274-279.
Qureshi S, Shah AH, Tariq M, and et al. Studies on herbal aphrodisiacs used in Arab systems of medicine. Amer J Chin Med 1989;17(1-2):57-63.
Saura-Calixto, F. S., Bauza, M., de Toda, F. M., and Argamenteria, A. Amino acids, sugars, and inorganic elements in the sweet almond (Prunus amygdalus). J Agric.Food Chem. 1981;29(3):509-511. View abstract.
Schade, J. E., McGreevy, K., King, A. D., Jr., Mackey, B., and Fuller, G. Incidence of aflatoxin in California almonds. Appl.Microbiol. 1975;29(1):48-53. View abstract.
Schwartz, J., Sloan, J., and Lee, Y. C. Mannosidase, glucosidase, and galactosidase in sweet almond emulsin. Arch.Biochem.Biophys. 1970;137(1):122-127. View abstract.
Shen, H. and Byers, L. D. Thioglycoside hydrolysis catalyzed by beta-glucosidase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 10-26-2007;362(3):717-720. View abstract.
Spiller, G. A., Jenkins, D. A., Bosello, O., Gates, J. E., Cragen, L. N., and Bruce, B. Nuts and plasma lipids: an almond-based diet lowers LDL-C while preserving HDL-C. J Am Coll.Nutr 1998;17(3):285-290. View abstract.
Spiller, G. A., Jenkins, D. J., Cragen, L. N., Gates, J. E., Bosello, O., Berra, K., Rudd, C., Stevenson, M., and Superko, R. Effect of a diet high in monounsaturated fat from almonds on plasma cholesterol and lipoproteins. J Am Coll.Nutr 1992;11(2):126-130. View abstract.
Teotia, S. and Singh, M. Hypoglycemic effect of Prunus amygdalus seeds in albino rabbits. Indian J Exp.Biol. 1997;35(3):295-296. View abstract.
Teotia, S., Singh, M., and Pant, M. C. Effect of Prunus amygdalus seeds on lipid profile. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 1997;41(4):383-389. View abstract.
Thomas, P., Boussuges, A., Gainnier, M., Quenee, V., Donati, S., Ayem, M. L., Barthelemy, A., and Sainty, J. M. [Fat embolism after intrapenile injection of sweet almond oil]. Rev Mal Respir. 1998;15(3):307-308. View abstract.
Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, et al. Frequent nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women: prospective cohort study. BMJ 1998;317:1341-5. View abstract.
Kyle, G. Evaluating the effectiveness of aromatherapy in reducing levels of anxiety in palliative care patients: results of a pilot study. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2006;12(2):148-155. View abstract.
Sang S, Kikuzaki H, Lapsley K, et al. Sphingolipid and other constituents from almond nuts (Prunus amygdalus Batsch). J Agric Food Chem 2002;50:4709-12. View abstract.
Sang S, Lapsley K, Jeong WS, et al. Antioxidative phenolic compounds isolated from almond skins (Prunus amygdalus Batsch). J Agric Food Chem 2002;50:2459-63. View abstract.
Sang S, Lapsley K, Rosen RT, Ho CT. New prenylated benzoic acid and other constituents from almond hulls (Prunus amygdalus Batsch). J Agric Food Chem 2002;50:607-9. View abstract.