When you swallow a seed, most of the time it will pass through your digestive system without causing any harm. There’s a common misconception that swallowing certain seeds, like pepper seeds, can lead to appendicitis, but this is actually a myth.
In reality, when you ingest seeds, they typically travel through your digestive tract without causing issues. While the idea of seeds sprouting inside your body may sound alarming, the truth is much less dramatic.
Stomach Acid and Enzymes
After swallowing, seeds travel down the esophagus into the stomach, where digestive acids and enzymes begin to break down their outer coating. However, this process is usually not strong enough to cause any harm to the seed or your body.
Lack of Oxygen and Light
For seeds to germinate, they need oxygen, moisture, and sometimes light. While moisture is present in the digestive system, oxygen and light are not. These missing factors make germination inside the body virtually impossible.
Quick Passage Through the Digestive Tract
The digestive process moves food, including seeds, through the stomach and intestines within 1 to 3 days. This rapid movement doesn’t allow seeds enough time to absorb water or start sprouting, as they would in soil.
Excretion Through Stool
Seeds that are not fully digested are typically excreted in your stool within a few days. This is a natural process and generally goes unnoticed.
In very rare instances, there have been reports of seeds beginning to sprout after being excreted, particularly if they pass through the digestive tract quickly and remain intact. However, this is extremely uncommon and happens outside the body, where conditions for germination are more favorable.
