Death by Beans?

[barra]

Can un-cooked kidney beans kill you? And if they can, what makes them poisonous?

[Andromeda]

Barra, uncooked kidney beans aren't poisonous as such, but they do contain protease inhibitors and lectins that interfere with digestion (they prevent the absorption of nutrients in the intestine). These are destroyed by cooking. Uncooked kidney beans are also incredibly hard, ans so difficult to digest from that point of view as well.

Andy