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This Bogus Cancer Cure From The 1970s Is Finding New Life Online

Apricot seeds can cure cancer — or so thousands of cancer patients believed in the 1970s, despite lotss of evidence to the contrary. Now, in an era when natural remedies are no longer fringe and wellness is a multitrillion-dollar industry, this widely debunked theory has taken on a new life as a hydra-headed e-commerce ecosystem that regulators are virtually powerless to stop.

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 Vitamin B17 – Natural Cancer Cure or Hidden Cyanide Threat?

In an age where wellness trends go viral before facts are verified, it’s more important than ever to separate evidence from myth—especially when health is on the line. One claim that keeps resurfacing is that “Vitamin B17” (amygdalin/laetrile)—found in apricot kernels, bitter almonds, and some fruit seeds—can cure cancer. Let’s explore the science and regulatory facts behind this controversial compound.

Articles of Interest

Laetrile (amygdalin or vitamin B17)

Laetrile is a partly man-made (synthetic) form of the natural substance amygdalin. Amygdalin is a plant substance found in raw nuts, bitter almonds, as well as apricot and cherry seeds. Plants like lima beans, clover and sorghum also contain amygdalin. Some people call laetrile vitamin B17, although it isn’t a vitamin. Why people with cancer use it Laetrile has been used as an anti cancer agent since the 1800’s. It is used either on its own or as part of a programme. This might include following a particular diet, high dose vitamin supplements and pancreatic enzymes.

'Vitamin B17': Killing more than cancer

There is a significant burden of concern generated from the misuse of cyanogenic glycoside products for cancer prevention and treatment, which can result in hospital admission carrying significant health risk and expenditure.

Amygdalin (Vitamin B17)

A substantial number of cancer patients turn to unconventional agents used as anticancer therapies. However, “alternative cures” are unproved and may be harmful. They are not supported by clinical research and they can jeopardize patients’ lives, especially when patients delay needed care. Amygdalin, promoted as a popular alternative cancer cure for over 40 years, is used by many cancer patients. No solid data supports its effectiveness. In addition, cyanide toxicity and contaminated products have been reported. Despite these concerns, many websites promote amygdalin as a viable cancer treatment.

Amygdalin as a Promising Anticancer Agent: Molecular Mechanisms and Future Perspectives for the Development of New Nanoformulations for Its Delivery

Cancer rates are increasing, and cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide. Amygdalin, also known as vitamin B17 (and laetrile, a synthetic compound), is a cyanogenic glycoside compound that is mainly found in the kernels and pulps of fruits. This compound has been proposed for decades as a promising naturally occurring substance which may provide anticancer effects. This is a comprehensive review which critically summarizes and scrutinizes the available studies exploring the anticancer effect of amygdalin, highlighting its potential anticancer molecular mechanisms as well as the need for a nontoxic formulation of this substance.

Can Apricot Seeds Cure Cancer?

In a word, no. But the 100-year-old rumor has been spreading once again, thanks to social media.

CPP Curiositites: Bad Medicine, Part Two: Vitamin B17

Vitamin B17 treatment, also known as amygdalin or laetrile treatment, is based on a semi-synthetic compound called laetrile. Laetrile is derived from amygdalin, a compound found in the pits of several nuts and fruits although most commonly associated in this context with apricots. Amygdalin treatments date back to the 1930s; however, their alleged cancer benefits are usually associated with the father-son duo of Ernst T. Krebs, Sr., and Ernst T. Krebs, Jr. The former was a physician from San Francisco who ran afoul of the Food and Drug Administration in the 1920s for peddling a substance called Syrup Leptinol, a supposedly magical cure-all derived from parsley that could allegedly cure influenza, pneumonia, and asthma. His son, meanwhile, was a self-proclaimed biochemist who claimed to isolate laetrile from apricot seeds in the 1940s. According to the Krebs and their supporters, cancer is not caused by genetics, environment, or lifestyle; rather, it is the result of a vitamin deficiency.

Laetrile Makes a Comeback Selling to Patients Online

Laetrile was fashionable as a cancer treatment in the 1970s, and many patients continued to purchase it despite the FDA ban, even traveling to clinics in Mexico to get it. It took the death of actor Steve McQueen, who died in 1980 after consuming laetrile in Mexico, to dissuade some of laetrile's most ardent proponents. Now, doctors are reporting a revival in laetrile, thanks to its ready availability over the Internet, where many desperately ill patients and their families are turning for unconventional and sometimes dangerous cures. "I hear about it almost every day, and if it isn't the patient, it is the patient's children, or grandchildren, who go to the Internet," says Barrie Cassileth, director of Integrative Medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Medicine: Debate over Laetrile

Out of Apricots. Laetrile is a drug made from apricot pits and contains cyanide, among other things. It is one of the most long-lived, though probably not the last, of a long series of questionable cancer “cures,” all of which are susceptible to exploitation. Since conventional medicine concedes that it has no sure cure for many types of cancer, those condemned to die from the disease are understandably willing to try anything.

The oil that’s being used for everything from joint pain to cancer

Google Hunza Valley and you're bound to find a link or two on the health and longevity of its people. Situated in the northernmost part of Pakistan, this area is known because the average life span is a 120 years and cancer is almost non-existent in its people. The secret, it seems, lies in bitter apricot, which they consume all year. Bitter apricot oil has an active ingredient called vitamin B17, also known as amygdalin or laetrile, which is the what the fruit is revered for. Laetrile is perhaps one of the best known and most controversial alternative treatments to fight cancer. While traditional medicine doesn't have any recent studies to prove its efficacy, reviews of cancer patients and others who consume bitter apricot supplements are positive to say the least. Still, there are many blogs that claim the oil may be toxic to the body. However, the Hunzas (who are among the healthiest in the world), consume the fruits for months without any signs of toxicity.

Vitamin B17 is Not a Vitamin

Vitamins are substances that must be included in the diet in order to maintain health and prevent certain deficiency diseases. They cannot be synthesized by the body. So what is vitamin B17? Essentially a scam. In the1950s, Dr. Ernst T. Krebs came up with the idea that a compound extracted from apricot pits, amygdalin, was able to selectively target cancer cells and destroy them by releasing cyanide. Krebs and his son Ernst Jr. became the first proponents of “Laetrile” therapy. When the government began to ask for evidence that the drug actually worked, Krebs changed his approach. The public was becoming familiar with the benefits of vitamins so he decided to convert Laetrile into one. Krebs now claimed, without any evidence, that cancer was a deficiency of “vitamin B17.” Numerous studies since carried out have failed to show that this substance can treat or prevent any type of cancer. Whatever amygdalin may be, it is not a vitamin.

Vitamin B17: The Greatest Cover-Up In The History Of Cancer

I unequivocally stand by the belief that many types of cancer can be cured with food and earth elements, as well as cure many other types of illnesses that exist out there today. What I don’t want you to take away from this is the idea that I am encouraging you to leave your present treatment or your oncologist if you are currently battling cancer. Even with this however, I do feel it is important to highlight one of the greatest cover-ups in the history of cancer treatment that happens to be related to a little known (to the greater public) anti-cancer remedy and treatment known asLaetrile, which is also known as vitamin B17.

Why Laetrile Won't Go Away

How could an upstart substance like Laetrile create such a formidable challenge to organized medicine and its institutions? To answer this question requires some understanding of the unique disease (or perhaps group of diseases) known as cancer...

‘Vitamin B17’ from apricot seeds does not cure cancer

Cancer Research UK says “There isn’t any scientific evidence that laetrile is an effective treatment for cancer or any other illness.” A Cochrane review, often considered the best form of evidence for medical treatments, found that anti-cancer claims are “not currently supported by sound clinical data”, and carry a significant risk of harm.