Manufacture and Regulation of Laetrile

Inaccurate Reporting of the Effects of Laetrile: Mistreatment of Ellison, Byar and Newell (1978) in Professional Papers

There have been only two large-scale clinical studies on the impact of Laetrile (amygdalin) on cancer. In one of them, Ellison, Byar and Newell (1978) reviewed cases in which Laetrile was thought to be of help. Those who have cited this study have come to very different interpretations, however, some concluding that it showed that Laetrile was effective and some concluding that it was not. A re...

Laetrile treatment for cancer.

BACKGROUND Laetrile is the name for a semi-synthetic compound which is chemically related to amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside from the kernels of apricots and various other species of the genus Prunus. Laetrile and amygdalin are promoted under various names for the treatment of cancer although there is no evidence for its efficacy. Due to possible cyanide poisoning, laetrile can be dangerous. ...

Laetrile - the answer to Cancer

The anti-cancer drug Laetrile is one of the most controversial subjects in the history of medicine. Laetrile's most ardent proponents consider it to be a natural cancer cure, literally built in to the normal "vitamin architecture" of mammalian food supplies as the primary natural exogenous cancer control for humans and animals. They have called Laetrile "vitamin B17."(1) Laetrile's opponents co...

The uncertain application of the right of privacy in personal medical decisions: the Laetrile cases.

Are Apricot Kernels Toxic?

If future research shows that Laetrile has value, we can expect the consumption of apricot kernels to increase. Critics of Laetrile have asserted that apricot kernels are highly toxic. Case histories confirm that negative reactions to eating apricot kernels can take place, but such reports are rare, and we have only suggestive evidence concerning what doses cause adverse effects.