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Laetrile is another name for a natural product called amygdalin. Amygdalin is a chemical ingredient found in the pits of many fruits, raw nuts, and plants. It is also known as Vitamin B17.

Over the years, I have stumbled upon seemingly credible testimonials of people who managed their gliomas (aggressive brain cancer) with amygdalin. It is hard to get reliable information on this subject, but recently, I received a couple of testimonials.

First day I took 3 kernels, and yesterday 5. And some time in the night, my heart started beating very fast, which happened before, but I haven’t had such problem for the last couple of months. And then I felt general weakness in my body like I’m having a fever. This morning I measured 38C, and now I’m on 37.2C. I don’t have running nose or throat problems.

So I wonder if that was some Herxheimer effect or just a coincidence. After I recover I will try it again, but more slowly.

This is what I found about amygdalin in the Lyme Guide by Dr. Rath Research Institute:

The apricot’s kernels contain amygdalin which is also is present in plum and peach pits, bitter almonds, wild cherry bark, and apple seeds. Amygdalin is toxic in high amounts. It is effective in killing the spirochetes in the non-division stage, since they have no defense against its cyanate residue (-CN). All human cells can convert it into harmless thiocyanate (-SCN) by an enzyme called rhodanase (a mitochondrial enzyme). SCN in turn is a substrate for lactoperoxidase that converts thiocyanate into hypothiocyanite (-OSCN) that is considered as a safe product: it is not mutagenic and has antibacterial activity. Hypothiocyanite has been researched extensively for its capabilities as an alternative to antibiotics as it is harmless to human body cells while being cytotoxic to bacteria. The antibacterial activity of lactoperoxidase is important in white blood cells to fight pathogens. Amygdalin showed anti-borrelieae effects by killing mature cysts as well as the “persisters” in cerebrospinal fluid, the brain, and the disseminated remnants not killed by antibiotics or non-synthetic (natural) compounds in the organism.

It is interesting to see that amygdalin fights stealth infections. Some brain mass infections look clinically and radiologically indistinguishable from a (cancerous) brain tumor:

In the end, the reporter of the testimonial quoted above said that there was no significant change in his health condition. He did brought to my attention the following papers though:

Braz J Med Biol Res, April 2009, Volume 42(4) 346-352
Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of bitter and sweet apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) kernels

The most effective antibacterial activity was observed in the methanol and water extracts of bitter kernels and in the methanol extract of sweet kernels against the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, the methanol extracts of the bitter kernels were very potent against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (0.312 mg/mL MIC value). Significant anti-candida activity was also observed with the methanol extract of bitter apricot kernels against Candida albicans, consisting of a 14 mm in diameter of inhibition zone and a 0.625 mg/mL MIC value.

The person above was targeting Chlamydia pneumoniae and in this paper, that microbial agent is not listed. The information about E. Coli, staph and candida albicans is very reassuring though.

Here is the second paper:

Food Science and Biotechnology, April 2013, Volume 22, Issue 2, pp 455–463
In vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor activities of bitter almond and sweet apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) kernels

The antioxidant capacity of the sweet apricot kernels was better than those recorded for bitter almond ones. The highest total antioxidant activity (59.53 mg/g dry extract), ferric ion reducing power (1.626), antioxidant index (67%), total phenolic content (3.290 mg/g dry extract), and total lycopene content (4.70mg/mL) were detected in the aqueous extract of sweet apricot kernels. The antimicrobial activities of the above extracts were also tested against some pathogenic microorganisms using a disc-diffusion method. Additionally, the extracts of sweet apricot and bitter almond kernels could inhibit the growth of human breast (MCF-7), colon (HCT-116), and hepatocellular (Hep-G2) carcinoma cell lines in a dose-dependent manner with different sensitivity between cell lines. The overall results indicate promising baseline information for the potential uses of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) fruit extracts in the treatment of infectious diseases and tumors.

Shortly after reading this paper, I received the following testimonial in the comments section:

Robert McCue – January 25, 2017

I like your website, lots of good information. I was first directed to your site while researching DMSO, which I purchased and am using with great satisfication. In May 2016, my wife (65 years old) had a 4 cm malignant tumor removed from her brain, and was further diagnosed with mestathasized uterine cancer, with numerous cancer nodules throughout her body, including one 5 cm tumor in her bladder. She refused chemo and radiation, electing to die with dignity when the time comes. She was told it wouldn’t be long. Then we learned about apricot seeds, specifically Amygdalin, or Vitamin B17. Having nothing to lose, we started the seeds the end of September 2016. Today (Jan. 2017) all her symptoms are gone, and she is more upbeat and has more energy than she’s had in many years. I have also benefited, having an enlarged prostrate for over ten years, which is shrinking back to its normal size and my urination problems associated with enlarged prostrate have gone away. I wonder if Amygdalin is something you’d like to take a look at, it having even more egregious FDA and Big Pharma interference than DMSO. Thank you for giving so much of your time to educate us as to what is really going on with our health issues.

After thanking him for the report, I inquired about their amygdalin source. Robert wrote back as follows:

There are many vendors for both the apricot seeds and Amygdalin in capsule form. I get mine from “Apricot Power,” and also from “Apricots from God.” Delivery is usually quick and always arrives in good order.

Whether it was the amygdalin’s anti-microbial or anti-cancer properties, or any other property, we don’t know. Possibly it was a combination of both and perhaps something else we ignore. Nevertheless, this is a pretty amazing testimonial!

Robert McCue  May 15, 2017

UPDATE since Jan. 25: My wife is still doing well since beginning Amygdalin threapy the end of Sept. 2016. A March MRI showed no further growth of her bladder tumor, as well as a reduction in size of several small nodules in her lungs and Lymph nodes. She is back to her regular routine before the terminal cancer diagnosis in May 2016, and says she feels better than she has in years. The FDA can say what they want, but saying that Amygdalin is toxic, after approving countless drugs which have proven to be twenty times as lethal, is not only ludricous, but should be considered criminal. Don’t kid yourselves, doubters; it’s all about the money.

Robert McCue  October 11, 2017

Yet another update: It’s been seventeen months since my wife, Sondra, was diagnosed with late stage 4 uterine cancer, and basically told to get her affairs in order, as medical science couldn’t cure her disease. As I have said in previous comments, we both began the Apricot Seed (Amygdalin) therapy in late September 2016. She has only seen a doctor once in that time, in March of 2017, when she had an MRI to determine where she stood. (See previous comment). Now it’s nearing the middle of October and she is doing fine. Last year we believed she would be lucky to see Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now she is looking foreward to both in 2017, happy to be alive and crediting it all not with medical science, but with naturally-occuring compounds put on this Earth for our benefit.