Apricot Seed Cancer Cures

The notion that apricot seeds and a substance extracted from seeds known as Laetrile can cure cancer was a popular idea in the mid-20th century. While apricot seeds and Laetrile still have supporters, claims that they can treat cancer have never been proven and neither has been approved for use in the United States.

Origins

• A substance called Amygdalin was first extracted from almond seeds in 1830 by two French chemists. The same substance was also found in apricot seeds. In the late 1890s, German scientists tested the substances to find a cure for cancer.

Ernst Krebs

• Laetrile is a form of Amygdalin that was first promoted as a cure for cancer by scientist Ernst Krebs in 1903. He claimed that enzymes released when the substance was broken down by the body killed cancer cells. Though there was little factual basis to back up his theory, he continued to promote Laetrile and eventually passed on his findings to his son, Ernst Krebs, Jr.

Laetrile

• Thanks to the tireless promotion of Krebs Jr. and some reported success with Laetrile in Canada, it attracted wide attention in the 1960s and 1970s. Because Laetrile never gained approval by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, doctors set up practices in border cities such as Tijuana, Mexico, and Montreal, Canada, where they administered Laetrile to cancer patients looking for a cure. The actor Steve McQueen ventured to Mexico in 1980 to receive Laetrile to treat a rare and incurable form of cancer. He initially praised it as a wonder drug but died a few months after receiving treatment, which dealt Laetrile a significant blow.

1980 NCI Study

• In 1980, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) conducted a study on the effects of Laetrile in an attempt to answer its skeptics. Of the 178 cancer patients who received Laetrile in the study, all died within 1 year and none showed a reduction in the size of their tumors. Some patients also showed signs of cyanide poisoning (found in Laetrile). The study concluded that Laetrile had no curative effects and the furor over the substance soon disappeared.

Laetrile and Apricot Seeds Today

• Despite a lack of hard evidence, apricot seeds and Laetrile are still promoted as a cure for cancer and an alternative treatment. Laetrile is still sold in capsule form (though not legally in the United States) and some people still advise eating up to 40 apricot seeds a day as a natural source of Laetrile to fight cancer.