The Facts About Vitamin B17
According to the BC Cancer Institute, Vitamin B17 is not an actual vitamin, as there is no Recommended Daily Allowance concerning its benefits for health and bodily function. Also called laetrile/amygdalin, the substance has been considered a cancer cure for years, although a National Cancer Association study has shown otherwise.
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Vitamin B17 History as Cancer Cure
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B17 has been considered a homeopathic cancer remedy for 2,000 years, and it was administered by the prescription of bitter almonds. It was refined and rediscovered in 1920 by physician Ernest Krebs, M.D., and was repackaged for sale as the cancer cure Laetrile by Ernest Krebs, Jr., PhD, in 1950.
Effective Cure for Cancer?
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In 1980, the National Cancer Institute conducted a study of Vitamin B17 and concluded that it failed on four counts as a cancer cure. The study found that B17 didn't make cancer regress, failed to extend the life span of cancer patients, didn't improve symptoms, and failed to help patients gain weight or become more physically active.
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Toxicity
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B17's main components are two glucose molecules extracted from fruit seeds and almonds. B17 has been banned by the Food and Drug Administration because of its high cyanide content.
Is it actually a Vitamin?
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Although advocates refer to B17 as a vitamin, it is definitely not a vitamin, as it is not necessary as a basic component of human health. In fact, it can be poisonous.
Production
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According to the National Cancer Institute, Vitamin B17 is often extracted from peach kernels, although it also exists in the seeds of plums, cherries, nectarines and apples. Beware that cyanide exists in trace amounts in these seeds and kernels.
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