Cancer-The Laetrill Cure

8/10/2019 Cancer-The Laetrill Cure

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Questions and Answers About Laetrile/Amygdalin

What is laetrile?

Laetrile is a compound that has been used as a treatment for people with

cancer worldwide. It is not approved by the U !ood and "rug Administration

#!"A$ as a treatment for cancer or any other medical condition. %he term

&laetrile' comes from ( words #laevorotatory and mandelonitrile$ and is used

to describe a puri)ed form of the chemical amygdalin. Amygdalin is a plant

compound that contains sugar and produces cyanide. *yanide is believed to

be the active cancer+,illing ingredient in laetrile. Amygdalin is found in the

pits of many fruits and in raw nuts. It is also found in other plants such as

lima beans- clover- and sorghum.

%he names laetrile- Laetrile- and amygdalin are often used in place of one

another- but they are not the same product. %he chemical ma,e+up of Laetrile

patented in the United tates is dierent from the laetrile/amygdalin

produced in e0ico. %he patented Laetrile is a partly synthetic #man+made$

form of amygdalin- while the laetrile/amygdalin made in e0ico comes from

crushed apricot pits. %he studies discussed in this fact sheet used either

e0ican laetrile/amygdalin or Laetrile. %he generic term &laetrile' will be

used throughout this summary e0cept in cases when the patented version of

Laetrile is ,nown to have been used in a study.

What is the history of the discovery and use of laetrile as a complementary

or alternative treatment for cancer?

Amygdalin was )rst isolated in 1234 and was used as an anticancer agent in

5ussia as early as 1267. Its )rst recorded use in the United tates as a

treatment for cancer was in the 18(4s. %he early pill form of amygdalin was

found to be too to0ic- and wor, with the compound was stopped. In the

1874s- a reportedly nonto0ic- partly synthetic form of amygdalin was madeand patented in the United tates as Laetrile. Laetrile gained popularity in the

1894s as a single anticancer agent and as part of a metabolic therapy

program that included a special diet- high+dose vitamin supplements- and

pancreatic en:ymes #a group of proteins that aid in the digestion of food$. ;y

1892- more than 94-444 people in the United tates had reportedly been

treated with Laetrile.


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What is the theory behind the claim that laetrile is useful in treating cancer?

*yanide is thought to be the main anticancer ingredient in laetrile. %wo other

brea,down products of amygdalin- prunasin #which is similar in structure to

Laetrile$ and ben:aldehyde- may also be cancer cell bloc,ers. ee the


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%he following has been reported from case series about the use of laetrile in

patients with cancer@

A case series #a group or series of case reports involving patients who were

given similar treatment$ of 66 patients treated with laetrile was published in

1873. ost of the patients who showed some improvement also received

radiation therapy or anticancer drugs- so it is not ,nown which treatment

produced the bene)t.

In another series of case reports published in 18(- 14 patients with

metastatic cancer #cancer that has spread from one part of the body to

another$ were treated with a wide range of doses of intravenous Laetrile.


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%he )rst trial- a phase I study- tested doses- schedules- and ways to give

amygdalin in cancer patients. 5esearchers found that amygdalin caused

very few side eects when given by mouth or intravenously. %wo patients who

ate raw almonds while ta,ing amygdalin- however- developed symptoms ofcyanide poisoning.

In 182(- a phase II study with 197 patients loo,ed at which types of cancer

might bene)t from treatment with amygdalin. ost of the patients in this

study had breast- colon- or lung cancer. Amygdalin was given by in>ection for

(1 days- followed by oral maintenance therapy using doses and procedures

similar to those in the phase I study. Ditamins and pancreatic en:ymes were

also given as part of a metabolic therapy program that also included dietary

changes. Ene stomach cancer patient showed a decrease in tumor si:e-

which was maintained for 14 wee,s while the patient was on amygdalin

therapy. In about half of the patients- cancer had grown at the end of thetreatment. *ancer had grown in all patients 9 months after completing

treatment. ome patients reported an improvement in their ability to wor, or

do other activities- and other patients said their symptoms improved. %hese

improvements- however- did not last after treatment ended.

=ave any side eects or ris,s been reported from laetrile?

%he side eects of laetrile treatment are li,e the symptoms of cyanide

poisoning. %hese symptoms include@

ausea and vomiting.

=eadache.

"i::iness.

;lue color of the s,in due to a lac, of o0ygen in the blood.

Liver damage.

Abnormally low blood pressure.

"roopy upper eyelid.

%rouble wal,ing due to damaged nerves.

!ever.

ental confusion.


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*oma.

"eath.

%he side eects of laetrile appear to depend on the way it is given. ore

severe side eects develop when laetrile is given by mouth than when it is

given by in>ection. %hese side eects may be increased by@

Fating raw almonds or crushed fruit pits.

Fating certain types of fruits and vegetables- including celery- peaches- bean

sprouts- and carrots.

%a,ing high doses of vitamin *.

Is laetrile approved by the !"A for use as a cancer treatment in the United

tates?

%he U !ood and "rug Administration #!"A$ has not approved laetrile as a

treatment for cancer in the United tates. %he drug is made and used as a

cancer treatment in e0ico.

Laetrile compounds from e0ico- which is the primary supplier of laetrile-

may vary in purity and contents.

Cancer-The Laetrill Cure

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