Laetrile
From RationalWiki
Laetrile, or laevomandelonitrile, is a trade name used for a synthetic form of amygdalin, a cyanogen compound found in the seeds of stone fruits of the Prunus genus (particularly apricots) that has been sold as a cancer cure for many years by quacks. Laetrile treatment is generally associated with the expat altie community in Mexico, and is not approved for use in the United States due to a lack of evidence that it produces any effect other than mild[1] cyanide poisoning in the patient. It is occasionally misrepresented as a vitamin ("B-17").
The intent of using laetrile against cancer is that the cyanide would be liberated as the amygdalin was metabolized by the body, and that the cyanide would kill cancer cells. In practice, this has not been shown to happen, though laetrile is still presented as a "suppressed" treatment by many conspiratorially-minded quacks.
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ Hopefully.
[edit] External links
- See the Wikipedia article on amygdalin.
- History of laetrile at Quackwatch
- National Cancer Institute FAQ
- Sloan-Kettering fact sheet on Laetrile
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