By Paul Fassa | January 26, 2011
Apricot seeds are a source for a natural substance that kills cancer cells without destroying the cancer victim's health and wealth. They contain higher concentrations of amygdalin than other plant source. Amygdalin is the essence of what is otherwise known as laetrile or Vitamin B-17, an effective and safe treatment and cure for cancer without side effects. Only one drawback-- it has been banned in the U.S.
However, the soft kernels inside apricot seeds that are the potent amagdylin source of laetrile or B-17 are not illegal to sell, purchase, or consume as long as long as there is no mention of the words cancer cure.
What is B-17, or Laetrile?
In 1952, a biochemist in San Francisco named Dr. Ernst Krebb, Jr. decided that cancer was a metabolic reaction to a poor diet, and thought a missing nutrient from modern man's diet could be the key to overcoming the disease. His research led to amygdalin, a compound found in over 1200 edible plants.
Amygdalin is found in the highest concentration with its necessary enzymes in apricot seed kernels, the soft insides of the hard outer pits. A primitive tribe, the Hunzas, were known to consume large amounts of apricot seed kernels. The hard pit had to be broken to get into the bitter, soft kernels.
There was no incidence of cancer with the Hunzas at all, ever. And they had long, healthy life spans. Laetrile was later created by simply extracting amygdalin from soft apricot kernels and concentrating it.
Dr. Krebb injected himself with laetrile to ensure there would be no toxic side effects. He conducted further lab culture and animal experiments and concluded that laetrile would be effective in the treatment of cancer.
Since laetrile is an extract derived directly from a food substance in nature and not chemically developed in a laboratory, it is impossible to patent. And of course, as with most natural healing substances, it's not toxic. Big Pharma and the AMA can't make a fortune from laetrile or B-17. This why the cancer industry demanded the FDA ban laetrile in 1971.
There have been several testimonies from cancer victims who cured themselves by simply chewing large quantities of apricot kernels, since they are not illegal while laetrile is. Some prefer extracting those soft kernels from the pits themselves. For those who don't, the extracted soft kernels are available online and in some retail health stores. They are very inexpensive.
So How Does Amygdalin Work?
Amygdalin contains four substances. Two are glucose (sugar), the third isbenzaldyhide, and the fourth is cyanide. Yes, cyanide and benzaldyhide are poisons if they are released or freed as pure molecules and not bound within other molecular formations. Many other foods containing cyanide are safe because their cyanide remains bound and locked as part of another molecule and therefore cannot cause harm.
There is an enzyme in normal cells to catch any free cyanide molecules and render them harmless by combining them with sulfur. That sulfur enzyme is rhodanese,which catalyzes the reaction and binds any free cyanide to sulfur. By binding the cyanide to sulfur's rhodanese, it is converted to a cyanate, which is a neutral substance. Then it is easily passed through the urine with no harm to normal cells.
But cancer cells are obviously not normal. They thrive on fermenting glucose. Amygdalin molecules are quite appealing to cancer cells. And cancer cells contain an enzyme that normal cells do not share -- beta glucosidase.
This enzyme, exclusive to cancer cells, is considered the “unlocking enzyme” for amygdalin molecules. It releases both their benzaldyhide and their cyanide, creating a toxic synergy beyond the sum of their individual parts, causing cancer cells to self destruct.
Amygdalin or laetrile, in conjunction with the protective enzymes in healthy cellsand the unlocking enzymes in cancer cells, is thus able to destroy cancer cells without jeopardizing healthy cells. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, kills a lot of other healthy cells and diminishes one's immune system while not killing all of the cancer cells.
Dr. Max Wicha, a University of Michigan cancer researcher, claims that the process of killing cancer cells with chemotherapy or radiation releases substances that spawn other more aggressive cancer cells from cancer stem cells. Since he is mainstream oriented, he hopes to uncover an allopathic chemical solution, meaning he is looking for a drug. If he is able to do that, it won’t be cheap and there will probably still be horrific side effects.
After a cancer patient has gone down the "standard of care" cancer path, cancerous cells tend to re-emerge from stem cells elsewhere because the patients’ general health and immune system have been reduced by the pervasive chemotherapy toxins. The cancer industry itself has declared the bench mark for curing cancer as being cancer free for five years.
It's estimated that of those who undergo normal AMA procedures for curing cancer, no more than 3% to 4% make the 5 year cancer-free mark. And besides the treatments' debilitating effects and lack of real curing, they are much more expensive!
For someone fighting cancer, it takes a considerable amount of daily B-17 tablets or apricot kernels to enable amygdalin to reach the cancer cells with beta-glucosidase. That's because some of the amygdalin molecules will be neutralized by the normal cells containing rhodanese. The advantage of FDA banned laetrile is that it is concentrated and usually injected directly into the blood stream.
However, there are many reports of people curing themselves by eating several apricot kernels each day with a balanced diet of organic grains, raw vegetables, and a little fruit. Authorities stress that mineral and vitamin supplements should also be taken, along with digestive enzymes, especially proteolytic pancreatic enzymes, andimmuno-stimulants.
The mineral zinc is emphasized with laetrile/amygdalin treatment since it helps transport the kernels’ laetrile/amygdalin to the cancer cells.
Many practitioners who use or have used laetrile have had an 80 to 85% long term cure rate with cancer victims who did not undergo much of the standard cut, burn, and poison of mainstream medicine. The long term cure rate for terminal patients who try laetrile therapy upon being sent home to die after receiving all that the conventional "standard of care" has to offer is less, which is common with many natural therapies.
Sources for More Information:
Video interview of G. Edward Griffin, author of World Without Cancer, on laetrile and the cancer industry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFnP9sU1KW4
A complete educational guide for apricot seed-B17 therapy .http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Laetrile.html
List of international MDs and Oncologists who confirm Laetrile’s efficacy and safety: http://www.1cure4cancer.com/scientificfacts.html