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Amygdalin/Laetrile: (Cancer quacks: Weigh in)

By moleculeoftheday on August 31, 2006.

Now with cyanide, it's Laetrile:

Which hydrolyzes to:

Please check out the laetrile entry on the old site. Various proponents of this bizzare cancer treatment (which liberates cyanide, of all things, upon hydrolysis) pop up occasionally. If anyone knows of any peer-reviewed studies on Laetrile, I'd love to see them (other than the cancer study noted below and on the old site, thanks!).

What's fascinating is that it's a structure we know liberates cyanide, and people still go crazy for it. It's not like it's some herb with hundreds or thousands of different molecules in there (although many people get their laetrile from peach pits, etc).

For your reference: the Wikipedia Laetrile entry.

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medicine

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Hey, I'd like to cite an academic source if I may; in fact let me refer your readers to the definitive clinical trial conducted by the late, great oncologist Dr. Charles Moertel:

A clinical trial of amygdalin (Laetrile) in the treatment of human cancer

Just in case the link doesn't work, here is the abstract, which speaks for itself:

One hundred seventy-eight patients with cancer were treated with amygdalin (Laetrile) plus a "metabolic therapy" program consisting of diet, enzymes, and vitamins. The great majority of these patients were in good general condition before treatment. None was totally disabled or in preterminal condition. One third had not received any previous chemotherapy. The pharmaceutical preparations of amygdalin, the dosage, and the schedule were representative of past and present Laetrile practice. No substantive benefit was observed in terms of cure, improvement or stabilization of cancer, improvement of symptoms related to cancer, or extension of life span. The hazards of amygdalin therapy were evidenced in several patients by symptoms of cyanide toxicity or by blood cyanide levels approaching the lethal range. Patients exposed to this agent should be instructed about the danger of cyanide poisoning, and their blood cyanide levels should be carefully monitored. Amygdalin (Laetrile) is a toxic drug that is not effective as a cancer treatment.

This paper was published in 1982. Res ipsa loquitor.