Laetrile / Vitamin B17 Treatment For Cancer

Written by Webster Kehr, Independent Cancer Research Foundation, Inc. | Last updated on | Filed under: Cancer Articles, Supplemental Treatments, Treatments

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

This “Cancer Tutor” website is considered the premiere website on the Internet for information about highly effective natural cancer treatments. While laetrile (e.g. apricot seeds) is a very good cancer treatment it SHOULD NOT be the primary cancer treatment for any cancer patient but can frequently be used as an effective supplemental treatment.

A person new to this website should look at the left side-bar (the links on the left side of this page) in the “Type of Cancer” section and find their type of cancer. This article will recommend a major cancer treatment, such as the Cellect-Budwig, Cesium Chloride, Photon Protocol, etc. This is the recommended major protocol for your type of cancer.

Laetrile is actually part of the Cellect-Budwig protocol but it can be used with any of the other major treatments, but check with the consultant for the main treatment to learn how to safely and effectively use laetrile with their treatment.

Since it is a “food,” it can be taken with anything.

There is a new film about laetrile called “Second Opinion.” See this article on the Mercola website:
Mercola Site – Film About Laetrile



TREATMENT RATING: This cancer protocol is very effective at getting rid of cancer cells and to some degree also helps build the immune system. However, this protocol does not contain the super-nutrients which deal with reversing damage to the non-cancerous cells due to cancer (e.g. lactic acid), chemotherapy, radiation, etc.

Most cancer patients die as a result of the damage to their non-cancerous cells. This cancer protocol is not a complete protocol which deals with the most dangerous issues faced by advanced cancer patients.

Furthermore, this protocol does not have expert technical support which is the single most important factor in surviving advanced cancer.

However, in a clinic setting, especially in Mexico, high levels of laetrile are provided in a liquid I.V. In these clinics the doctors also deal with the issues of damage to non-cancerous cells and rebuilding the immune system.

In the United States, the totally corrupt Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has again started persecuting natural medicine clinics that use liquid laetrile (i.e. B17).

If the patient cannot afford one of the major home protocols (e.g. Cellect-Budwig, Cesium Chloride or Photon Protocol – see the left side-bar), they should combine laetrile with the Dirt Cheap Protocol:
Dirt Cheap Protocol

If using this protocol at home make sure you use both liquid laetrile or laetrile pills plus key supplements (discussed below) and apricot seeds!!


How It Works

Laetrile (i.e. amygdalin or Vitamin B17) therapy is one of the most popular and best known alternative cancer treatments. It is very simple to use and is very effective if used in high enough doses and if the product is of high quality and if it is combined with an effective cancer diet and key supplements (in other words, you need to do your homework to maximize its benefits).

Laetrile works by targeting and killing cancer cells and building the immune system to fend off future outbreaks of cancer. It uses two different methods for killing cancer cells. It involves a strict diet (as do all cancer treatments) and several supplements.


How to Obtain Laetrile or Vitamin B17

The FDA has made the purchase of laetrile supplements almost impossible to obtain, even though it is a perfectly natural and safe supplement. In order for a doctor to use laetrile supplements, they or their patient must “confess” to the FDA that the doctor is using laetrile in their practice. In other words, laetrile supplements are effectively illegal because no doctor wants to admit they are using laetrile.

Fortunately they are available over the Internet either as apricot kernels or pills and in some cases in liquid form.

Most people take laetrile in the form of apricot kernels. In the middle of a peach or apricot is a hard shell. If you break open the hard shell with a “nut cracker,” pliers or hammer, you will find a small seed/kernel in the middle that looks like an almond. However, it is much softer than an almond and certainly does not taste like an almond. It is this seed that is rich in natural laetrile.

If you search for “apricot kernels” (use the quotes) on Google you will be able to find a lot of vendors of apricot kernels, or you can purchase the apricot kernels we recommend HERE. Be advised, however, that apricot kernel sites cannot legally make any medical claims about laetrile being used to treat cancer.

Most experts will recommend a daily dose of apricot kernels from between 24 kernels a day up to 40 kernels a day, spread throughout the day. For a person in remission, 16 apricot kernals a day should be used as a minimum.

Other things rich in laetrile are millet grain and buckwheat grain. Breads made with these grains, however, generally do not contain a high percentage of millet or buckwheat or else they would be too hard.

Also, the seeds of berry plants, such as red raspberries and black raspberries are rich in laetrile. Red raspberries also have a second cancer killer in their seeds: Ellagic Acid, a phenolic. About four dozen foods have Ellagic Acid, but Red Raspberries have the highest concentration. Strawberries also have Ellagic Acid.

Ellagic Acid Vendor

This means that when you buy berry jelly, make sure you buy preserves that have the seeds. Basically, the seeds of any fruit, except citrus fruits, have laetrile. My wife eats apples from the bottom up, meaning she eats the seeds and always has. This is a good habit to get into – I picked up the habit years ago.

Of course, apricot kernels are the best source of laetrile. Those who do not yet have cancer might want to plant a few apricot or peach trees in their back yard for a long term source of laetrile. The kernels can be frozen while still in the shell.

The Dr. Philip Binzel list of foods that contain laetrile include: apricot kernels, peach kernels, grape seeds, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, bean sprouts, lima beans and macadamia nuts (to name but a few).

The FDA claims that laetrile is toxic. This is an absolute lie. Read the first chapter of Alive and Well to see how absurd the FDA claim is. It is only toxic to cancer cells.

If you obtain laetrile pills, it is important to take them with natural water during a meal (i.e. with food).


The Theory

When the laetrile compound molecule comes across a cancer cell, it is broken down into 2 molecules of glucose, 1 molecule of hydrogen cyanide and 1 molecule of benzaldehyde. In the early days of laetrile research it was assumed that the hydrogen cyanide molecule was the major cancer cell killing molecule, but now it is known that it is the benzaldehyde molecule that is by far the major reason the cancer cell is killed.

The reason laetrile therapy takes so long to work, in spite of the marvelous design of the laetrile molecule, is because if the laetrile molecule happens to chemically react with the enzyme of a non-cancerous cell (i.e. rhodanese), before it reacts with the enzyme of a cancerous cell (beta-glucosidase), the rhodanese will break apart the laetrile molecule in such a way that it can no longer kill a cancer cell. Thus you have to take enough laetrile molecules, over a long enough time, that enough laetrile molecules coincidentally (as far as we know) hits all of the cancer cells first.

The second way that laetrile therapy works is because of the laetrile diet. Like the metabolic diet, it is designed to build up the trypsin and chymotrypsin in the body, and let them work on the cancer cells. What they do is break down the enzymes surrounding the cancer cell so the white blood cells can identify and kill the cancer cell. More will be said about the cancer diet below.

One of the good side-effects of laetrile therapy is that more Vitamin B12 is made in the body. With this in mind, make sure you supplement laetrile therapy with Vitamin C. Vitamin C and Vitamin B12 are, by themselves, a treatment for cancer.


The Basic Treatment Plan

The specific therapy that I discuss comes from the Binzel book: Alive and Well. There are other sources of a laetrile diet, but I would compare any other diet with the Binzel diet if you want to use another diet.

As with any cancer treatment, the place to start is with the “diet,” meaning the foods you can and cannot eat. The Binzel diet is very similar to the Raw Food diet. This is interesting because he was taught by Dr. Krebs himself, thus the laetrile diet probably dates back over 60 years.

It would probably be better to simply go on a Raw Food diet rather than a modified Raw Food diet (i.e. the Binzel diet). The reason is that the Binzel diet does not take into account many discoveries made about the cancer killing nutrients in vegetables and fruits. In other words, the Binzel diet does not discriminate between the best cancer killing fruits and vegetables versus the far less effective (for treating cancer) vegetables and fruits. Thus, the base diet of the Binzel plan should be the Raw Food diet.

The Raw Food Diet

The question then becomes, how do we enhance the Raw Food diet to take into account laetrile. There are several ways. First, give preference in the Raw Food diet to those fruits (i.e. seeds), grains and nuts (e.g. almonds and macadamia) that are rich in laetrile. Mix these items with the Raw Food diet items.

Second, make sure you get the nutrients that are necessary in order for laetrile to work:

1) zinc (which is the transport mechanism for laetrile),

2) Vitamin C (build up to 6 grams a day),

3) manganese,

4) magnesium,

5) selenium,

6) Vitamins B6, B9 and B12,

7) Vitamin A,

8) Vitamin E (at least 2,000 I.U.)

If you are already taking a multi-vitamin (e.g. you are on the Bill Henderson Protocol), compare its ingredients with the above list and take extra supplements to make up any deficiency.

If you are not already taking a multivitamin, the recommended way to get all of these nutrients is the Essense Health Blend. It has all of the above items (plus the critical iodine). However, it does not have enough Vitamin C or Vitamin E (which you will have to supplement separately):

Essense Health Blend

Binzel also adds “Megazyme Forte” for its trypsin, chymotrypsin, bromalin and zinc nutrients – 2 pills three times a day. Other pancreatic enzymes (also known as proteolytic enzymes) are: Vitalzym, 10Zymes (also from Essense of Life), and Wobenzym N.

IT IS CRITICAL to take the pancreatic or proteolytic enzymes during the laetrile therapy!! However, note that they are blood thinners and should be taken within the vendor’s recommended maximum dosage (on the bottle). These are critical for the laetrile molecules to work at peak efficiency.

Note that zinc is also one of the most critical parts of this therapy:

  • “Zinc is the transportation mechanism for laetrile and nitrilosides in the body. Biochemists and researchers have found that you can give Laetrile to a patient until its coming out of the ears of the patient, but, if that patient did not have sufficient level of Zinc, none of the laetrile would get into the tissues of the body. They also found that nothing heals within the body without sufficient vitamin C. They also found that magnesium; selenium, vitamin A, and B all played an important part in maintaining the body’s defense mechanism. This is why its important to understand that cancer is best treated with a total nutritional program consisting of diet, vitamins, minerals, laetrile and pancreatic enzymes.”

He also adds Pangamic acid (B15) 100 mg. – 1 pill three times daily. This is not in the Essense Health Blend, so it needs to be added. Vitamin B15 should be taken right after a meal.

Binzel recognizes the need for vegetable protein, and thus allows grains, nuts, beans, etc. that provide that protein, even if they have to be cooked.

Binzel does not allow cottage cheese (it comes from an animal, thus it is forbidden), however, if you are taking the two key elements in the Budwig diet, taking cottage cheese is obviously OK. Doing this, however, makes the proteolytic enzymes that much more important because animal fats use up some of the pancreatic enzymes made in the pancreas.


Warning #1 – Laetrile May Cause Low Blood Pressure

This is an important message I received by email: “Laetrile ingestion may occasionally cause a temporary low blood pressure reaction due to formation of thiocyanate, a powerful blood pressure lowering agent. In metabolism, nitriloside is hydrolyzed to free hydrogen cyanide, benzaldehyde or acetone and sugar. This occurs largely through the enzyme beta-glucosidase produced by intestinal bacteria as well as by the body. The released HCN [hydrocyanide] is detoxified by the enzyme rhodanese to the relatively non-toxic thiocyanate molecule.”

Normally, lowering blood pressure is not an issue, however, for those who are already taking blood pressure medications, or have heart issues which would be made worse by a drop in blood pressure, be advised that laetrile can lower blood pressure.


Warning #2 – Proteolytic Enzymes are Blood Thinners

Because many people on laetrile also use proteolytic enzymes (i.e. pancreatic enzymes), it is important to know that proteolytic enzymes are blood thinners. Proteolytic enzymes, such as Vitalzym, should NOT be used in conjunction with prescription blood thinners unless the medical doctor understands they are being used.

For example, when my wife added 10Zymes to her daily pills, the doctor reduced the amount of prescription blood thinners she was taking. That is good because prescription blood thinners can cause hardening of the arteries. However, the Pro Time test must be used shortly after any change in pills.

Also, high doses of proteolytic enzymes should not be taken, just as too high of a dose of any blood thinner should never be taken. See the bottle for maximum doses.


Warning #3 – Do Not Take Laetrile With Probiotics

From an email: “It was our experience that taking laetrile with high strength probiotics may also increase the amount of free hydrogen cyanide and thus could create adverse side effects.”


Warning #4 – Using Laetrile With the Bob Beck Protocol

If you plan on using the Bob Beck Protocol (an electromedicine treatment) and laetrile at the same time, do NOT take any laetrile until you are finished with both of the Bob Beck Protocol electromedicine devices (e.g. the blood purifier and magnetic pulser) for the day. In other word, when you are finished using the Bob Beck Protocol for the day, take your laetrile. This gives the laetrile plenty of time to be absorbed by the body before starting the Bob Beck Protocol on the next day.

If you are taking apricot kernels, take no more than one-third of the daily number of kernels before the Bob Beck Protocol is finished for the day.


Warning #5 – Combining Laetrile With Other Alternative Cancer Treatments

Whenever a person combines two or more alternative cancer treatments together, it is critical to do your homework. For example, Vitamin C should be taken with laetrile, however, Vitamin C should not be taken with Protocel, graviola (e.g. Amazon Factor Protocol), hydrazine sulfate, etc.

In other words, if you are taking a second or third alternative cancer treatment with laetrile, or if laetrile is being used to supplement another treatment, be careful to watch the warnings on each treatment.


Supercharging This Treatment

DON’T FORGET THE ZINC, VITAMIN B15 AND OTHER NUTRIENTS LISTED ABOVE!!!!

Please look on the left sidebar for “Common Questions.” Then click on article. This is a key article to understand.

Unless you are using high doses of a quality source of laetrile, you should not DEPEND on laetrile as the core treatment in a cancer treatment program. Treat this as a supplemental treatment or a remission treatment.

However, you should also realize that many of the fast-acting cancer treatments do not directly kill cancer cells or even revert them into normal cells. What they do is provide super-nutrients to the non-cancerous cells and energize the cancer cells so they do not cause any damage. Some of these treatments do not actually kill the cancer cells. So in reality this protocol is a very important supplemental protocol for almost all of the absolutely critical super fast-acting protocols.

In any case, it is necessary to use one of the major treatment articles as a base of operations or as a supplement to high doses of laetrile:

Treatment For Stage I, II and III Cancer Patients

Treatment For Stage IV Cancer Patients

Site Vendors
Apricot Power Vendor of Apricot Kernels – U.S.A.
Apricots From God Vendor of Apricot Kernels
Our Fathers Farm Vendor of Apricot Kernels – Canada – Will Sell in Shell on Request
Cytopharma Online Cytopharma Online – Mexico
Peng Time Corporation Peng Time Corporation – China
Good Bye Cancer Laetrile Information and a Discussion Group
Site Literature
Philip E. Binzel, Jr., M.D. Laetrile – Book Alive and Well (Read online here: Alive and Well)
Anti-Cancer Info Laetrile – Excellent Site
Robert Cathey Laetrile – Original Research – Magnificent Site
Smart Drugs Laetrile – Superb Scientific Article