Apricot pits are part of the alternative health movement, tied to a specific nutrient called vitamin B-17, amygdalin or laetrile. Proponents of this theory claim they can help reduce the risk of cancer, or even fight existing incidences of it. Despite a lack of clinical support for this theory, apricot pits remain a valid nutritional supplement.
Apricot Pit Basics
The active ingredient in apricot pits is vitamin B-17. Dr. Benjamin Wilson, a leading proponent of the B-17 movement, claims that it's your digestion of vitamin B-17 pits that creates the anti-cancer properties. When digested, it breaks down into hydrogen cyanide, benzaldehyde and glucose. To access the B-17 in apricot pits, you can grind apricot pits into a powder, or steep them in hot water to make a tea.
How B-17 Works
Dr. Ernst Kreb, another B-17 proponent, theorizes that the hydrogen cyanide in vitamin B-17 kills cancer cells. Cyanide is a poison, lethal in high doses -- meaning that, if the theory is correct, apricot pits provide a kind of low-grade chemotherapy that attacks cancerous cells. However, the "New England Journal of Medicine" reports that no clinical tests support his theory.
Controversy
Despite its popularity within the alternative health movement, the B-17 theory has yet to gain any approval from the established medical system. Wilson claims that B-17 has been used as an cancer treatment since the 1800s. Depending on which report you read, testing during the 1950s either proved or failed to prove this treatment as effective. It's worth noting that Dr. Krebs has faced criminal and civil court actions as a result of his continued selling of products that offer B-17 -- the beneficial compound in apricot pits -- as a cancer treatment.
Cyanide
Whether or not it helps kill cancer cells, there is no doubt that apricot pits contain cyanide -- as to apple seeds and many other fruit seeds. The amount of cyanide in an average apricot pit is very small, far below a lethal dose. However, the presence of cyanide in B-17 prompted Germany to ban its use in medical treatment before the turn of the 20th century.
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