National Cancer Institute

at the National Institutes of Health

Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ®)

Patient Version

Last Modified: 09/24/2010

Overview

Laetrile is a compound that contains a chemical called amygdalin. Amygdalin is found in the pits of many fruits, raw nuts, and plants (see Question 1 ¹).
It is believed that the active anticancer ingredient in laetrile is cyanide (see Question 1 ¹).
Laetrile is given by mouth as a pill or by intravenous injection (see Question 4 ²).
Laetrile has shown little anticancer effect in laboratory studies, animal studies, or human studies (see Question 5 ³ and Question 6 ⁴).
The side effects of laetrile are like the symptoms of cyanide poisoning (see Question 7 ⁵).
Laetrile is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (see Question 8 ⁶).

Glossary Terms

compound (KOM-pownd)

In science, a substance that is made up of more than one ingredient.

intravenous injection (IN-truh-VEE-nus in-JEK-shun)

Injection into a vein.

laetrile (LAY-eh-tril)

A substance found in the pits of many fruits such as apricots and papayas, and in other foods. It has been tried in some countries as a treatment for cancer, but it has not been shown to work in clinical studies. Laetrile is not approved for use in the United States. Also called amygdalin.

side effect (side eh-FEKT)

A problem that occurs when treatment affects healthy tissues or organs. Some common side effects of cancer treatment are fatigue, pain, nausea, vomiting, decreased blood cell counts, hair loss, and mouth sores.

symptom (SIMP-tum)

An indication that a person has a condition or disease. Some examples of symptoms are headache, fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and pain.

Table of Links
¹	http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/laetrile/patient/Page2#Section_20
²	http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/laetrile/patient/Page2#Section_22
³	http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/laetrile/patient/Page2#Section_23
⁴	http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/laetrile/patient/Page2#Section_24
⁵	http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/laetrile/patient/Page2#Section_27
⁶	http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/laetrile/patient/Page2#Section_28

National Cancer Institute

at the National Institutes of Health

Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ®)

Overview

Glossary Terms

Table of Links