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* There is controversy about apricot seeds and the claims made about it as a cancer cure. At Medical News Today we have had hundreds of letters from patients on this subject. Some people say it is wonderful while others say it made them feel worse. There are many indications that taking apricot kernels helps preventing [[cancer]]. Apricot kernels contain a high amount of vitamin B17, which is also known as laetrile, amygdalin or nitriloside. Nitrilosides can also be found in most all fruit seeds including apple, peach, cherry, orange, and nectarine. It is also found in millet, wheat grass[[Wheat Grass]], lima beans and mung beans. Amagdylin is found with the highest concentration and necessary enzymes in apricot seed kernels. A primitive tribe, the Hunzas, were known to consume large amounts of apricot seed kernels. The hard pit had to be broken to get into the soft kernels. There was no incidence of cancer with them at all, ever. And they had long, healthy life spans. Laetrile was created by simply extracting amagdylin from the soft apricot kernels, purifying it and putting it into a concentrated form. Laetrile appears to work because the nutrient is actually composed of four separate molecules: two of glucose, one of benzaldyhide and one of cyanide. The latter two chemicals are toxic, but are bound up in a non-bioavailable form. Cancer cells contain an enzyme that healthy cells do not, known as beta-glucosidase. This enzyme actually breaks apart the component pieces of laetrile, and the cell is poisoned by a combination of benzaldyhide and cyanide. Healthy cells do not undergo this effect, which is why they remain unaffected by laetrile.* There is controversy about apricot seeds and the claims made about it as a cancer cure. At Medical News Today we have had hundreds of letters from patients on this subject. Some people say it is wonderful while others say it made them feel worse. There are many indications that taking apricot kernels helps preventing [[cancer]].