Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ®)—Patient Version - National Cancer Institute

Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ®)—Patient Version - National Cancer Institute

Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ®)–Patient Version

CANCER TREATMENT

• Types of Treatment
• Side Effects
• Clinical Trials Information
• A to Z List of Cancer Drugs
• Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM)
  • CAM for Patients
  • CAM for Health Professionals
• Questions to Ask about Your Treatment
• Research

SECTIONS

• Overview
• Questions and Answers About Laetrile/​Amygdalin
• About This PDQ Summary
• General CAM Information
• Evaluation of CAM Approaches
• Questions to Ask Your Health Care Provider About CAM
• To Learn More About CAM
• View All Sections

Overview

• Laetrile is another name for a natural product called amygdalin. Amygdalin is a chemical ingredient found in the pits of many fruits, raw nuts, and plants (see Question 1).
• Hydrogen cyanide is thought to be the main anticancer compoundformed from laetrile when broken down in the body (see Question 1).
• Laetrile is given by mouth as a pill or by intravenous injection (see Question 4).
• Laetrile has shown little anticancer effect in laboratory studies, animal studies, or human studies (see Question 5 and Question 6).
• The side effects of laetrile are like the symptoms of cyanide poisoning (see Question 7).
• Laetrile is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) (see Question 8).

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Questions and Answers About Laetrile/Amygdalin

• Updated: November 4, 2016