What is Vitamin B17?
It is the compound, amygdalin, found abundantly in our raw food supply, most notably in the seeds of non-citrus fruits. Most commonly it is called Laetrile, the commercially prepared product of the apricot seed.
It is composed of two molecules of glucose (sugar), one molecule of benzaldehyde, and one molecule of hydrocyanic acid. Amygdalin is a plant compound that contains sugar and produces cyanide .Cyanide is believed to be the active cancer-killing ingredient in Laetrile. Don’t worry, only cyanide gas is lethal to living things. It also may play a role in the natural ripening of fruit and as a fungicide. The only way it can be released is by an enzyme which is only found in a cancer cell. If we don’t fiddle with nature it will help take care of us. We are designed to heal if given the right nutrients. Unfortunately, we have processed most the nutrients out of our foods due to convenience, looks, taste and shelf life. Nature did not make that food, man did. You can’t continue to live and eat “dead” food. Live = Life and Dead = Dead.
Sources It is found in the pits of many fruits and raw nuts. It is also found in other plants like lima beans, clover, sprouting seeds, in the pit of apples, cherries, peaches, orange, plums, papaya, almonds, nectarines, apricots, and bitter almonds. It is found in heavy concentration in the stone fruit kernels. B17 is also found in grains like millet and buckwheat, as well as macadamia nuts, bamboo shoots, mung beans, butter beans, and some garden peas. B17 is found a great abundance in the vegetables man used to eat in great quantities and also found in the natural fodder of animals. Due to changes in our diets we don’t eat as much of these plants as our ancestors.
A Farmer’s Story Many farmers noticed that during the winter months their cattle developed external tumors. They were being fed dry hay and silage. When the snow would start to melt in the spring, the cattle were allowed to graze in the pastures which were covered with grass. After a few weeks of grazing on the fresh grass the farmers noticed the tumors were getting smaller and finally disappeared. As time went by the farmers started calling this condition, winter tumors. We now know that amygdalin was one of the active agents in the grasses which caused the tumors to disappear. In nature it is one of the must potent cancer fighters. Below is a list of foods that contain amygdalin. Take your pick and be healthy!
100 grams = 3.5 oz. (approx.) 100mg = 1/10 gram |
Fruits |
Range |
Nitrilosides |
Blackberry, Domestic |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Blackberry, Wild |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Boysenberry |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Choke Cherry |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Wild Crabapple |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Market Cranberry |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Swedish (Lignon) Cranberry |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Currant |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Elderberry |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Gooseberry |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Huckleberry |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Loganberry |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Mulberry |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Quince |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Raspberry |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Seeds |
Range |
Nitrilosides |
Apple Seeds |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Apricot Seeds |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Buckwheat |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Cherry seeds |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Flax Seeds |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Millet |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Nectarine Seeds |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Peach seeds |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Pear Seeds |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Plum seeds |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Prune seeds |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Squash Seeds |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Beans |
Range |
Nitrilosides |
Black |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Black-Eyed Peas |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Fava |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Garbanzo |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Green Peas |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Kidney |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Lentils |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Lima, U.S. |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Lima, Burma |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Mung |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Shell |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Nuts (All Raw) |
Range |
Nitrilosides |
Bitter Almond |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Cashew |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Macadamia |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Sprouts |
Range |
Nitrilosides |
Alfalfa |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Bamboo |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Fava |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Garbanzo |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Mung |
Medium |
Above 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Leaves |
Range |
Nitrilosides |
Alfalfa |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Beet Tops |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Eucalyptus |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Spinach |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Water Cress |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Tubers |
Range |
Nitrilosides |
Cassava |
High |
Above 500 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams Of Food |
Sweet Potato |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |
Yams |
Low |
Below 100 mg Nitriloside Per 100 Grams 0f Food |