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Apricot Kernels: Superior Laetrile Source
Apricot kernels (Prunus armeniaca) are a good source of amygdaline. This controversial compound helps prevent cancer. It’s also known as vitamin B17 and laetrile.
My mother always puts a few apricot pits into her preserves for, she said, “The flavor.” As a child, her logic was beyond my ken as apricot kernels are nastily bitter. Today, I take my hat off to mom and the perennial kitchen wisdom she still serves up. According to both Oriental Medicine and alternative medicine, these kernels are anti-carcinogenic.
Medicinal use of Apricot Kernels
In Chinese pharmacology, the pits are classified as a drug rather than as a food as they contains cyanide (hydrocyanic acid). They’re used medicinally to combat cancer. They also stimulate respiration, improve digestion, help reduce blood pressure and arthritic pain and give a sense of well-being.
According to the Food and Drug Administration there is no scientifically accepted evidence of amygdaline’s efficacy. However, it’s commercially available as vitamin B17. It continues to be used in cancer clinics outside of the United States.
The amygdaline content varies in apricots according to their variety and it is it chemically identical to that found in bitter almonds. The small or wild apricot native to Northern China and the Himalayas are higher in B17 than the apricot varieties available in the United States.
Other Food Sources of Vitamin B17
Similarly, the small seeds of wild apples (crab apples) and wild cherries (choke cherries) are superior sources of Vitamin B17. However, the larger seeds of today’s store-bought apricots, apples and cherries are less potent. Our culture’s taste preference is for sweet, so the bitter flavor was bred out of modern cultivars. As we’ve discovered, a little bit of bitter is a good thing. Today’s foods are overboard on sweet, but fall short of other valuable nutrients.
Below you’ll find a chart with top food sources of Vitamin B17. But let’s first put things into perspective. Avoiding the foods that challenge your health is your first and most critical step; apricot kernels are not a “magic bullet.”
Your second step is to favor foods that support your health. See my blog on Complexion and Diet for guidelines.
Or I invite you to consider a Face Reading with Diet Coaching.
Mom also told us kids that we could taste an apricot kernel but never eat them; as, in quantity, they could be poisonous. Of course we tasted them, but they were so bitter we spit them right out. When cooked or fermented, apricot toxicity is reduced.
Consumption of 10 or more wild apricot kernels or bitter almonds for children and 40 or more for adults may cause adverse reaction, even death. Yet, bitter almonds are an essential ingredient in authentic marzipan and amaretto. Both the confection and the liqueur are predominately made of common almonds; however, each includes a few bitter almonds for flavor.
Fortunately, some of our common foods contain vitamin B17 (see below). Whenever you munch on a pear or apple, be sure to enjoy their valuable seeds. Also, using a nut cracker, crack open the pits of the apricots, plums, nectarines and peaches for their inner nutmeat. Use in moderation.
Strawberries excepted, other berries are laetrile sources. For those of us living in the northwest, we might even bump into one another foraging from the blackberry bushes along pathways and ditch banks. Starting in July, there are plenty of juicy sweet berries (with a small hint of bitter) for all of us.
Food Sources of Vitamin B17 (amygdaline, laetrile)
| Nuts & Seeds | Berries | Grains | Beans |
| Superior | |||
| wild apricot pit bitter almond |
|||
| Excellent | |||
| apricot pit almond apple pip cherry seed nectarine seed pear pip plum seed |
wild blackberry wild cranberry elderberry |
||
| Good | |||
| flax seed squash seed |
blackberry cranberry boysenberry currant gooseberry huckleberry logan berry mulberry |
buckwheat millet |
chickpea fava lima mung |
Rebecca Wood
I assumed sweet apricot seeds were cancer fighters but apparently it the “bitter” ones’ that are best.
Jerry–it’s all a matter of degree. Meanwhile I invite you to reread my blog. It would be naive to trust that apricot seeds–bitter or otherwise–are a magic bullet. I wish you good luck in addressing your cancer.
I’ve purchased Bitter Almonds for cancer treatment. Is this the same as Bitter Apricot Kernels?
I’m sorry about your cancer. Unfortunately, apricot seeds/kernels will not resolve your cancer. There’s no one food–or medicine–that is a magic bullet. Perhaps the many blogs on this page about diet will help you. Good luck.
You don’t know that amygdaline can reverse cancer. That’s the best you can say.
What I do know and consistently see is that a balanced, whole foods diet is ideal long-term “medicine.” I’m yet to see any single super-food, like apricot kernels, cure cancer.
Hi. Very useful information. I ordered apricot kernels from Amazon. They arrived but aren’t bitter at all, or sweet. They look the right shape and size but taste like almonds…
They originate from Afghanistan I believe. Do you think they are genuine ?
Anyway, thank you for the information on your website.
Regrets, I wouldn’t know which variety you have and, therefore, what their amygdaline content is. Again your best bet is to avoid the foods that challenge your system and to favor a healing diet of whole foods. Apricot pits are NOT a magic bullet.
I grow my own apricots, and am trying to discover the difference in the process or the tree type, that make a bitter seed opposed to a sweet seed. I have a wild variety growing, but the seeds do not seem to be that bitter. Although, I have read it’s the wild varieties which supply the bitter seeds. I don’t get it, any ideas?
Indeed bitterness varies according to strain and growing conditions. Given the relatively small interest in apricot kernels, it’s unlikely that there are any conclusive studies regarding the amygdaline content of wild versus cultivated.
For curing overy cancer can i take sweet apricot seeds ? How many seeds can i take per day? Actually now i am taking Berry fruits juice 60ml(am 30ml+ pm 30ml) and olive oile20ml(am) perday can i take apricot seeds also? Is there any food or fruits restrictions?
Sorry but apricot seeds are not a magic bullet. For a holistic approach, please see my numerous blogs and books.
Some people eat a few every hour.
This would be toxic and potentially lethal! Healing requires that the whole body regains homeostasis; there is no magic bullet.
You are trying to cover your back, fair enough. Why not just point people to informed sources such as ‘world without Cancer’ and let them have an opportunity to make their choice without your fear propaganda?
Some 20 years ago my friend (she is over 80 now)told me, when she was a child (90 years ago )an old gardener said if you eat 15 almonds a day you wouldn’t get cancer. I wonder if l’d eaten them l wouldn’t have cancer now
I’m sorry you have cancer. Please put your mind at ease that there’s no magic bullet to prevent cancer. However there’s a lot you can do right now to have the best quality of life and perhaps reverse your cancer.
Hi,
My husband just acquired some organic bitter apricot kernals and he was wondering if it is better to eat them all at once or eat them separetly through the day? Also we were advised that eating one kernal per 20lbs of body weight is more therapeutic then eating the advised 3-4 per day. Is this so? Thanks for your help. Chris
In quantity, they’re toxic and so proceed with your common sense.
I just received what is purported to be dried bitter apricot seed powder.. I bought it through Amazon, and I think it came from Estonia. I tasted it and it is mildly bitter, tastes faintly of almonds, but has a definite almond flavor aftertaste. Is this consistent with apricot seeds or is there a chance I got scammed?
I haven’t a clue; a lab analysis would tell you.
Hi, I am the General Manager of a Natural Foods Co-op. I just put sweet apricot kernels in our bulk department and I am getting ready to put an article about them in our newsletter. I was wondering if I could have your permission to put a link to your article about apricot kernels in our newsletter as a reference for my readers? After coming across your blog, I am really enjoying it!! I can’t wait to explore more.
Thanks,
Tana
Hi Tana,
But of course, let’s spread the good news! Thanks for making an active link to my article.
Rebecca
Tana,
I would like to order some from you or find a good source. Can you email me and tell me more about where to get them.
Thanks,
Missy
What about apricot kernel butter? How much consumption of that is considered safe?
A cup of seeds yields 1/2 cup of butter.
Hello. I would just like to clear up a couple of things when it comes to apricot and almond seeds.
1. Neither is dangerous in any amount. The cyanide they contain is very minimal and is not active as a poison until extracted from the seeds. The amygdalin (vitamin B-17) is called laetrile when synthetically produced.
2. All almonds in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are pasteurized and have no real B-17 value.
3. The worse that can happen from WAAAAAAY over-indulging in apricot kernels is a belly ache or vomiting (just like over indulging in any food).
4. There are sweet apricot seeds. They do not contain much B-17, if any.
5. U.S. produced seeds are a weaker variety than those in Asia.
Apricot kernels are a part of the diet my ex-wife is on in our fight against her bilateral, stage 4, lung cancer. She doesn’t like the taste so I grind them real fine and put them in her Carnation Instant Breakfast. I also will add them to a peanut butter sandwich.
I purchase them online from a place called “Apricot Power” and am very satisfied with the bitterness. There are many other sellers, this just happens to be the one I buy from. They are also available in health food stores.
Hope this helps. Live healthy – live long.
Quick question… Which contains more B17, Bitter Almonds or Apricot kernels.
I noticed amazon sells both, but the almonds are much more expensive.
I don’t know.
Bitter almonds are just another name for apricot kernels
Wrong. The bitter almond tree (Prunus amygdalus var. amara) contains amygadalin. Cultivation of the bitter almond tree has been banned in the US since 1995.
While apricots are in the same Prunus family, they are most commonly a P. armeniaca variety.
I processed a box of apricots for jam and was researching what to do with the kernels. I was raised to try to use everything if possible. I cracked one open and tasted the kernel and found it delicious! The flavor was strongly reminiscent of amaretto.. My question is do I need to roast the stone, then crack it open to get to the kernel, or is it better to do that raw then sun dry the kernel? I’d love to try making amaretto.
Reading about the kernels has me curious to try, but how do i find the bitter ones in the US? What online sellers should I check out? I notice that all the beneficial things are in foreign countries and it is a no no for the US. Do I need to go to UK sites to get them? I know that the ones sold in stores are sweet and are less potent. The color of the kernels are different also. Any recommendations of where or how to buy?
I’d do a google search for a supplier and/or (if you live where apricots grow) find a local producer and that way you can enjoy both the fruit and the seed. As commercial apricots are especially high in pesticide residues, favor organic.
Hi,
Alex from Australia. I have found apricot kernels an excellent food. I love the bitter taste. Apparently, as humans, we have a portion of the tongue dedicated to ‘bitter’ foods but because of our sugary, high processed diets, we have lost the desire for that bitter taste. After eating apricot kernels for a few weeks, I began to crave the taste. I have seen lots of red lumpy things disappear from my neck (result of sunburn when a child I should think) and I had a crusty lump on my leg. I also had sun spots on my arms that were constantly itchy and beginning to form hard dry skin. A few days on apricot kernels and all lumps and blemishes disappeared.
A reminder, it’s prudent to consume apricot kernels in modest amounts due to their cyanide content.
Hi Alex, please tell me what variety of apricot tree you got the kernels from. I’m in Aus and would like to plant some apricot trees. Thanks
thank you for all the useful information, I want to know more about bitter almond because since I was a child we have been eating bitter almond and now I read it is toxic and might kill you!!! we have a farm of bitter almond trees and every year we pick them and and crack them open then soak them in water for more than 7 hours. we keep tasting it till the bitter is gone then we put some salt to season and let it dry and eat them or use them in cooking. So my question is is there still toxic OR do we get benefit from B17 which fight cancer?
Thank you
Gaziza…thanks for writing. But of course, once the bitter tannins are leached from the almonds, as you have described, they’re an excellent food. As all B vitamins are water soluble, some of their cancer fighting properties might be lost in the soaking.
We had many apricot trees when I was a child growing up in southern Serbia. We loved eating sun-dried apricot kernels and they were sweet not bitter. This is the case with apricot trees grown in Mediterranean region – the kernels are sweet.
While where the tree grows is a factor, the apricot variety makes a bigger difference as to its flavor.
How much of apricot seeds (Kernals) can I consume a day as prevention of Cancer
I’d eat only a few occasionally. More important is to make sure that the rest of your diet is health supportive.
Interested in trying apr. kernals for CA prevention. I keep hearing that they’re very bitter, but if I could tolerate the bitterness, how would one get to the soft part to begin with? Crack open with a hammer? Ready to try them…
Thanks,
C.M.
Yes, a hammer works!
I am sitting here cracking open apricot pits to extract the kernels and I’ve munched a few. Apart from tasting simply delicious, they are NOT bitter. I know this means they do not contain the amygdalin I am after. We do not have cancer but both my husband and I are ex smokers and have until now, eaten very conventional food diets. We are now cleaning up our act, souring bread, trying homemade ginger beer, no longer eat sugar and preserving our own or locally sourced organic produce. I was lucky to have a couple of kernels easily extracted and threw them in with my bottled apricots. However, my question is this. Which varieties of apricots contain bitter kernels? Also, are the sweet kernels ok to eat?
How curious! Every apricot pit I’ve ever tasted is decidedly bitter. But then I’ve never tasted one grown in Australian and that appears to be where you are writing from. You might contact the agricultural university closest to where most Aussie apricots are grown and ask them your questions.
I personally believe that your overall healthy diet is the best health insurance; so keep that up!
From where might I purchase sweet pits? If anyone knows, please respond. Here in South Australia nobody know that there can be sweet kernels as there are in Balkans. Thank you for your time Nik
Thank you for your article. I have some question and need your help.do you know how to classify the apricot kernel bitter or sweet? not the the almond tree. it is how to clssify the fruit.
Apricot kernels are bitter (rather like a bitter almond). I’m not aware of “sweet” apricot kernels.
Having been diagnosed with Cancer 4 years ago, and finding a lump over ten years ago, the first thing I did was investigate homeopathic alternatives.
I found a website that discussed Apricot kernels and their therapeutic benefits for Cancer.
I started making bitter almond tea with milk nutmeg and honey, and loved the flavor.
I believe that they as well as prayer and Far infra red therapy and Prayer is the reason I am alive today!
I bake mine which make them more palatable.
I eat probably three handfuls of them a day, roughly 50 or more cooked.
Hello,
Thankyou for your very informative article on Apricot Kernals and their B17 content. I have recently aquired a large quantity of apricot kernals for the purpose of consumption. After soaking them over night to remove Phytic enzymes, I noticed that they lost their bitter flavour.
If the bitter flavour is indicative of B17, does the absence of bitterness suggest that the soaking has caused some of the B17 to leach out osmotically?
Thanks in advance, elisha
You’re welcome. I’d use them moderately. Indeed that’s traditionally how nuts and seeds are used, as a condiment and/or in moderation. If you’re wanting to eat a lot for cancer prevention, better yet is a daily balanced diet. See my book Clean and Free for details.
i have heard that young green bitter almonds could be processed somehow. “like maybe soaking in a mixture of something” (perhaps this came from Greek or Italian culture?)”that made them useful as a food” . if i recall they would be eaten whole soft shell and all. Have you heard of this? We have 3 beautiful large volunteer bitter almond trees and 2 regular sweet almond trees. I’m going to try grafting the sweet to the bitter trees. But,would love to use some of this years crop of the bitter ones, somehow.