Vitamin B17 is Effective as a Treatment for Cancer?: Right or Wrong

Amigdalin (also known as laetrile or vitamin B17) a cyanogenic compounds, is widely distributed in plants, especially in the rosaceous plant seed, for example, apricot, peach, cherry, etc. It is a natural product that owns antitumor activity, less side effects and relatively low priced. Numerous studies have documented that amygdalin has antitussive and antiasthmatic effects, as well as an effects on the digestive system. Moreover, the pharmacological effects also include inhibition of renal interstitial fibrosis, prevention of pulmonary fibrosis, resistance to hyperoxia induced lung injury, immune suppression, immune regulation, antitumor, anti inflammatory and antiulcer. Different scientist tried to investigate the pharmacological activity, toxicity and antitumor effect in recent years, providing new insights for the development of new anticancer drugs, new targets searching and natural antitumor mechanism. In this paper summarizes published reports including different positive and negative utilization aspects of amigdalin and gives a better understanding of the known