Product Name: Almond Extract Amygdalin (Laetrile) 

Other Names: Amygdaloside; Mandelonitrile-gentiobioside

Appearance: Square crystal

CAS NO.:  29883-15-6

Molecular Weight: 457. 44

Molecular Formula: C20H27NO11

Specification: 4:1

Plant origin: seeds of Prunus amygdalus(Rosaceae)

Pharmacology function:

1) Amygdalin a glycoside, commonly found in seeds and other plant parts of many members of the rose family, such as kernels of the apricot, peach, and bitter almond, which breaks down into hydrocyanic acid, benzaldehyde, and glucose. A drug derived from amygdalin and purported to have antineoplastic properties.

2) Laetrile is the purified form of the compound amygdalin, which is found naturally in fruits and vegetables, particularly in the apricot pits and bitter almonds.

Amygdalin was first isolated in 1830 and was used as an anticancer agent in Russia as early as 1845. Laetrile gained popularity in the 1970s as a single anticancer agent and as part of a metabolic therapy program that included a special diet, high-dose vitamin supplements, and pancreatic enzymes. By 1978, more than 70, 000 people in the United States had reportedly been treated with Laetrile.

3) It is believed that laetrile relieves the pain of cancer. One theory is that cancer cells contain large quantities of the enzyme beta-glucosidase. This enzyme breaks the amygdalin down and releases cyanide, a toxic chemical that then kills cancer cells.