As a kid I always remember hearing that apple seeds, apricot pits, and cherry pits contained cyanide, and could cause cancer. However research shows that that might just be a modern day folklore. They actually could be a cure for cancer!
It isn’t just recently that apple seeds and apricot pits were studied for the use of curing cancer. Ancient civilization The Hunzas utilized the apricot pit in many different ways. Major Sir Robert McCarrison wrote about the Hunzas back in the 1930s when he had a post with the Indian Medical Service. According to McCarrison, the Hunzas enjoyed near-perfect physical and mental health and some of them lived to be over 135 years old. There seemed to be no evidence of diabetes, obesity, or heart attacks among them as well. There was also no evidence of cancer. Could it be because of the apricot pit? They knew it had to be something in their diet, and it really consisted of a lot of apricots.
While it’s true that those seeds contain cyanide, most experts agree that it would take a whole lot of them to poison a person. And, in this case, there’s a lot more that we may not be properly investigating. Apple seeds are also a great source of B-17. This valuable little nutrient, also found in apricot kernels, buckwheat, strawberries, cashews, & other natural foods. Some studies say vitamin B-17 actually helps to prevent cancers and even inhibit or reverse tumor growth! Although apple seeds might not cure cancer, it can’t be a bad idea to incorporate them into your diet.
Apple seeds contain amygdalin, the same ingredient extracted from apricot pits to make the controversial anti-cancer medicine laetrile. Amygdalin is also called vitamin B-17 by its advocates, who designated it a vitamin in an effort to avoid regulation of laetrile by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a drug, the Tennessee Poison Control Center explains. Laetrile, banned in the United States, is a semi-synthetic version of amygdalin. Apple seeds also contain a number of unsaturated fatty acids as well as the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.
We need to have more researchers investigate the power of apple seeds and apricot pits. From what we already know, we know they definitely have potential to be used in the fight against cancer. The apple seed contains many different ingredients that are great for our bodies! Try blending them up in a morning smoothie!