Seeds or kernels of the apricot grown in Ladakh are so sweet that they’re sometimes substituted for almonds. Sweet apricot seeds are sometimes sold as snacks or for baking, and they contain very little or no amygdalin. Apricot seeds contain a toxic chemical known as amygdalin, which is also referred to as laetrile. Some companies call this compound vitamin B17 in order to label and market the product as an essential substance. In the body, this chemical is converted to cyanide, which is poisonous and can cause serious harm. There has been interest in using apricot kernels, which are inside the seeds, to fight cancer because of this toxic chemical that fights cancer cells before it’s converted to cyanide and spread throughout the body. Some researchers believe that the cyanide would only harm a cancerous tumour, but scientific studies suggest that this isn’t always true.
