laetrile

[ ley-i-tril ]

noun

1. a controversial drug, purported to cure cancer, prepared from the pits of apricots or peaches and containing about 6 percent cyanide by weight: banned by the FDA.

laetrile

/ ˈleɪəˌtraɪl /

noun

1. an extract of peach stones, containing amygdalin, sold as a cure for cancer but judged useless and possibly dangerous by medical scientists

Word History and Origins

Origin of laetrile¹

1950–55; said to be a contraction of l-mandelonitrile, equivalent to l- + German Mandel almond + -o- + nitrile

Word History and Origins

Origin of laetrile¹

C20: from laevorotatory + nitrile

Example Sentences

Over the years, the state Business and Professions Code has been updated to explicitly bar physicians from breaking laws related to human cloning and to the long-discredited cancer treatments laetrile and amygdalin.

From Los Angeles Times

Photo: Wikimedia Commons Apricot kernels contain amygdalin, a compound also called laetrile, that is converted into cyanide in the body.

From The Verge

The drug foreshadowed the debate over later miracle cures, such as laetrile in the 1970s.

From Washington Post

Shortly after arriving at the spa, also known as Pacific Health Restoration Center, Hirsh received a regime of laetrile, which contains cyanide and is banned by the Food and Drug Administration.

From Seattle Times

A one-month "starter package" that contains a pound of bitter apricot seeds, supplements like coral calcium tea bags, and a DVD of the film "World Without Cancer" about laetrile, goes for $199.

From The Verge