evidence: Common Names - Apricot pits - Vitamin B17 - Mandelonitrile-beta-glucuronide (semi-synthetic) [...] Amygdalin is a naturally occurring cyanogenic glycoside derived from nuts, plants, and the pits of certain fruits, primarily apricots. Bitter almonds containing amygdalin are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to remove "blood stasis" and to treat abscesses (1). Amygdalin was first used to treat cancer more than a century ago in Russia and later in the United States. A purified form sold as Laetrile has been a popular alternative cancer therapy since the 1960s. Some claimed amygdalin to be a vitamin (B17) and that deficiencies could cause cancer, but this is not substantiated by scientific evidence (2). Amygdalin is banned in the United States, but it is available in other countries and online.