Not many natural cancer treatments have been as controversial as laetrile, a substance derived from the seeds of apricots. But make no mistake, the heated debate over the effectiveness of apricot kernel therapy (laetrile therapy) in treating cancer has not died down as conventional medical doctors and holistically minded experts go toe-to-toe in heated debates.
It was actor and late-stage cancer patient Steve McQueen, the “King of Cool,” who brought extensive media attention to the alternative therapy when in July 1980, he crossed the border from America to Mexico in order to obtain the treatment for mesothelioma that he was denied here in the States. The controversy that ensued was rampant as word quickly spread about the medical miracle promised from this humble, naturally-occurring kernel found in apricots, peaches, and almonds….