Bitter almonds were banned by the US government because they can treat cancer?

Bitter almonds were banned by the US government because they can treat cancer?

TL; DR Summary

  • This appeared in my Facebook news feed yesterday.
  • Many of the commenters to it, believed this to be true.
  • A few noted that perhaps this ban was because bitter almonds contain hydrogen cyanide (this is true) but pointed to other “nuts” like Apricot pits, that also contain similar levels of cyanide – and those are not banned. Therefore, say the conspiracy theorists, this poster must be true!


Let’s think about this for a moment: The almond is the “seed” or pit of the almond fruit – but, as with walnuts, there is almost no fruit and no one eats the fruit – they eat the nut!
People eat sweet almonds, not bitter almonds, but sweet almonds and bitter almonds look almost identical. But no one eats “almond fruit” – they eat the nut itself!
50 bitter almonds is said to be lethal  – eating less may merely leave you in the hospital with a huge bill. You would need to eat about 2,500 sweet almonds (which also contain trace amounts of cyanide) to achieve a lethal dose.
So, does bitter almond treat cancer? Sure – it kills cancer cells! It also kills all the other living cells in your body too! Sounds like a great treatment for cancer.
The above poster is scary because so many people believe bitter almonds are just fine – and believe it might be a cure for cancer if only the darned government had not stepped into stop this miracle cure!
Text for Search Engines
The bitter almond tree was banned in America in 1995 because it’s the highest source of Vitamin B17 which prevents & treats cancer.
Still trust your government?

Comments are closed.