Apricot Spring
by Kathy Bassett
Title
Apricot Spring
Artist
Kathy Bassett
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
...Let the earth bring forth .... the fruit tree yielding fruit....Oh the days of spring, blushed with the look of an innocence and sweetness of a young child, blossoming into her new awareness of herself. Medicinal and nonfood usesCyanogenic glycosides (found in most stone fruit seeds, bark, and leaves) are found in high concentration in apricot seeds. Laetrile, a purported alternative treatment for cancer, is extracted from apricot seeds. Apricot seeds were used against tumors as early as AD 502. In England during the 17th century, apricot oil was also used against tumors, swellings, and ulcers. In 2005, scientists in the Republic of Korea found that treating human prostate cancer cells with amygdalin induces programmed cell death in vitro. They concluded, "amygdalin may offer a valuable option for the treatment of prostate cancers".A 2006 systematic review by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded: "The claim that [l]aetrile has beneficial effects for cancer patients is not supported by data from controlled clinical trials. This systematic review has clearly identified the need for randomised or controlled clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of [l]aetrile or amygdalin for cancer treatment."Given the lack of evidence, laetrile has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.The U.S. National Institutes of Health evaluated the evidence separately and concluded the clinical trials of amygdalin showed little or no effect against cancer. For example, a 1982 trial of 175 patients found tumor size had increased in all but one patient.[The authors reported, "the hazards of amygdalin therapy were evidenced in several patients by symptoms of cyanide toxicity or by blood cyanide levels approaching the lethal range."The study concluded, "Patients exposed to this agent should be instructed about the danger of cyanide poisoning, and their blood cyanide levels should be carefully monitored. Amygdalin (Laetrile) is a toxic drug that is not effective as a cancer treatment"In Europe, apricots were long considered an aphrodisiac, and were used in this context in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and as an inducer of childbirth, as depicted in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi.Due to their high fiber to volume ratio, dried apricots are sometimes used to relieve constipation or induce diarrhea. Effects can be felt after eating as few as three.
Research shows, of any food, apricots possess the highest levels and widest variety of carotenoids. Carotenoids as antioxidants may help to prevent heart disease, reduce "bad cholesterol" levels, and protect against cancer. Although initial studies suggested antioxidant supplements might promote health, later large clinical trials did not detect any benefit and suggested instead that excess supplementation may be harmful. In traditional Chinese medicine, apricots are considered helpful in regenerating body fluids, detoxifying, and quenching thirst.
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April 20th, 2013
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