Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract

Other names: Vitmin B 17 / Amygdalin

Latin Name: Semen Armeniacae Amarum
Material Original: Shaanxi, China
Extracted Part: Seed
Supported Purity: Amygdalin 10%~ 98 %, Concentrate 10:1~50:1

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What’s the Bitter Almond / Apricot Kernel? 

Bitter almonds are commonly used Chinese medicinal herbs, and the Pharmacopoeia records that this product is Prunus armeniaca L. varansu Maxim, a plant of the Rosaceae family Prunus sibirica L. and Prunus mandshurica (Maxim. Koehne or Prunus armeniaca L.) are dry and mature seeds of Siberian apricot. Mature fruits are harvested in summer, and the flesh and shell are removed. The seeds are removed and dried in the sun. Bitter almonds have the properties of reducing qi, relieving cough, relieving asthma, moistening the intestines, and promoting bowel movements. They are used for coughing, asthma, chest fullness, phlegm accumulation, and constipation.
The effective ingredient for relieving cough and asthma in bitter almonds is amygdalin. bitter almonds not only contain amygdalin, but also have enzymes that can decompose amygdalin. This enzyme can be activated at a certain temperature and humidity, causing amygdalin to decompose and produce hydrogen cyanide. Therefore, excessive consumption or raw food can cause hydrogen cyanide poisoning, inhibit cell respiration, and form “intracellular suffocation” tissue hypoxia. After oral administration of amygdalin, it can be decomposed into hydrogen cyanide and benzaldehyde in the body. Hydrogen cyanide can have a certain inhibitory effect on the respiratory center, making respiratory movements tend to be quiet and achieving cough and asthma relieving effects.
In recent years, some studies have been conducted on the processing of traditional Chinese medicine bitter almonds using amygdalin as an indicator. The processing methods of bitter almonds, bitter almonds, and stir fried bitter almonds are included in the 2015 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Advances in Study on Pharmacological Effects of Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract

–Anticough and asthma relieving effects  for Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract

Bitter almonds contain amygdalin, which can be hydrolyzed by intestinal microbial enzymes or amygdalin enzymes contained in bitter almonds themselves in the body, producing trace amounts of hydrogen cyanide and benzaldehyde. It has an inhibitory effect on the respiratory center, achieving cough suppressive and asthma relieving effects. The Compendium of Materia Medica records that almonds have the ability to dispel wind and cold, as well as the ability to lower the qi and eliminate wheezing. Skilled in relieving cough, resolving phlegm, and relieving asthma, it has a strong targeted effect on the main symptoms of cough, excessive phlegm, and wheezing in the lung system. Therefore, ancient and modern doctors have used it as a lung medicine, regardless of internal injuries or external sensations, new and chronic diseases, and those involving the lungs. Using guinea pig in vitro organ experiments, almond water extract can reduce the sensitivity of organs to ammonia stimulation, counteract the excitatory effects of histamine, acetylcholine, and barium chloride on tracheal smooth muscle, and have a significant cough relieving effect.

–Effects on the digestive system  for Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract

Almonds have a bitter and astringent taste, and are rich in fatty oils. Fat oil can enhance the lubricating effect of intestinal contents on the mucosa, so almonds have the function of moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements. Amygdalin is broken down by enzymes to form hydrogen cyanide, while also producing benzaldehyde, which can inhibit the activity of gastric protease and thus affect digestive function. The hydrolysate of gastric protease from the water-soluble part of almonds was administered to carbon tetrachloride treated rats at a dose of 500mg/kg. It was found that it could inhibit the increase of AST, ALT levels, and hydroxyproline content, as well as the prolongation of the dissolution time of immunoglobulin. The hydrolysate of gastric protease from the water-soluble part of almonds can inhibit the proliferation of rat liver connective tissue, but cannot inhibit the increase in AST and ALT levels caused by D-galactosamine in mice

–Anti inflammatory and analgesic effects  for Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract

Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract  has an inhibitory effect on the writhing reaction in mice induced by acetic acid and the formation of granulomatous inflammation in rats induced by cotton balls. Using the method of rat foot joint edema, intravenous injection of 40mg/kg water-soluble protein components KR-A and KR-B5mg/kg of almond has an anti-inflammatory effect. The experiment using a mouse model of naphthoquinone induced pain showed that when KR-A or KR-B was administered intravenously at 5mg/kg, the pain inhibition rates were 40.7% and 58.2%, respectively. They have an oral intake of ED50 of 13.9mg/kg and 6.4mg/kg for carrageenan induced foot swelling in rats. The mouse hot plate method and acetic acid writhing method confirmed that amygdalin has analgesic effects, but it is different from morphine analgesics. Benzaldehyde produced by the decomposition of amygdalin produces benzoin through the action of benzoin synthase. Benzoin has analgesic effects, so some people in China use bitter almonds to treat advanced liver cancer, which can relieve the pain of patients, and some even do not need to take painkillers.

–Antitumor activity  for Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract

Amygdalin is a vitamin B17 that has preventive and therapeutic effects on tumors, and some theoretical and experimental data have been proposed. If it is believed that anaerobic degradation of tumor cells is dominant, and the final product is lactic acid, a slightly acidic environment is conducive to improvement β- The activity of glucosidase promotes the decomposition of amygdalin into more benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide in tumor cells, resulting in a selective killing effect on tumor cells

The research on the anti-tumor mechanism of almonds mainly includes the following aspects.
① Some scholars believe that cancer cells contain a large amount of β- Glucosidase, which can hydrolyze amygdalin to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN), benzaldehyde, and glucose. Due to the lack of thionitrile generating enzyme in cancer cells, this enzyme has a detoxifying effect on HCN, making it a non-toxic thionitrile compound, while normal cells lack it β- Glucosidase contains a large amount of thionitrile generating enzymes. According to this theory, amygdalin should be able to selectively kill cancer cells while being almost harmless to normal cells.
② Amygdalin can help trypsin digest the transparent mucin membrane of cancer cells in the body, making it easier for white blood cells to approach cancer cells and engulf them.

–Hypoglycemic effect  for Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract
Amygdalin has the effect of preventing and treating diabetes caused by the antineoplastic drug, Albiuret. Using the method of inducing hyperglycemia in mice with urea, it was demonstrated that pre intraperitoneal injection of 3g/kg amygdalin for 48 hours followed by blood glucose measurement. The results showed that amygdalin can specifically inhibit the increase in blood glucose caused by urea, and the intensity of action is related to the concentration of amygdalin in the blood.

–Hypolipidemic effect for Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract
According to clinical reports, 24 patients with blood lipids ranging from 200 to 260 were given 100g of almonds daily as the main source of fat. After 3 weeks, their blood lipids decreased by an average of 10.1%. 85 patients with hyperlipidemia took 75g of almonds daily for 4 consecutive weeks, and continued to observe for another 4 weeks after discontinuing the medication. The results showed that almonds can significantly reduce blood lipid levels in patients with hyperlipidemia, with the most significant reductions being in serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), which decreased by 10.6% and 8.1% respectively. At the same time, there was no significant change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in patients, while apolipoprotein B (Apo B) decreased significantly and apolipoprotein A1 (Apo A1) increased significantly. Spiller (1990) believed that monounsaturated fatty acids in almonds can help reduce mildly elevated blood lipids in patients without the need for strict dietary restrictions

–Cosmetic effects of Bitter Almond Extract Apricot Kernel Extract
According to the theory of lung combined skin and hair, in clinical practice, certain skin diseases can be treated through the method of promoting lung function, combined with the consumption of almonds, often achieving quick results. Modern research has shown that the fatty oil contained in bitter almonds can soften the skin’s stratum corneum, moisturize and care for the skin, protect nerve endings, blood vessels, and tissue organs, and inhibit and kill bacteria. In addition, HCN generated by enzymatic hydrolysis can inhibit the activity of tyrosinase in the body, eliminate pigmentation, freckles, black spots, etc., and thus achieve cosmetic effects.More Scientific research and development for Bitter Almond Extract (Apricot Kernel Extract) , please check here