Laetrile

Laetrile, alleged anticancer drug (chemical name, amygdalin) created from an extract of apricot pits in 1926 by Ernst Krebs, Sr., and refined by his son, Ernst Krebs, Jr., who patented it in 1949. Though considered worthless by the medical establishment and banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it was legalized in 14 states by 1978, when a U.S. appeals court ruled that the drug could not be withheld from terminally ill people, since the government's criteria of “safety” and “effectiveness” had no meaning in their case.

See also: Cancer.