From The Cancer Chronicles #19 January 1994 by Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

                             Benzaldehyde is a chemical found in nature in many foods. It helps give coffee
                             and cocoa their characteristically pleasant aromas, and is also widely used in
                             the chemical industry. Less known is the fact that benzaldehyde has shown
                             significant cancer-fighting abilities. In the 1970s, Japanese scientists used a
                             distillate of ordinary figs to successfully treat cancer in mice. They eventually
                             found that the active ingredient in this distillate was ordinary benzaldehyde,
                             present in mere one-part-per-million concentrations. Building on this finding, in
                             1985, Dr. M. Kochi and colleagues reported in the USNational Cancer
                             Institute's own Cancer Treatment Reports (69:533-537) that a `gluconated' form
                             of benzaldehyde (called BG) caused an "overall objective response rate [of] 55
                             percent. Seven patients achieved complete response, 29 achieved partial
                             response, 24 remained stable, and 5 showed progressive disease." In 1990, Dr.
                             Tatsumura and colleagues at Toyama University reported similar results (41.7
                             percent responses). In all cases, the treatment was free of toxicity. It is thus
                             documented, safe, inexpensive and generally unavailable in America. How is it
                             possible that such a promising anti-cancer agent is unused here? Why hasn't
                             the NCI publicized these results as they have, say, the interleukin-2 or taxol
                             trials? One reason may be the lack of incentive for pharmaceutical companies
                             to become involved in research on natural food constituents. It currently costs
                             over $230 million to shepherd a new drug through the FDA's approval maze.
                             This compels pharmaceutical companies to seek out only expensive,
                             patentable drugs, to the detriment of non-patented agents like benzaldehyde.

                             Benzaldehyde is remarkably cheap about $8 an ounce at chemical supply
                             houses. (Such companies do sell it, but may require a pledge that it is not to
                             be used for medicine - only for laboratory research.) Since the average person
                             needs less than a gram per day [see below], the cost per year, astonishingly,
                             would be about $2.00, or less than a penny a day.

                             Another factor is benzaldehyde's close link to amygdalin (a.k.a. laetrile), the
                             bete noire of the cancer establishment. Amygdalin, found in apricot kernels,
                             etc. breaks down into benzaldehyde, glucose, and hydrogen cyanide in the
                             body. Gluconated benzaldehyde (BG) is essentially laetrile without the
                             hydrogen cyanide.... Readers seeking treatment for cancer should seek out
                             competent medical help, including doctors open to alternative treatments.
                             Scientific references on benzaldehyde research, as well as other treatment
                             options, are to be found in Ralph W. Moss's book, Cancer Therapy, published
                             by Equinox Press.

                             You can get benzaldehyde by eating figs, apple seeds, peach or apricot
                             kernels. It is also found in almond extract. Almond extract is available in most
                             supermarkets. One teaspoon of almond extract usually contains approximately
                             90 mg of benzaldehyde.

                             When taken internally, 1.7 to 2 ounces of pure benzaldehyde can be fatal. It
                             can slow down your central nervous system and cause respiratory failure.

For more information about Dr. Moss' Chronicles, go to:

http://www.ralphmoss.com/html/chronicles.shtml