[Herbalist] Iasmin's Current 4 Favorite Balm Recipes

[Tara]

> One of the major things you must remember about plant identification
> is that animals and humans have different anatomies. Entirely
> different. The United States Army still strongly cautions against
> wild foraging based on animal consumption of plants in their survival
> class, if this gives you an idea of the importance of the safety
> issues. What an animal can eat safely may be deadly poison to a
> human. What one animal can eat safely is also deadly poison to other
> animals.

I'd like to second this strongly.  My company compiles databases of
dietary supplements for both humans and pets.  We're constantly in
contact with some of the top vet and human medical researchers and docs
in the country.  Offhand, I don't know of many good-for-animals,
poisonous-for-people things, but I know lots that go the other way.
Echinacea is one of the worst, though I don't remember what it does.
Several of our vets have mentioned seeing several pets a year on the
edge of death because well-meaning owners gave them echinacea for
colds.  Onions are really dangerous - they cause Heinz body formations
and haemolytic anemia.  Garlic is dangerous for the same reason as
onions.  It's also a strong blood thinner.  Vitamin C can be dangerous,
because both cats and dogs already synthesize enough of it in their
bodies.  Grapes and raisins are very poisonous.  And, of course,
chocolate.  If all those are poisonous to pets, how many things that are
good for them are bad for us?

-Magdalena