[Herbalist] Help-- toxicity data?

[Jenne Heise]

> Have you looked at food source dyes, those were very common, beets, onions,
> spinach, red cabbage, nettles,inner bark of apple trees yields a nice
> yellow,paprika, cranberry juice and pomegranate juice.

Well, I'm concentrating on red and yellow right now. I've tried spinach
and could not get significant green color from it. I have used the red
cabbage, but have found no documentation for it as a food color in period;
beetroot may be period but red beetroot is questionable; paprika isn't
documented to period; I don't have access lingonberry (European Cranberry)
at the moment, nor do I have access to apple bark or nettles.

The dyes I'm currently testing are:
Red
             Saunders (Red Sandalwood)
             Onion Skins
             Brazilwood
             Alkanet
             Madder
             Logwood
Yellow
             Turmeric
             Saffron
             Onion Skins
             Bedstraw
Blue/Green
             Red Cabbage
             Elderberry

A friend is lending me some cochineal to try, possibly tonight, as well.
--
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at mail.browser.net
disclaimer: i speak for no-one and no-one speaks for me.
"I've been out for a while, But I'll be back in a bit, I am just walking
through the smoke, Finding out if this is it..." Suzanne Vega