SC - Essential Oils & Rue

[ND Wederstrandt]

Animal oils like musk and ambergris are extremely expensive and are very
hard to find on the essential oil market.  Part of my checkered past was
working 8 years selling herbs, oils and flower remedies. The only ambergris
that is readily on the market is vegetable ambergris or ambrette seed.  I
can't remember if it is edible or not.  You might try a perfumier but it is
extremely expensive.  True rose oil (attar of roses easily went for over
$200 an dram and this was about 6 years ago.) and the animal oils are much
more expensive.  A great many oil companies will not sell any animal oils
anymore either.

  Concerning Rue:  According to Madeline Hill and Gwen Barclay who have
written "Southern Herb Growing" and has managed and huge Herb business.
Rue contains a volitile oil that can cause severe sking rashing and
blistering when coming in contact with skin.  They recommend that you wear
gloves when gardening around it.  It is used in Roman cookery and I usually
substitute hyssop which is a bitter herb or I suppose any of the other
bitter herbs.  While normally culinary  herbs are safe, if you are
pregnant, always check.  When I was selling herbs one of the people who
taught me told me that chamomile can cause negative reactions for pregnant
women.  People easily forget that many of our medicines we use now are
derived from herbs or have chemical compounds that are similar.  Like
everyone else has said just check a book or call a health store. Tansy and
comfrey are another herbs that our forebears ate while we no longer expound
their uses as much.

Clare