SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #358

[marilyn traber]

SThat's what I get for throwing off a note from work.  Some of the herbs
used

> in period are of dubious safety for ingestion; comfrey, tansy, rue,
> and
> pennyroyal (and I have recipes using these) come to mind.  Other herbs
> can
> cause contact dermatitis, photosensitivity, etc. and it is wise to
> know this
> before you begin experimentation.
>
> So using a modern herbal to verify the use of period herbs is a
> sensible
> precaution.
>
> Derdriu
>

As a member in good standing of an herbalist guild, I can attest to
there bing modern herbals that are just as inaccureate as the old ones.
In fact, almost all herbals are regugitations of older works, with only
moderate changes. Some modern herbals are just downright funky and need
too be used with a large grain of salt-Back to Eden springs to mind when
it comes to advice on how to do many things. Jethro Kloss is just
downright hooked on immediate high enemas, not eating any animal
products, not drinking liquid with meals and not combinig fruits and
veggies in the same dish, esentially just as eccentric behavior as Good
old Doc Kellog in 'The Road to Wellsville'. Margaret Grieves 'A Modern
Herbal[in 2 vols]' regurgitates the British Pharmacopia, which has many
many listings that have not changed in several hundred years.

You can by comfrey teabags and comfrey loose, as well as tansey in both
forms at many   health food stores, as well as rue, and I have both
eaten and served rue in the form os seasoning in fritters. It  only
becomes an  abortificant in seriousy large quantities, and for that
matter oregano is an abortificant in the same dosage. Moderation is
called for. If you can get a mouse to eat a pinch, and it lives, a
decent rule of thumb is that you can probably handle it in very small
amounts. The reason that many foods were considered poisonous is the
eating habits of the colonists. Tomato plants are toxic, leaves
especially so-if you are hungry for greens after the snow melts and
forage for greens, you can get poisoned by a good mess of tomato greens,
but the fruit is ok. That also goes for rhubarb-the leafy parts are
toxic, but the stems properly cooked are edible[i hate the flavor, but
that is personal]

I am not saying to just go out and eat everything, but dont believe
herbals blindly. Old wives tales can be misleading as well as what you
read on the internet. If you can get a copy of the US Formulary, many
herbs have been animal tested as food, drug and cosmetic additives, and
you can find the toxicity levels there[they however make no attempt to
test out the medicinal qualities or other claims.]

margali

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