SC - garum in Anthimus & Capitulare de villis

[Thomas Gloning]

Corwyn writes:
> > Calendula, which are quite tasty, are also known as pot marigolds.
> >
> >  Ras
>
>>> And they are VERY edible. Just don't confuse them with the 
African Marigold so often used in modern landscaping. Even 
Gerard says they're poisonous. I seem to remember him 
recounting a child dying from eating the then recently
introduced African marigold, and he did an experiment 
with a chicken or a dog or something himself ... but alas 
my memory is poor and the book isn't at
hand. If anybody's interested I'll look it up.<<<

Poisonous?  I don't think so.  The particular reference you 
cite in Gerard refers to his rememberance from Dodonaeus  
(Rembert Dodoens, [Rembertus Dodonaeus], physician/botanist, 
born 29 July 1517, from whose 1583 HERBAL in Latin, John Gerard
plaguarized the bulk of his GENERAL HISTORY OF PLANTS).
of a child whose lips and mouth swelled from chewing the flowers
(the child did not die).  Dodoens then fed marigolds to a cat in
cheese and like wise to mice, which all died.  From this, Gerard
concludes that African marigolds are highly toxic and all parts
are very poisonous.  Hardly a valid experiment.  Unless you have 
access to the Latin document Dodoens wrote, it is not sure that
this reaction was not due to a similar herb like tansy (which is toxic 
but not deadly unless a massive dose is ingested.

African marigolds, by the way are no more African than French 
marigolds are French.  They are both of Mexican origin, discovered
during the voyages of Cortez.  If they were indeed poisonous, any
reputable seed company would put a prominent warning on the
seed packets as they do for plants like monkshood, datura and castor
beans.  They have no such caution and I am quite certain the
petals are quite harmless if ingested, though the flavour is much
stronger and unpleasant tasting than the native European marigolds, 
the calendula.  Modern recipes for the deep orangy gold marigold 
puddings often make no difference in the type of marigold petals 
used.  The original puddings in medieval times though were most 
certainly calendula petals as it predates the discovery of the New 
World.

Akim Yaroslavich
"No glory comes without pain"