[Sca-cooks] Latin names for spices.

[A. F. Murphy]

I suspect the rules were written by people who had no idea that onion,
garlic, sage and thyme are all medicinal for colds and flu. (Yes, that's a
major part of the reason chicken soup works so well!)

They were trying to control Lobelia and Pennyroyal and others like that,
which can be a problem in the hands of anyone who is not an expert. Or are
contraindicated for certain people. And that's a legitimate concern, but
there are surely better ways to address it!

Anne

> [Original Message]
> From: Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net>

> Iasmin detailed the Middle Kingdom's rules for A&S competitions including:
>
> >       Any herbal preparation that is used for medical, magical or
> >       poisonous uses will not be eligible for entry into the A & S
Faire.
> >       Any herbs and spices used in the entry must be listed in the
> >       documentation with their Latin botanical names and must be in
> >       compliance with the Prohibited and Restricted Herbs list.
> >
>
> Good. I don't understand why there has to be any kind of restriction
> like this, at all. If the concern is safety, then perhaps clearly
> worded warnings would be sufficent.

*********
 Are the items open to being
> eaten by the populace? Or just the judges? In either case, but
> especially in the case of the judges who should have some knowledge
> in the field or at least some common sense, folks shouldn't just
> be indiscriminately tasting things.
>
> Is the use of period pigments also disallowed? Many of those contain
> things like mercury and lead.
>
> A literal reading of this current regulation eliminates almost all
> period cosmetics, and indeed, foodstuffs from the competition.
>
> If something like this is really needed, then there really should
> be an "only" between "used" and "for" above. As written this
> prevents the use of most foods as an entry. I suspect with the
> resources of this list, we could find a period phrase for almost any
> spice or herb or food item that says it is "good for such and
> such" health aspect. Or that it is bad for you because it causes
> gas or whatever. Or some other period medicinal referance.
>
>