[Sca-cooks] Re:Chicken for feast (Hyssop)

[Darren Gasser]

On Thu, 27 Mar 2003 22:24:43 -0500, you wrote:

>This might be an issue that has been addressed when I wasn't paying attention, so please forgive me if I re-hash.
>
>I served a chicken soup at my last event that contained hyssop and I took great pains to make sure that it was clearly
>labeled as having hyssop in it with a warning that pregnant or possibly pregnant woment should not eat it. In my
>research and talking to a friend who is knowledgable about herbs I discovered that hyssop is an abortificant. Now, I do
>not know what kind of quantities produce adverse effects, but I figured better safe than sorry.
>
>Am I too paranoid? How should we address these issues in the SCA? It is my understanding that Rue, found in some
>recipies, has similar properties.

You are correct to treat hyssop cautiously.  Pregnant women should
definitely avoid it, as shoud children.  The 'safe' dose for oil of
hyssop is considered to be less than 0.08g/kg according the the
toxicology reference I have handy.  I'm not sure how much fresh herb
would translate to 0.08g of oil, but it would seem to be a fairly
small amount.  Maybe try a herbology reference for more info if you're
bent on using it.

Rue and Bergamot are likewise substances that should be treated
carefully as they can be toxic in fairly small amounts.

-Lorenz