[Sca-cooks] medicinal recipies

[Terry Decker]

I'd try to locate a copy of Lampe, K. F., McCann, M. A. 1985. AMA Handbook 
of poisonous and injurious plants. American Medical Assoc. Chicago, Ill., 
USA.

Indigo is associated with a number of plants in the genera Amorpha and 
Baptisia, so there may be varying degrees of toxicity.  There are no 
recorded cases of indigo poisoning, but it probably be advisable to be 
careful.

Alkanet contains some alkaloids that may cause problems with long term 
exposure.  Again care would be advised.  I have come across a reference to a 
paper describing a chemical reaction that will cause metol (a sulphate salt 
used in photographic developing) poisoning.  Usually, it appears as 
dermatitis from contact poisoning.

I haven't found scientific studies online for either that I would trust.

Bear

> I've also considered experimenting with alkanet, which was used to
> color some foods in period (fat soluble, not water or alcohol
> soluble). It is now used as a fabric dye, and was used in the first
> half or so of the 20th C. to color lipstick.
>
> And there are some recipes in the Arabic language corpus that call
> for coloring nuts and salt blue with indigo.
>
> How/where would i find out about toxicity issues with these substances?
> -- 
> Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)