hist-brewing: Re: hist-brewing digest, Vol 1 #83 - 3 msgs

[PBLoomis at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/31/02 8:22:49 AM Central Daylight Time, 
cindy at thousandeggs.com writes:

> Echium vulgare L.,  Vipers Bugloss.  The "AMA Handbook of Poisonous and
>  Injurious Plants"  has this listing:  "The whole plant is poisonous. Toxin:
>  Pyrrolizidine alkaloids.  Symptoms:  Toxicity is associated with use of the
>  plant in herbal teas for folk medicine.  The chronic consumption of these
>  teas may cause veno-occlusive disease of the liver (Budd-Chiari syndrome)
>  with hepatic vein thrombosis leading to cirrhosis.  The symptoms are
>  abdominal pain with ascites [accumulation of fluid in the peritoneum],
>  hepatomegaly and splenomegaly [enlargement of the liver & spleen], anorexia
>  with nausea, vomiting and diarrheaŠ"
>  
    Ouch!  With all due respect to Dutch brewers, I'm gonna leave that 
one off of my list of gruit herbs.
    Thanks, Cindy.  8-)
    Scotti
    Knowledge is never wasted, nor is the time to acquire it.