🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <f8YVc.262896$a8.175382@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, Gautam Majumdar <gmajumdar@XSPAMfreeuk.com> wrote:
>On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 14:27:22 +0100, Phred wrote:
>> In article <XBGVc.254531$a8.56238@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, Gautam
>> Majumdar <gmajumdar@XSPAMfreeuk.com> wrote:
>>>On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 06:24:18 +0100, Curious wrote:
>>>
>>>> Is sandalwood poisonous if eaten?
>>> 
>>>Can't say about sandalwood as a whole but sandalwood oil is not
>>>poisonous to humans. It is used in various medicinal preparations of the
>>>Ayurvedic (ancient Indian) system.
>> 
>> Geez mate, that hardly proves it's not poisonous!
>> 
>> In fact, many lethal compounds are used in medicine for the very reason
>> that they are extremely biologically active.  I hardly need mention they
>> need to be used with precision and caution. :)
>> 
>I agree; whether something is harmful to use depends mainly on the dose.
>Some of our cherished food supplements, even essential neutrients such as
>Vitamin A, could cause harm and even death if taken in large doses. But we
>don't call them poisonous because they are not harmful when used in
>intended ways.

G'day again mate,

Somewhat off-topic in s.b.botany but your mention of Vitamin A 
reminded me of the likely cause of disaster in one of the early 
Antarctic expeditions.  They were pretty much starving and started 
eating the dogs.  This included the liver, so it's reasonably 
suspected at least one poor bloke finally died of Vitamin A poisoning!

<quoting from http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=7043>
Mawson himself led the 'Far Eastern' sledging expedition with Belgrave 
Ninnis, a Swiss doctor, and Xavier Mertz, an English army lieutenant. 
The expedition was five weeks old and 500 km out when disaster struck: 
Ninnis, with one of the two sleds and most of the party's supplies, 
was lost down an immense crevasse. Mertz was to die on the return 
journey, possibly from Vitamin A poisoning from eating the livers of 
husky dogs. But Mawson survived after an epic solo journey during 
which he had to haul himself on the end of a rope out of a deep 
crevasse. It was one of the great polar stories of survival.
</quoting>

>> Mind you, it's possible that sandalwood oil is relatively safe. Indeed
>> there is some data on the Australian product from _Santalum spicatum_
>> that has found no serious problems:
>> http://www.aromarich.btinternet.co.uk/sandalwood2.html
>> 
>Sandalwood oil is used by many people in the Indian subcontinent for skin
>conditions, both for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. It is not used
>internally excepting in minute quantities in some Ayurvedic medicine.
>
>When I said that it is not poisonous, I meant these uses. It may not be
>safe if somebody drinks a litre of it.
>
>> At http://www.wrc.net/phyto/Chandana.html there is an indication of
>> possible toxic effects from _S. album_ oil: <quoting> Toxicity: Possible
>> cytochrome p-450 inducement in high doses long term (Jones et al 1994).
>> Essential oil reported to have a "baneful effect upon the kidneys" in
>> larger doses (Nadkarni 1976, 1102). </quoting>
>> 
>> The references are given on that page -- and it might be noted that the
>> article by Jones et al. actually referred to quandong (_Santalum
>> acuminatum_).

Cheers, Phred.

-- 
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