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"Natural" isn't necessarily "safe!"

H

hanadr

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This is something i pick up on in many different circumstances every now and again and it's shown up in one of the threads here.
A natural product, isn't necessarily safe. In fact it can be dangerous. that's why the NHS Poisons Unit, which used to be at Guys Hospital, but may have moved, has a list of poisonous plants and what to do for someone who has ingested them. Foxglove, Monkshood, Laburnum, Lily of the Valley, all are natural and all are toxic to a greater or lesser degree.
In adition, a chemical is a chemical is a chemical. whether made by a plant or microbe, or synthesised in a lab.Glucose has an empirical formula,C6 H12 O6 regarlss of how it was made. In fact living things have much more efficient methods for synthesising chemicals than labs do.That's why recombinant E. coli is used for making so many things. It's quicker and cheaper.
 
I think the problem is that people assume a natural product is safe and then take too much of it,overdosing.Fat soluble vitamins for instance can easily overdose if more than the recommended dose is taken.I once overdosed on vit C (water soluble) trying to beat a cold.Boy,was I sick!!Never did that again.
 
Also there is the "Naturally Inspired" range from Holland & Barrett. Presumably "Naturally Inspired" means a synthetic copy of the natural product.
 
I have seen quite a no of cases of hypercarotonaemia - pts turn a wierd orange colour . Most were taking a mix of potions - some of which had no details n the label. There is'nt strong enough legislation!

About 5 years or so ago the IOC analysed around 500 sports type supplements bought across the world and 20% had subsatances in them that were not declared on the bottle - so you have to be careful !
 
ally, I agree 100% that there isn't enough regulation when it comes to alternative/complementary "medicines". As you say, in many cases you really don't know what the product contains, what percentage of active ingredients (if any) are present and how they may interact with other meds, conventional or otherwise.

At least with prescribed drugs you can have some confidence that they'll have been tested before recieving approval and know exactly what dose you are taking.

Speaking as a former gardener, I can say that hanadr mentions only a few of the toxic plants which thrive in the UK alone so yes, you do need to be careful.
 
Yes thirsty
I wasn't trying to list them all, just a few VERY common examples. there are textbooks full of them
And Ally,
I remember seeing a TV programme once, where children turned orange, because they were living on carrots.
I don't need telling about Vitamin A toxicity, I already know.In fact ALL fat soluble vitamins carry some risks. and there is scarce evidence for using high doses of any vitamins. I know some people advocate it, but others have found risks.
 
hanadr, I was once introduced to a new customer who, despite having two toddlers running around, had the biggest hemlock I've ever seen growing in his front garden. He had absolutely no idea what it was and complained when I ripped it out, as he and his wife thought it was pretty!

Folks, bear this in mind when visiting the herbalists. Dried brown leaves can kill you.
 
Wow!
I haven't seen much hemlock around here.( Thames valley), but my Mum used to work in a primary school, where an overseas teacher and several children ate laburnum seeds. None came to any harm.
 
hanadr said:
Wow!
I haven't seen much hemlock around here.( Thames valley), but my Mum used to work in a primary school, where an overseas teacher and several children ate laburnum seeds. None came to any harm.
Click to expand...
Would you recognise if you saw it, Hana? Looks life cow parsley, only grows taller & has red blotches on the stem. We've got plenty in the West London area, in a green space beside a housing estate & on a local country park.
 
hanadr, one of my earliest and most frightening memories is of a childhood friend who ate laburnum seeds and needed an emergency tracheotomy, before being carted off to intensive care for a few weeks.

Laburnum, like many other toxic plants produces a powerful alkaloid which can and does kill. In low doses, these have been used for millenia as psychoactive drugs. Henbane, belladonna, poppies and even hemlock have been used for just such a purpose.

Are they safe? Absolutely not. Get your gloves on when you're gardening, my friends.
 
Yes Ian,
I know what hemlock looks like. We have most of the other Umbelliferae around here. I look for the purple spots. I just haven't seen hemlock recently.I am a bit of a nature study freak. If ever I see something new, I have to identify it. Get excited by Egyptian Geese and Red Kites
 
Getting back to viatmin od...

I am sure most diabetics are more in control of what they ingest than the average UK citizen.

I wonder how many of the latter have a large portion of a fortified breakfast cereal, with up-wards of 75% RDA of most major vitamins and then swallow a multi-vitamin pile which will give them another 100% of them again. There really is a need for some sensible advise on healthy diets for everyone.
 
Trouble is there's loads of dietary advice out there, Nearly all of it in the Low fat high carb camp and the Healthy wholegrains department.
I think RDas for vitamins are also just guesses too.
 
Life is full of risks for children and adults alike. If it weren't so all you gardeners had better remove the rhubarb.
 
Oh Dear! and it doesn'r even compost properly.all that oxalic acid.
 

Do you get hemlock water dropwort? That's even more poisonous than hemlock (not a lot ofpeople know that <G>)
 
hana - the RNI are not guesses they are based on a huge amount of research . In fact alot of them were based on work done on war objecters during ww2 - they induced a deficiency of a vit /min. people are injesting vits/minerals without knowing waht their diet contains
 
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