Thread: beware parsnips
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Old 02-07-2008, 03:14 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Anthony Anson Anthony Anson is offline
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Default beware parsnips

The message
from Stewart Robert Hinsley contains these words:

Wikipedia claims, but does not provide a citation, that *wild* parsnips
cause phytophotodermatis (presumably as per giant hogweed). Google finds
references to this, but also finds that cow parsnip refers to what we
know as hogweeds, which could confuse the matter. However, it seems to
me on a casual perusal that wild parsnip is among the culprits. (Wild
carrot can also cause phytophotodermatis.) The active constituent is the
same as in rue, another notorious cause of skin blistering.


If there's other health issues then you'll have to dig further to find
them. (I seem to recall a report in New Scientist many years ago that
parsnips contain carcinogens, but quite possibly every crop plant
contains compounds that are carcinogenic in sufficient concentration -
Google finds an 1981 report to that effect at
http://particle.physics.ucdavis.edu/News/parsnips.html)


Water dropworts of various flavours look similar to parsnips and smell
similar TAAAW and at least some are very poisonous, but they are only a
related species, not true parsnips.

--
Rusty
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