Monique Reed schreef
You want this to be your only source of nourishment? I think perhaps
you might want to consult a nutritionist. You will will be deficient
in protein and probably other essential parts of a balanced diet.

* * *
Deficient is not the right word.
Just about anything necessary is absent, except (likely) water.
I would not want to guarantee that it does contain enough water.
It is either meant as a method of fasting or as a magic / religious method
to derive nutrition from another dimension.
PvR

(Curious) wrote in message . com...
Gautam Majumdar wrote in message .uk...
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.


I was thinking of making a thin watery drink with the following whole
ingredients [raw, natural, organic, un-processed, solid, all products
whole and not juiced] with my VitaMix blender:

1. Sandalwood

On the FDA's Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list. Toxic doses are
so enormous that no one is likely to ingest anything like enough to be
troublesome.

2. Licorice

Also GRAS. Good for you in small quantities. Larger quantities of
glycyrrhizin, the active principle, have been known to cause edema and
are moderately estrogenic.

3. Betal Leaf [Paan]

Chewing betel (paan, paan masala) is a significant cause of cancer in
Asian countries where this is a practice. Making a steady diet of any
significant amount of it would be unwise at best.

4. Mints [peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, etc.]

Mostly safe. Salicylates (wintergreen) and pennyroyal (in the mint
family) are toxic if overconsumed. Pennyroyal is especially dangerous
for pregnant women.

5. Garlic

OK for humans, but known to be toxic (in fairly large doses) to dogs
and cats.

6. Cinnamon

Irritating if used regularly in quantity. Some cases of mouth cancer
have been linked to long-term, large-quantity use of cinnamon chewing
gum.

7. Ginger

Safe and generally good for you. Contact dermatitis or allergy can be
a problem for people who handle ginger regularly.

8. Tamarind

Safe and good for you even in large quantities.

9. Anice

Safe in reasonable quantities.

10. Parsley

Parsley as an herb is fine. Parsley oil must be used with caution and
in moderation, and pregnant women should not take it at all.

11. Holy Basil [Tulsi]

Safe in all quantities that appear to have been tested. Seems to have
much value as an antioxidant.

12. Scallions

As with garlic, OK for humans, but be careful with cats and dogs
around.

13. Lime
14. Lemon

Safe in the quantities anyone could reasonably ingest.

15. Mustard Leaves

Safe except in large quantities, but I'm surprised anybody finds them
palatable in any quantity.

16. Lavender

Safe, except for pregnant women.

17. Rose petals

Safe, so long as the roses have not been treated with pesticides.

18. Parrot Tulip petals

Allergic reactions are not uncommon; otherwise, these are safe. As
with roses, be sure the plants were not treated with pesticides.

19. Turmeric

Safe even in large quantities.

[snip]

A few of the items in your list are not entirely safe, but only
dangerous in large quantity or long-term use. Betel (paan) is the most
dangerous, but not very. Some of these are definitely inappropriate
for pregnant women.

But a "thin, watery drink" of this stuff would meet just about none of
the nutritional needs of anybody. Overall, this sounds like a Really
Bad Idea. What sources have led you to believe that a diet of this
would be good for you?

--
Chris Green

In article ,
Christopher Green wrote:
2. Licorice

Also GRAS. Good for you in small quantities. Larger quantities of
glycyrrhizin, the active principle, have been known to cause edema and
are moderately estrogenic.

It also causes and exacerbates hypertension in large quantities or taken
regularly. For this reason, "licorice" candy is now made with aniseed
instead. The mechanism is by inhibiting an enzyme in the corticosteroid
system, causing the kidney to retain water and sodium, and excrete potassium.

Not only can licorice precipitate strokes and other hypertension related
effects, but the associated hypokalemia can cause heart arrythmias and
other EKG changes in otherwise healthy people, as well as muscle weakness,
increased thirst and increased urination.

There are many reports of "treatment-resistant" hypertension caused by
consumption of large quantities of old style licorice candy, licorice tea
or herbal remedies containing a lot of licorice root taken regularly.

But a "thin, watery drink" of this stuff would meet just about none of
the nutritional needs of anybody. Overall, this sounds like a Really
Bad Idea. What sources have led you to believe that a diet of this
would be good for you?

The original poster said:
I was thinking of making a thin watery drink with the following whole
ingredients [raw, natural, organic, un-processed, solid, all products
whole and not juiced] with my VitaMix blender:

The irrational belief that nature is benign and plants are there for human
benefit, while technology is evil, and its products are designed to make
money at the expense of the environment and human health has become so
widespread as to be the unconscious basis of thought and decision making
about health for many people. There's a *lot* of money to be made pandering
to this mindset, and key words like raw, natural, organic, unprocessed, whole,
etc. are a characteristic part. People are afraid of "drugs", but "herbs"
are "natural", untouched by evil "processing" and therefore intrinsically
good, provided by kindly Mother Nature to heal all our ills, unlike the
doctors and pharmaceutical companies that just want to profit from our
suffering.

I could go on for pages about the problems with these beliefs, but I won't.
They are part of a powerful trend toward magical thinking and rejection of
science and rational thought which has been building up for decades in the
US, and has profound effects on that country, its citizens and the world it
dominates.

At least the poster didn't include natural herbs like tobacco, potato leaves,
foxglove and oleander in his proposed brew, nor wish to add natural minerals
like lead, cadmium, mercury, antimony and arsenic.

schreef
to add natural minerals like lead, cadmium, mercury, antimony and arsenic.

* * *
Surely in the popular mind these minerals are firmly connected to either
chemistry or alchemy and are not "natural".
PvR

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 05:26:10 +0100, Christopher Green wrote:

3. Betal Leaf [Paan]

Chewing betel (paan, paan masala) is a significant cause of cancer in
Asian countries where this is a practice. Making a steady diet of any
significant amount of it would be unwise at best.

A few of the items in your list are not entirely safe, but only
dangerous in large quantity or long-term use. Betel (paan) is the most
dangerous, but not very. Some of these are definitely inappropriate for
pregnant women.


Betel (Paan) leaf is not particularly carcinogenic - it is the other
things those are added to make it a chewable item. Those include
quicklime, betel nuts (supari), various colouring agents, sugars & finally
tobacco leaf. This last one is probably the most carcinogenic as the
incidence of oral cancer is similar for chewing paan with one of the
tobacco preparations and the processed tobacco (jarda, docta, khaini,
gundi, etc) by itself.

--

Gautam Majumdar

Please send e-mails to

Gautam Majumdar wrote in message .uk...
On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 05:26:10 +0100, Christopher Green wrote:

3. Betal Leaf [Paan]

Chewing betel (paan, paan masala) is a significant cause of cancer in
Asian countries where this is a practice. Making a steady diet of any
significant amount of it would be unwise at best.

A few of the items in your list are not entirely safe, but only
dangerous in large quantity or long-term use. Betel (paan) is the most
dangerous, but not very. Some of these are definitely inappropriate for
pregnant women.


Betel (Paan) leaf is not particularly carcinogenic - it is the other
things those are added to make it a chewable item. Those include
quicklime, betel nuts (supari), various colouring agents, sugars & finally
tobacco leaf. This last one is probably the most carcinogenic as the
incidence of oral cancer is similar for chewing paan with one of the
tobacco preparations and the processed tobacco (jarda, docta, khaini,
gundi, etc) by itself.

You're right, betel preparations containing tobacco are far more
carcinogenic, but there is some substantiation of betel alone being
carcinogenic. The reports I've seen concentrate on the nuts rather
than the leaves.

--
Chris Green

wrote in message ...
The irrational belief that nature is benign and plants are there for human
benefit, while technology is evil, and its products are designed to make
money at the expense of the environment and human health has become so
widespread as to be the unconscious basis of thought and decision making
about health for many people. There's a *lot* of money to be made pandering
to this mindset, and key words like raw, natural, organic, unprocessed, whole,
etc. are a characteristic part. People are afraid of "drugs", but "herbs"
are "natural", untouched by evil "processing" and therefore intrinsically
good, provided by kindly Mother Nature to heal all our ills, unlike the
doctors and pharmaceutical companies that just want to profit from our
suffering.

No. I don't believe that tech is all bad or that nature is all good.
Technology actually makes things more preferable. Vitamix, for
example, is not natural at all.

It would be nice to genetically-engineer some bacteria to feed on our
stools in our colons. That way we would never need to defecate.

I could go on for pages about the problems with these beliefs, but I won't.
They are part of a powerful trend toward magical thinking and rejection of
science and rational thought which has been building up for decades in the
US, and has profound effects on that country, its citizens and the world it
dominates.

At least the poster didn't include natural herbs like tobacco, potato leaves,
foxglove and oleander in his proposed brew, nor wish to add natural minerals
like lead, cadmium, mercury, antimony and arsenic.

wrote in message ...

At least the poster didn't include natural herbs like tobacco, potato leaves,
foxglove and oleander in his proposed brew,

Because I was looking for odor-reducing, pleasant-scented, anti-septic herbs only.

nor wish to add natural minerals
like lead, cadmium, mercury, antimony and arsenic.

These are the same whether natural or synthetic.

In article ,
Curious wrote:

It would be nice to genetically-engineer some bacteria to feed on our
stools in our colons. That way we would never need to defecate.

Your stools are mainly composed of bacteria and dead intestinal lining
cells, especially if you eat a typical American diet that is low in
fibre and high in protein and refined grains. So they've already fed
on your stools and turned them into more bacteria.

Besides, defecation is good for you. Low fibre diets are strongly
associated with a range of ailments from the merely painful and
embarrassing like hemorrhoids and anal fissures to the life-threatening
like appendicitis and diverticulitis to colon cancer which is usually
fatal unless detected early.

wrote in message ...
In article ,
Curious wrote:

It would be nice to genetically-engineer some bacteria to feed on our
stools in our colons. That way we would never need to defecate.

Your stools are mainly composed of bacteria and dead intestinal lining
cells, especially if you eat a typical American diet that is low in
fibre and high in protein and refined grains. So they've already fed
on your stools and turned them into more bacteria.

Besides, defecation is good for you. Low fibre diets are strongly
associated with a range of ailments from the merely painful and
embarrassing like hemorrhoids and anal fissures to the life-threatening
like appendicitis and diverticulitis to colon cancer which is usually
fatal unless detected early.

What I was saying is that these genetically-engineered bacteria can
feed on the stools as they are made. This have the same cleaning
effect as defecating but w/out the need to defecate. IOW,
gene-modified bacteria do that work for you.

Natural bacteria feed on whatever is their. Bacteria could be
gene-modified into "eating" only specfic substances. For example,
there was a strain of gene-modified bacteria to feed on the petroleum
dumps of the sea. If gene-modified, the bacteria can be more
"task-oriented".

(Curious) wrote in message . com...
wrote in message ...
In article ,
Curious wrote:

It would be nice to genetically-engineer some bacteria to feed on our
stools in our colons. That way we would never need to defecate.

Your stools are mainly composed of bacteria and dead intestinal lining
cells, especially if you eat a typical American diet that is low in
fibre and high in protein and refined grains. So they've already fed
on your stools and turned them into more bacteria.

Besides, defecation is good for you. Low fibre diets are strongly
associated with a range of ailments from the merely painful and
embarrassing like hemorrhoids and anal fissures to the life-threatening
like appendicitis and diverticulitis to colon cancer which is usually
fatal unless detected early.

What I was saying is that these genetically-engineered bacteria can
feed on the stools as they are made. This have the same cleaning
effect as defecating but w/out the need to defecate. IOW,
gene-modified bacteria do that work for you.

Natural bacteria feed on whatever is their. Bacteria could be
gene-modified into "eating" only specfic substances. For example,
there was a strain of gene-modified bacteria to feed on the petroleum
dumps of the sea. If gene-modified, the bacteria can be more
"task-oriented".

You'd have to get rid of the bacterial waste and the waste bacteria
somehow. And you'd fart like crazy. All the time.

Mike.

This is sooo silly. If you are not happy with the way God made you, discuss it
with your pastor. Stop wasting our time.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

(Mike Lyle) wrote in message om...
(Curious) wrote in message . com...
wrote in message ...
In article ,
Curious wrote:

It would be nice to genetically-engineer some bacteria to feed on our
stools in our colons. That way we would never need to defecate.

Your stools are mainly composed of bacteria and dead intestinal lining
cells, especially if you eat a typical American diet that is low in
fibre and high in protein and refined grains. So they've already fed
on your stools and turned them into more bacteria.

Besides, defecation is good for you. Low fibre diets are strongly
associated with a range of ailments from the merely painful and
embarrassing like hemorrhoids and anal fissures to the life-threatening
like appendicitis and diverticulitis to colon cancer which is usually
fatal unless detected early.

What I was saying is that these genetically-engineered bacteria can
feed on the stools as they are made. This have the same cleaning
effect as defecating but w/out the need to defecate. IOW,
gene-modified bacteria do that work for you.

Natural bacteria feed on whatever is their. Bacteria could be
gene-modified into "eating" only specfic substances. For example,
there was a strain of gene-modified bacteria to feed on the petroleum
dumps of the sea. If gene-modified, the bacteria can be more
"task-oriented".

You'd have to get rid of the bacterial waste and the waste bacteria
somehow. And you'd fart like crazy. All the time.

Genetically-engineered bacteria can specifically feed on the waste
products and their odors and convert them to substances the human body
can use. Same with the urinary system. Bacteria can be
genetically-modified so that they feed on urea and other
urine-specific constituents so that one does not need to urinate and
so the waste is converted to useful substacnes the subject can use.
Why not also modify the microbes so that they can feed use necessary
nutrients from plants? That way we won't need to eat.

Mike.

(Curious) wrote in
m:

(Mike Lyle) wrote in message
om...
(Curious) wrote in message
Natural bacteria feed on whatever is their. Bacteria could be
gene-modified into "eating" only specfic substances. For
example, there was a strain of gene-modified bacteria to feed
on the petroleum dumps of the sea. If gene-modified, the
bacteria can be more "task-oriented".

You'd have to get rid of the bacterial waste and the waste
bacteria somehow. And you'd fart like crazy. All the time.

Genetically-engineered bacteria can specifically feed on the waste
products and their odors and convert them to substances the human
body can use. Same with the urinary system. Bacteria can be
genetically-modified so that they feed on urea and other
urine-specific constituents so that one does not need to urinate
and so the waste is converted to useful substacnes the subject can
use. Why not also modify the microbes so that they can feed use
necessary nutrients from plants? That way we won't need to eat.


There is a limit on some of that. Urine is also very important in
maintaining electrolyte balances. Perhaps you could get a bacteria
to turn the urea back into amino acids that your body can use, but
you will still need to do something about the excess of sodium, or
even other salts that your body may want to get rid of. This is not
counting excess water. As far as converting feces and odors into
substances that the body can use, that would require lots of energy.
There is already a system where this occurs, namely the rest of the
environment.

Sean

Sean Houtman wrote in message news:1095192952.JmN+ogXFOrnjnH4ClqAdGw@teranews. ..
(Curious) wrote in
m:

(Mike Lyle) wrote in message
om...
(Curious) wrote in message
Natural bacteria feed on whatever is their. Bacteria could be
gene-modified into "eating" only specfic substances. For
example, there was a strain of gene-modified bacteria to feed
on the petroleum dumps of the sea. If gene-modified, the
bacteria can be more "task-oriented".

You'd have to get rid of the bacterial waste and the waste
bacteria somehow. And you'd fart like crazy. All the time.

Genetically-engineered bacteria can specifically feed on the waste
products and their odors and convert them to substances the human
body can use. Same with the urinary system. Bacteria can be
genetically-modified so that they feed on urea and other
urine-specific constituents so that one does not need to urinate
and so the waste is converted to useful substacnes the subject can
use. Why not also modify the microbes so that they can feed use
necessary nutrients from plants? That way we won't need to eat.

[...]
As far as converting feces and odors into
substances that the body can use, that would require lots of energy.
There is already a system where this occurs, namely the rest of the
environment.

Of course. But I'm enjoying this trip to lunar park. And the idea of
not needing to eat? Spike Milligan territory, and it could be made
into a very funny story. But away from surrealist humo[u]r, you can't
get out more than you put in; and I can't quite visualize the GM
bacteria which would recycle your body-heat and exhaled CO2 for you,
not to mention trifles like shed hair, skin, and nail-clippings. Is it
time to get onto sex yet...?

Mike.