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#1
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Plant ID please
On 08/09/2020 11:13, Nick Maclaren wrote:
It's always worth being a little cautious, because wild forms of most food plants have rather higher toxin levels than cultivated forms. What evidence do you have that wild forms have higher levels of toxins than cultivated forms? Does wild rhubarb have more oxalic acid than cultivated forms? How are you defining "toxins"? However, we need some toxins in our diet, which is why we use spices in our food! Now I really don't understand that. What "toxins" do we /need/ in our diet? Maybe it's best to use the word "poisons" instead of "toxins" (most definitions of toxin seem to end up eventually as being synonymous with "poison"). So what level of "poison" would you deem acceptable? Something like vitamin A, perhaps, which becomes poisonous in large quantities? Any what has that do do with spices? I thought they were there to add to the taste of bland food, or take away the taste of unpleasant food - perhaps, for example, to mask the taste of meat which has "gone off" a bit. Surely, though, we don't actively seek out that sort of food to have in our diet? But, if such a plant tastes bitter or acrid, reject it and don't eat large quantities or every day. The same applies to a great many cultivated plants, incidentally. I have never liked a bitter taste in food or drink, even beer, even though I used to drink lager, and also occasionally stout. I'm afraid I have no time for these "designer" leaves which taste slightly bitter. Give me a Romaine or Iceberg lettuce any day - you can keep your frisee! It often seems to me that, like those who think the hotter chillies are the better, even though you can't taste anything else in the dish, there is a movement to make bitter things even more bitter. I once made the mistake of trying Brew Dog's "Nanny State" when I was looking for a low/non-alcoholic drink. To me, it was undrinkable. Mind you, there's no accounting for taste. I tried Åžalgam in a restaurant here last year - I understand it is very popular in Turkey. Heaven knows why! -- Jeff |
#2
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Plant ID please
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote: It's always worth being a little cautious, because wild forms of most food plants have rather higher toxin levels than cultivated forms. What evidence do you have that wild forms have higher levels of toxins than cultivated forms? Does wild rhubarb have more oxalic acid than cultivated forms? How are you defining "toxins"? Er, do you REALLY not know how many cultivated plants have been bred to have low levels of plant toxins? Yes, that includes rhubarb. And I am using toxin in its normal sense. However, we need some toxins in our diet, which is why we use spices in our food! Now I really don't understand that. What "toxins" do we /need/ in our diet? No, nor do I, and I believe nor does anyone else. But research has found that low levels of toxins, as found in spices, are necessary for our digestive systems to work properly. No, using poisons instead of toxins is not an improvement. Something like vitamin A, perhaps, which becomes poisonous in large quantities? Any what has that do do with spices? No, I am referring to things with no known metabolic function, and which are not nutritious. Spices 'work' by containing small amounts of various toxins - look it up. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#3
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Plant ID please
On 08/09/2020 17:02, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , Jeff Layman wrote: It's always worth being a little cautious, because wild forms of most food plants have rather higher toxin levels than cultivated forms. What evidence do you have that wild forms have higher levels of toxins than cultivated forms? Does wild rhubarb have more oxalic acid than cultivated forms? How are you defining "toxins"? Er, do you REALLY not know how many cultivated plants have been bred to have low levels of plant toxins? Yes, that includes rhubarb. And I am using toxin in its normal sense. No. It's not something I ever came across. I had a look at available sources and must say the Wikipedia article on "Plant Breeding" is particularly unhelpful. The only comment it makes wasn't particularly inspiring: "for example the poison solanine was unintentionally increased to unacceptable levels in certain varieties of potato through plant breeding. New potato varieties are often screened for solanine levels before reaching the marketplace." There was one interesting paper at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224419310817 which definitely supported your comment. However, it seems that most research has been done on things like grass pea and lupins for use as crops in tropical climates, although rape oil has benefited from removal of erucic acid. However, we need some toxins in our diet, which is why we use spices in our food! Now I really don't understand that. What "toxins" do we /need/ in our diet? No, nor do I, and I believe nor does anyone else. But research has found that low levels of toxins, as found in spices, are necessary for our digestive systems to work properly. I couldn't find any good papers to support that. Lots of "parascientific" reports, and quite a bit of Ayurvedic medicine, but nothing which would grace "Nature". Maybe I wasn't looking in the right place. No, using poisons instead of toxins is not an improvement. Something like vitamin A, perhaps, which becomes poisonous in large quantities? Any what has that do do with spices? No, I am referring to things with no known metabolic function, and which are not nutritious. Spices 'work' by containing small amounts of various toxins - look it up. See above. -- Jeff |
#4
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Plant ID please
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote: It's always worth being a little cautious, because wild forms of most food plants have rather higher toxin levels than cultivated forms. What evidence do you have that wild forms have higher levels of toxins than cultivated forms? Does wild rhubarb have more oxalic acid than cultivated forms? How are you defining "toxins"? Er, do you REALLY not know how many cultivated plants have been bred to have low levels of plant toxins? Yes, that includes rhubarb. And I am using toxin in its normal sense. No. It's not something I ever came across. I had a look at available sources and must say the Wikipedia article on "Plant Breeding" is particularly unhelpful. The only comment it makes wasn't particularly inspiring: "for example the poison solanine was unintentionally increased to unacceptable levels in certain varieties of potato through plant breeding. New potato varieties are often screened for solanine levels before reaching the marketplace." In addition to the ones you found, I can think of the following offhand, and know there are many mo cassava, almond, acorns (seriously) and spinach (in my lifetime!). I couldn't find any good papers to support that. Lots of "parascientific" reports, and quite a bit of Ayurvedic medicine, but nothing which would grace "Nature". Maybe I wasn't looking in the right place. Nature is pretty crappy in many areas. I can't remember where I saw it. But you can look up the fact that almost all spices contain toxins very easily. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
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