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OK, so today I learned the following:
1. Teasle is in no way related to thistles.
2. Burdoc is a member of the thistle family, and is related to artichoke.
3. Dandelion & Burdoc is actually flavoured with either Sassafras or
Wintergreen.
4. Sassafras contains a compound known as Safrole.
5. Safrole is what makes castor oil brown. It's a natural pesticide, and
it's also a human carcinogen. (!)
6. Wintergreen oil contains methyl salicylate. It's a rubefacient. (It
makes your skin red by flushing it with blood.)
7. Another rubefacient is Capsaicin.
8. Capsaicin is what makes peppers hot. It's - guess what - a mammalian
herbevore deterrant. (The fruits are for comsumption by birds, on whom
the chemical is just a mild analgesic.)
9. Capsaicin is the active ingrediant in pepper spray.
10. I probably spend too much time on Wikipedia.
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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