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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