DANGEROUS OLD CURES 12-19-17

DANGEROUS OLD CURES 12-19-17

Old Fashioned GUNPOWDER (black powder) is a compound of three substances, Charcoal, Sulfur, and Saltpeter (potassium Nitrate). GUNPOWDER was also consumed internally as a medicinal, and used to cauterize wounds.

It was one of those OLD Non-Herbal Remedies and you may find it in old books. MODERN SMOKELESS GUNPOWDER is not a medicinal and should not be used as a remedy.

Nitroglycerin is an ingredient in dynamite.. but you may have heard or seen in old movies people taking Nitroglycerin for their heart. It has been replaced by safer and more reliable heart medicines.

TOXIC and very poisonous substances were common in many OTC health items. Mercurochrome applied to childhood cuts and scrapes contained Mercury as an active ingredient, so did Merthiolate (thiomersol). Childrens medicines contained Codeine and Alcohol.

Herbalists regularly formulated remedies using Foxglove, the Nightshade family of herbs, Henbane, Hemlock, Peyote, certain Mushrooms, and Mistletoe. We generally no longer use toxic herbs in Western Herbalism, because the therapeutic window is quite small. Therapeutic window means the range between the minimum dosage and an overdose is too slim to be safe. Toxic substances are still used to make Homeopathic remedies, which are rendered safe through serial dilutions.

Curare is a toxic and paralyzing substance used in blow-gun darts in the Amazon. It is now used as an ingredient in some Anesthesias.

TOXIC PLANTS now falls under a separate study called TOXICOLOGY.

GENERALLY, IN MY GROUPS, WE WILL NOT UTILIZE TOXIC HERBS IN THE PREPARATION OF REMEDIES., because the range between the necessary dosage and an overdose is too slim to be safe, making a risk of death a real consideration.