Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 15 · column 2 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
Use of herbal cathartics and purgatives are risky since it is difficult to measure dosages or predict results. Common cathartics such as aloe, buckthorn berries, and senna; and purgatives such as ipomea and jalap should be avoided. Large quantities of parsley seed, juniper, American and European pennyroyal, tansy, and rue should be avoided as they may cause miscarriages.
Some Herbs Contain
Potential Toxins
The oils derived form them should also be shunned. Pennyroyal and peppermint oils contain other volatile oils that can be toxic, to the liver and lungs. Therjone, derived from wormwood, is highly neurotoxic.
These arejonly a few of the potentially hazardous herbs commonly used for self-medication. Inclusion here does not mean that single or even repeated doses of the products are going to result in irreparable harm to the user, but is does mean these herbs contain constituents identified to be toxic. The prudent consumer would do well to avoid them.
(Dr. Diane Relf is a horticulture specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension and is a member of the faculty of Virginia Tech.)
92.6%