bmcjmp@burdvax.UUCP (Barb Puder) (11/21/83)
What "teratogens" are present in herbal teas? I dislike when somebody says that I should avoid something without giving any specific information about the substances they are talking about. Does concentration matter? How much of whatever it is produces what kind of effects? Has there been any in-depth study, or is this only speculation? Please don't tell people not to do something without some kind reliable source-work to back it up. While it is good to be concerned with what we put into our bodies, I can't help feeling that people are becoming too paranoid in this regard. Sometimes, in spite of all the caution we take, things really screw up anyway. Other times, people will do things that are supposedly unhealthy, yet suffer no ill consequences. For example, my mother is a heavy smoker and coffee and tea drinker, yet she managed to produce eight normal, healthy children. I think that the real key is knowing the limits of our own bodies, and not abusing these limits. A good deal of what constitutes toxicity is dosage. For some things, that dosage is minute, for others, enormous. Our bodies are 75-90% water, yet a sufficient quantity of even the cleanest water can be fatal. Teratogens? For some people, their genetic heritage is teratogenic. Oh well, I guess I'm just a hard-nosed middle-of-the-roader. Barb Puder, burdvax!bmcjmp