http://radio.weblogs.com/0111188/categories/random/ Everything that doesn't fit neatly into a category. Like most of life. en Copyright 2002 BioBlondeBabe Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:34:35 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss092 http://radio.weblogs.com/0111188/categories/random/2002/08/15.html#a6 <P>I'm back...didja miss me?&nbsp; Probably not but I'll forgive you this once.&nbsp; Just saw a pretty interesting <A href="http://www.healthscout.com/healthcentral.asp?page=newsdetail&amp;ap=408&amp;id=508370">article on caffeine</A> - every programmer's friend.&nbsp; It says that caffeine increases blood pressure, heart rate, adrenaline,&nbsp;and stress.&nbsp; Now you know why the amped geek in the cube next to you is so stressed out.</P> <P>Unfortunately, the cure is worse than the disease.&nbsp; Quit drinking caffeine.&nbsp; Yeah, right.&nbsp; Everyone's gotta have one vice, and caffeine is mine.</P> http://radio.weblogs.com/0111188/categories/random/2002/07/29.html#a3 <P>I was doing a bit of reading today on thujone, and ran across this <A href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&amp;db=PubMed&amp;list_uids=9297113&amp;dopt=Abstract">article</A>.&nbsp; If you don't have a NEJM subscription, here's <A href="http://www.gumbopages.com/nejm.html">another link</A> with some of the article quoted.&nbsp; Apparantly some fellow confused wormwood essential oil with absinthe!&nbsp; He drank about 10 ml of wormwood essential oil, and landed in the hospital for days with thujone poisoning.</P> <P>Real absinthe is a pale green&nbsp;liquer flavored with anise, wormwood, fennel, lemon balm, and various other herbs.&nbsp; In the late 1800s it was all the rage, and&nbsp;notable figures like Oscar Wilde, Van Gogh, Tolouse-Lautrec and Picasso&nbsp;consumed it.&nbsp; Apparantly it had some interesting hallucinogenic and consciousness-altering effects beyond those of strong alchol, which added to its popularity.&nbsp; Unfortunately long-term consumption of absinthe causes seizures and brain damage.&nbsp;&nbsp;The dangerous ingredient was identified to be alpha-thujone from the wormwood, and absinthe was banned in most of Europe and the US.</P> <P>So, the idjut in the aforementioned article was trying to reproduce a banned drink.&nbsp;&nbsp;And, surprise...surprise, he bought the wormwood oil over the internet.&nbsp; Where else can you buy toxins with no questions asked?&nbsp; The guy who drank the oil is&nbsp;simply a failed example of evolution in action, but the seller has no excuse.&nbsp; Sellers like this give aromatherapy a bad name.&nbsp; I have a friend who sells <A href="http://www.scentgarden.com">essential oils</A> over the internet and she was disgusted by the whole affair because she's so careful to warm people if oils are unsafe for certain uses.&nbsp; </P> <P>Buyer beware.&nbsp; If there aren't any warnings anywhere on an aromatherapy website, the person selling the oils probably doesn't have a clue and neither does the potential buyer.</P>