Metabolic Safety
From the keyboard of the Mad Scientist
Back in the Dark Ages, when I was a university student learning organic chemistry, I would do the nerd thing and read beyond the assigned parts of the text. At the end of the chapter on aromatic compounds was a snippet on chronic illnesses among London’s chimney sweeps who were exposed to the coal tar that coated the sides of the chimneys.
So what does coal tar have to do with herbs, you may ask? Well, it’s like this. The constituents of coal tar aren’t really found in nature, at least not as part of the things we eat, drink, wear, or work or play in. It’s not normal to rub up against wood ash daily, let alone coal tar.
The curious thing about coal tar, too, is that the nasties in it are not directly awful for the body. But the body recognises them correctly as ugly, greasy molecules, and tries to turn them into something it can dispose of. This process, unfortunately, produces highly reactive, extremely DNA-damaging chemicals.
This sort of chemical reaction in the body is a risk whenever dealing with a synthetic chemical: that even if it’s not harmful directly, the body will convert it into something that is harmful, difficult to dispose of, or both. While the same thing can happen with chemicals that are naturally produced (by a plant or animal), it’s a lot less common because our bodies are used to dealing with molecules that are made by other living organisms.
Of course, life forms can make actual poisons, and many do! Not everything that occurs in nature is safe. But most chemicals produced by living things that aren’t toxic almost immediately (within a few days) can be dealt with and safely cleared by the body.
So, when we make our herbal remedies and body care products, almost every substance we use, we check for, “Is this found in nature somewhere?” as well as known toxicity and tested safe exposure guidelines like IFRA.
With that said, many compounds found in medicinal herbs or essential oils must be used in safe doses, and some have withdrawal effects if the dose is suddenly changed. If you’re considering using traditional herbal remedies (Western or Eastern) or similar plant products for health or in the home, we encourage you to consult an experienced herbal practitioner!