To Linda Pohl and lactnetters, Like Linda, I am "leery" of herbal substances, including teas. Just because they are "natural" doesn't mean they are weak and harmless - some are, some aren't. (After all, oleander is "natural", but every part is highly toxic!) We need to remember that a few teas are hepatotoxic (can damage or destroy the liver), e.g. comfrey and coltsfoot. Some are diuretic. However, even teas we suppose to be safe, because they appear to be pharmacologically safe, may not have the quality control which is in place for regular pharmaceuticals, and *contamination* is an issue. It is no use being pharmaceutically okay if the product has too many bugs. Low-growing herbs used in teas and "natural" medicines may be contaminated with foreign matter (other plant material, animal faeces) or spores (which may indeed be *activated* into multiplying by the addition of boiling water - which is exactly what we do with teas). Some of the teas with this sort of contamination in state government microbiological reports I read recently include peppermint (surprise!) and nettle. Pawpaw ointment samples tested at the same time also had microbiological contamination. One would hope that more recent batches are cleaner .... The thing is, batches vary and who is to know about the batch your client is buying? Some countries or states have more stringent quality control than others; I believe Germany has stringent controls to give reliable products. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com