In a message dated 2/19/03 11:02:33 PM Central Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< A number of people have told me they are interested in thymol because it is
 a natural product. Commercial thymol, so far as I know, is a synthetic
 chemical. It is fairly dangerous and not to be handled carelessly.
  >>

This is the same mentality that crops up from time to time with those that do
not understand ALL things are composed of "chemicals" .  As a chemist I get
this frequently.  The "all natural" , chemical free, statement(s) drive me
batty.  Aspirin (2-(acetyloxy) benzoic acid) was a natural product. Obviously
with the number of people that have used it over the past 120 or so years, it
is now synthetic--the trees from which it comes would be extinct otherwise!!
 This was the main point over the taxol issue several years ago.  Anything
you put in a hive that would not normally be put in there by the bees (and
for that matter a lot of things that are normally found in there but at very
low levels) has the potential to be toxic or dangerous.  An old professor of
mine reminded all of us that drugs are poisons, the key to their use is to
look at the benefits vs the consequences.  The same holds true for the use of
pesticides.

BTW the LD50 for Thymol (5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl) phenol) is 1.8g/Kg. The
LD50 for Asprin is 1.75 g/ Kg.

Something to consider.


Tim Morris
South Central Tennessee

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