Well, the reason might be "liver failure" or "death," I'll accept that
February 28, 2010 3:47 PM Subscribe
Is there any reason not to order and grow my own heath pea plant, for my own use? Have you ever used it?
On an episode of Terry Jones' Medieval Lives, I heard that the wild heath pea was used as an effective appetite suppressant in the past. In this episode (at about 14:00) he speaks to an archaeologist who claims to have taken heath peas himself, and been without appetite for five days.
The immediate question is: why don't they make this plant into a diet pill? The answer to most questions beginning "why don't they" is, I have been told, "money." Either it's not efficient to make the chemical into a supplement, it's not possible, or the expensive pharmaceutical process hasn't been completed yet. I have been checking out the interwebs and the links all talk about "interest" and "research" in the past few years, but no apparent results. I understand this is pretty common.
So. As an American (living in planting Zone 6a according to the USDA), would it be possible to grow this plant in a pot and consume its tubers? I understand that it is partly toxic, but I for one would be willing to learn carefully how to use it. (Even if it were possible, I wouldn't be interested if it were illegal. I'm not sure what the USDA has to say about ordering random UK tubers.)
On an episode of Terry Jones' Medieval Lives, I heard that the wild heath pea was used as an effective appetite suppressant in the past. In this episode (at about 14:00) he speaks to an archaeologist who claims to have taken heath peas himself, and been without appetite for five days.
The immediate question is: why don't they make this plant into a diet pill? The answer to most questions beginning "why don't they" is, I have been told, "money." Either it's not efficient to make the chemical into a supplement, it's not possible, or the expensive pharmaceutical process hasn't been completed yet. I have been checking out the interwebs and the links all talk about "interest" and "research" in the past few years, but no apparent results. I understand this is pretty common.
So. As an American (living in planting Zone 6a according to the USDA), would it be possible to grow this plant in a pot and consume its tubers? I understand that it is partly toxic, but I for one would be willing to learn carefully how to use it. (Even if it were possible, I wouldn't be interested if it were illegal. I'm not sure what the USDA has to say about ordering random UK tubers.)
The most likely explanation is not money but HEALTH!
There are lots of small companies who would readily sell heath pea extracts. Especially when it can be marketed as some kind of food additive instead of a medicine.
There are many people who think (and I am not accusing you of that fallacy, mind) that chemicals are bad and plants are nice. But plants produce the very same chemicals that are effective in lots of medicines where aspirin (acetylated salicylic acid (wilow bark?)) is on the harmless side of things and digitalis from foxgloves on the way more serious side of things.
So don't go munching random stuff please.
Now judging by this website and several others it seems to be harmless enough. I found this name for it: Vicia ervilia which might be the same plant or an error in translation and it's supposedly culativated in Germany as fodder. I got the name by looking at this site were it is said that the heath pea is also known as the bitter vetch and then googling that. So I am now waiting for products since I really could make use of it :-)
And here's another link form the daily mail which i have heard is not among Britain's finest newspapers. (Why didn't you google heath pea?)
posted by mmkhd at 5:28 PM on February 28, 2010
There are lots of small companies who would readily sell heath pea extracts. Especially when it can be marketed as some kind of food additive instead of a medicine.
There are many people who think (and I am not accusing you of that fallacy, mind) that chemicals are bad and plants are nice. But plants produce the very same chemicals that are effective in lots of medicines where aspirin (acetylated salicylic acid (wilow bark?)) is on the harmless side of things and digitalis from foxgloves on the way more serious side of things.
So don't go munching random stuff please.
Now judging by this website and several others it seems to be harmless enough. I found this name for it: Vicia ervilia which might be the same plant or an error in translation and it's supposedly culativated in Germany as fodder. I got the name by looking at this site were it is said that the heath pea is also known as the bitter vetch and then googling that. So I am now waiting for products since I really could make use of it :-)
And here's another link form the daily mail which i have heard is not among Britain's finest newspapers. (Why didn't you google heath pea?)
posted by mmkhd at 5:28 PM on February 28, 2010
Argh. The daily mail says heath pea is Lathyrus linifolius, so much for the bitter vetch angle. Common names seem to be ,well, common among several plants.Why didn't I read before I posted?
posted by mmkhd at 5:31 PM on February 28, 2010
posted by mmkhd at 5:31 PM on February 28, 2010
Did you see this article? At least a few years ago someone was experimenting with it commercially. Related. The fact that he was enlisting people to wild-harvest them makes me wonder if domestic cultivation is a problem. His goal of safety investigation confirms what else I've read, that its chemistry is basically not known.
I personally would not ingest something that had unknown chemistry and no substantial current user base. And I've ingested some weird plants in my day. You could probably do worse than to check if the contact info at that second link is still live and ask him about where his investigation is at.
posted by nanojath at 6:44 PM on February 28, 2010
I personally would not ingest something that had unknown chemistry and no substantial current user base. And I've ingested some weird plants in my day. You could probably do worse than to check if the contact info at that second link is still live and ask him about where his investigation is at.
posted by nanojath at 6:44 PM on February 28, 2010
Oops, I see I doubled up on mmkhd's post as far as the .uk website goes.
posted by nanojath at 6:45 PM on February 28, 2010
posted by nanojath at 6:45 PM on February 28, 2010
In-so-far as it being possible, I am unaware. In-so-far as it's effectiveness... You want it for weight loss, right? So, you take the pea, and you're not hungry for 5 days.
That could leave to a starvation situation where your body reduces muscle mass to compensate for lack of food. Which could making keeping the weight off difficult.
If you're planning to use this for the purpose of weight loss, please make sure you still eat. Otherwise, you might not be able to keep your gains... And then you'd be stuck with weird, mildly toxic peas and a rapidly expanding bum.
And that's definately not good eats. (Whoo, nutritional anthropology, 'Good Eats'... I'm just like Alton!)
posted by Quadlex at 8:47 PM on February 28, 2010
That could leave to a starvation situation where your body reduces muscle mass to compensate for lack of food. Which could making keeping the weight off difficult.
If you're planning to use this for the purpose of weight loss, please make sure you still eat. Otherwise, you might not be able to keep your gains... And then you'd be stuck with weird, mildly toxic peas and a rapidly expanding bum.
And that's definately not good eats. (Whoo, nutritional anthropology, 'Good Eats'... I'm just like Alton!)
posted by Quadlex at 8:47 PM on February 28, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
One of the hosts is a medical anthropologist, and this kind of question is right up her alley.
posted by amtho at 5:09 PM on February 28, 2010