Stuart Altmann on tue 29 jun 99
As well as being a potter,I study nutrition in primates (my new book,
"Foraging for Survival," is available from Amazon), so permit me to make a
few remarks about cobalamin = vitamin B12, the cobalt-based vitamin, and
cobalt in glazes.
First and foremost, no cobalt that leaches from a pot and that we ingest
will do anything to alleviate a B12 deficiency, nor do we have any other
cobalt requirment. Vitamin B12 is a group of related compounds:
hydroxy-cobalamin, cyano-cobalamin, etc., all of which are very large,
complex, organic molecules. It is in this organic form, and only in this
form, that cobalt is required in the diet.
B12 is not found in any plant. It is produced by various micro-organisms
(i.e., bacteria, molds). It is an oil-soluble vitamin, and so is stored in
the liver of animals. Several year's supply, which can be obtained from a
single meal, can be stored. The requirement for humans, while not known
precisely, is minute, less than a microgram per day. (The RDA for B12 has
been set at 2 micrograms/day, to allow a large margin of safety.)
Dietary deficiency of vitamin B12 is uncommon and is characterized
primarily by anemia. Dietary deficiency may take 20 or 30 years to develop
in healthy adults who follow a strictly vegetarian (vegan) diet. In some
vegetarians, the deficiency never develops, perhaps because the vitamin is
obtained from bacteria, insects, insect eggs, or molds in fruits and
vegetables, from eggs, cheese, ice cream, or other dairy products, or from
occasional meat consumption by semi-vegetarians.
Stuart Altmann
email: salt@princeton.edu office 'phone: 609/258-4520
Martin Howard on wed 30 jun 99
B12 is not found in any plant, says Stuart Altmann.
Sorry, friend, but you are wrong. It is within Comfrey. Many vegans and
vegetarians drink Comfrey tea for that reason. The Henry Doubleday
Research Association, for which I was the Town Planner, can provide the
proof.
If it is in one group of plants, perhaps it is also in others which have
not yet been tested.
Martin Howard
Jane Mulrooney on thu 1 jul 99
If you are looking for Comfrey, which used to be available in your local
health food store, because of liver damage when large amounts are ingested,
it is no longer legal to sell. It's easy to grow, though invasive, and is a
perennial (comes up every year). Find a friend with a plant to divide.
Also great as a skin care ingredient. Promotes healing.
-----Original Message-----
From: Martin Howard
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 10:03 AM
Subject: Re: cobalamin and blue pots
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>B12 is not found in any plant, says Stuart Altmann.
>
>Sorry, friend, but you are wrong. It is within Comfrey. Many vegans and
>vegetarians drink Comfrey tea for that reason. The Henry Doubleday
>Research Association, for which I was the Town Planner, can provide the
>proof.
>
>If it is in one group of plants, perhaps it is also in others which have
>not yet been tested.
>
>Martin Howard
>
Martin Howard on sun 4 jul 99
It is true that there was a scare against the use of Comfrey, fuelled by
the financial considerations of the chemical and pharmaceutical
industry. The HDRA then withdrew Comfrey from medications designed for
internal use. However one can always buy Comfrey ointment, which is very
useful for any skin or muscle problems. It should always be in the
potters First Aid cupboard.
If you want Comfrey plants, the roots can be obtained from HDRA, Ryton
Gardens, Coventry CV8 3LG, England. There is probably a source within
the organic movement in the USA.
At one time I had 22 species of Comfrey in our garden. The HDRA was
moving from 2 acres at Bocking, Braintree, to the 22 acres it now has
near Coventry. We were looking after these plants as an insurance, IF
the plants taken to Coventry for some reason failed to survive.
However, it is true that once you have Comfrey in the garden, you do not
lose it. So far, the only way known of killing it is to pasture pigs on
the land. They root deeply for every little bit and does them no harm at
all.
Martin Howard
Webbs Cottage Pottery and Press
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE
Essex CM7 5DZ
01371 850 423
araneajo@gn.apc.org
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