From: Michael Lorrey (retroman@together.net)
Date: Mon Jun 08 1998 - 16:52:44 MDT
James Rogers wrote:
> At 07:11 PM 6/4/98 -0400, Michael Lorrey wrote:
> >
> >This is the real issue. I wonder when red rice yeast will become a controlled
> >substance. Of course, they haven't made tree bark illegal to chew on, even
> >though it contains aspirin....
> >
>
> Minor snit, but tree bark does not contain aspirin; it contains salicylic
> acid. Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which decomposes into salicylic
> acid in the presence of water. While salicylic acid *is* the active
> ingredient, it can cause chemical burns to the esophagus and mouth when
> concentrated to any degree. The acetyl- group replaces the hydroxyl group
> just long enough to get it into your stomach with damaging the tissue along
> the way. Aspirin is basically a technological improvement on a very old
> analgesic.
Thats kinda the point. Merk acknowledges that red rice yeast extract contains a
chemical which is similar enough to their drug to have similar effect, but that it
is in fact, not the same chemical. I wonder when the FDA is gonna declare ginger
to be a controlled substance....or hot mustard or pepperocini.......or any of the
other hundreds of food items which are available to anyone which happen to contain
small levels of chemicals which have similar effects as some patented drugs....
-- TANSTAAFL!!! Michael Lorrey ------------------------------------------------------------ mailto:retroman@together.net Inventor of the Lorrey Drive MikeySoft: Graphic Design/Animation/Publishing/Engineering ------------------------------------------------------------ How many fnords did you see before breakfast today?
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