>>dosage (leaf, pill, whatever) has NOTHING to do with the biochemistry
>>of the chemical agent that causes the desired effect.
 
>I ADD: I think it does if done right.  If you do not eliminate the other
>medicinal constituents of the plant (there are lesser ones), is becomes
>a viable remedy and able to help.  If the dosage has nothing to do with
>it...how can an herbal remedy be as effective as it is today.
 
It is clear you do NOT understand the statement, and you seem to be
confusing a prepared compound (or a single chemical agent), and a DOSE.
A dose is defined as "a measured quantity of medication, for example,
drugs or radiotherapy [or herbals], administered at any one time or at
stated intervals."  Your objection never addresses the issue of dosage.
 
Your compound may have 20 chemical agents, but it doesn't make my
statement false.  EACH specific chemical agent within your compound is a
unique molecule; change it, or reverse a single molecular bond, and you
have a different agent.  As I said, the DOSAGE of each chemical agent
(leaf, pill, whatever) has NOTHING to do with the biochemistry of the
chemical agent that causes the desired effect.  Let me make it simple.
Compare a single glucose molecule to glass of glucose.  Does the DOSE
of glucose (large v. small) effect how glucose works in the body?  Of
course not!  There is obviously more of one compared to the other, and
the effects on the body will be different (definable along a predictable
continuum), but neither has anything to do with the biochemistry of
glucose within the body.  Yes, the dose of a particular chemical agent
has a direct bearing on the ultimate effect it has in the body, but NO
real bearing on how it works (the physiological biochemistry).
 
And, since you brought it up, where are the statistics that PROVE herbal
"remedies" are "as effective as [they are] today"?  You said it, so PROVE
it!  Be VERY careful answering this one, because for every anecdotal
story you relate, I can relate an independently verified, statistically
true, reproducible counter argument.  For example, placebos can be VERY
effective, yet distilled water and sugar probably has little curative
power.
 
I also want to say your argument is straying from the original point,
that using herbals shown safe (or with no real effect) for humans SHOULD
NOT be used in ferrets without prior testing to determine a safe dosage,
side effects, and other concerns.  Simply implying herbals are safe in
humans so they should be safe in ferrets ignores established scientific
facts.  If you don't believe it, then feed your ferret an Advil or
Tylanol!  There are scores of compounds shown effective and safe in
many species that are deadly or dangerous to carnivores in general, and
ferrets in particular.  As I said before, trying out untested herbal
medicines (oops, I mean remedies) on ferrets is nothing more than
unsanctioned animal testing, and can possibly border on animal abuse.
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 3932]