"sarah" > wrote in message
...
> Doctor J. Frink > wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 19 Dec 2005 09:35:53 +0000, sarah > wrote:
>> >
>> >Speaking (as it were) of parsnips, does anyone else find that one or two
>> >of them seem to leave the mouth/tongue/lips slightly numb? I know it's
>> >in the same family as some rather nasty plants; I just wondered if some
>> >roots contain a higher concentration of something. Or perhaps it's my
>> >first food allergy!
>>
>> I can't say I've experienced any numbness but parsnips do contain toxins
>> (as lots of veg does), which can cause skin irritation when exposed to
>> sunlight and possibly upset stomach.
>>
>> They tend to be in the damaged areas so if you peel the parsnip well and
>> thoroughly cut out any bruises (if you don't already) it might help.
>
> I certainly peel them, but haven't paid close attention to cutting out
> all the damaged bits. I know about the skin irritation bit; they (and
> many other members of the family) contain a chemical that blocks the
> skin's ability to protect itself from the sun. Depending on the
> sensitivity of your skin you may not see any reaction from quite
> prolonged contact on solidly overcast days, but sunlight leads to a
> remarkable burn -- I tested some wild parsnip on my (inner) arm and it
> raised blisters 12 hours later. I pity the youngsters who used to use
> the stems as peashooters!
>
Is that a feature of all the Umbellifera?
Graham