Talk:Schinus terebinthifolia

Use as a spice

Can the seeds really be used as a spice? I'd be afraid to. I'd like to see the source of that information because it seems very dangerous. They're bright red (which any naturalist would tell you is a sign of something poisonous)

The sap is extremely reactive to children. It causes horriable rashes. I grew up in Florida. Myself and friends of mine would always break out in a rash if we climbed in a "Holly Tree". I do not have any allegies but the sap of the Florida holly tree caused a rash. I haven't tried in adulthood to see if I still have the reaction.

They're widely used in pepper mixtures (pre-mixed whole dried black, white, green, and pink peppercorns, used in pepper mills). Badagnani (talk) 23:54, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

See the discussion below under the heading "toxicity". It's a little unclear right now, but it does seem that there was at one time a significant controversy over the safety of pink peppercorns. It seems that's not as prevalent today, though at least one source continues to perpetuate these ideas. However several sources claim they have been approved by the FDA, although I could not verify this at the FDA website or any other governmental body. However, I was also unable to find any medical research proving either the dangers or safety of pink peppercorns, nor was I able to find anything more than some general, fairly broad accusations of problems associated with their consumption. I'd like to find more detailed discussion of this issue.

One thing is clear, however; more than one source noted the following: that pink peppercorns "should not, however, be confused with pink berries (also referred to as peppercorns) from an ornamental plant in Florida and California that can cause severe allergic reactions if eaten" (source: http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=3973). So, the plant you're thinking of is not the same plant as the pink peppercorn that is used as a spice. Either that, or this article is conflating the two. Anyone know anything more????

Thelastemperor (talk) 05:06, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

I have just returned from two weeks in southern France and can confirm it is used as peppercorns, mostly to garnish salads. It has a slight pepper and juniper taste with a sweet finish. I am not aware that it is toxic as it is readily available both in French farmers' markets and in commercial packaging. It is called "baies roses" or "poivre rose" in French.

In Australia it is available in speciality shops as it is considered an exotic spice. The plant is considered a weed in Australia and an importer's permit is required to bring these berries into Australia through customs. (source: http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp) Phronima.au (talk) 22:12, 9 October 2011 (UTC)Phronima.au

Picture

--Growing up in FL, I was always told the seeds were very poisonous. --Also, one of the pictures on this page (the lower one) IS NOT a Brazilian Pepper. Someone should remove it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.227.79.75 (talk) 19:25, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure it's not? I took the photo; a paleobotany professor identified that tree for me as part of a class. Dreamyshade (talk) 02:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

The picture does appear to be Schinus terebinthifolius, the Brazilian Pepper, although the resolution is way too low to be absolutely sure. Perhaps 128.227.79.75 is confusing S. terebinthifolius with the closely related Schinus molle, the Peruvian Pepper which has more gnarled bark and finer leaves. I am going to reinstate the picture. Debate 木 11:16, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

Toxicity

Can details of the seeds' toxicity (and the compounds that contribute to that toxicity) be specified? Badagnani (talk) 23:54, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

I found the following information:

"Though there was once widespread controversy regarding their safety, pink peppercorns have now been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. They should not, however, be confused with pink berries (also referred to as peppercorns) from an ornamental plant in Florida and California that can cause severe allergic reactions if eaten. See also peppercorn." source: http://www.answers.com/topic/pink-peppercorn

Yet, I also found this:

"Pink peppercorns can cause symptoms resembling those of poison ivy/oak, as well as headaches, swollen eyelids, shortness of breath, chest pains, sore throat, hoarseness, upset stomach, diarrhea and hemorrhoids. I avoid them."

source: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/weilhealthyliving/328/can-black-pepper-be-poisonous Now, interestingly enough, the Wikipedia article on black pepper includes a small discussion of the potential toxicity of pink peppercorns, noting it is "mostly no longer an issue" whatever that means. It cites the following article: http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=3973 That makes two claimes from fairly reputable sources that they're approved by the FDA, yet I was unable to find any information about this on the actual FDA website, and there's no specific discussion of any research on the alleged problems caused by pinkpeppercorns either way.

At this point it's difficult to say. Perhaps someone wants to research this further. It does seem there is enough controversy out there to warrant a detailed discussion with full citations in the article. However, I do not know enough about the subject and cannot seem to find any original sources from actual medical research or statements from the FDA or other organizations.

Thelastemperor (talk) 04:57, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

I have in the past had a good look around and there's very little evidence of anything other than minor irritation, similar to what one would expect from, say, someone who eats too much black pepper or hot/chilli pepper. It's along the lines of "children have experienced vomiting and irritation after eating large quantities", which is hardly surprising. I haven't found anything in the scientific literature to support claims of toxicity, which is what one would expect given that pink peppercorns are commonly sold as a standard food item around the world, thereby presumably having passed multiple toxicity tests by numerous government and regulatory agencies. Any strong claims to toxicity would therefore, in my view, likely be junk-science. Debate 木 11:03, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

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Listing all Brazilian States

The first paragraph should not be this detailed with respect to geographical occurence. It would only make sense to mention every single state of Brazil the plant is found in if the topic was specifically pertaining to Brazil and Brazil exclusively. EasternGrace (talk) 23:41, 19 August 2017 (UTC)

Missing information

There is no mention of the tree being deciduous or evergreen. 2601:644:8D81:9980:14C4:37B8:DA4F:E757 (talk) 23:56, 9 January 2022 (UTC)