hendi_alex wrote:Also, I would suggest that consumers not take an overly complacent view of things called natural or organic. Arsenic is natural. Hemlock sap is organic and of course poisonous. Those natural pesticides are poisonous and potentially harmful to humans in spite of being considered 'natural.' There is no guarantee that some 'organic' or 'natural' preservative would be completely safe for a food bed either. The ecocote product mentioned by cynthia does appear to be pretty harmless however.
Which is why I used the search criteria "
non-toxic sealant."
There is a very long history of assassination / murder / suicide by [natural] poison in the pre-industrial era (Greeks, Romans, Persians, just for starters). The synthetic compounds we now take for granted did not exist, but death was just as certain from non-synthetics. Many drugs and medicines derive, either directly or ultimately, from dangerous plants or other sources. Snake venom is of course also "natural."
Please look to the
spirit of the inquiry.
Not having had much time today, I felt that the reference above was sufficient for the OP, a new member here at THG, to continue her own research. The chain of websites through which I found it were all .gov, .edu, or .org. No one had a vested interest in selling the Ecocote until the very last page (whose url I posted above).
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9