Is Tonka bean flavoring poisonous?
QUESTION: I have been using a flavoring which was purchased in Mexico. It does not quite smell like vanilla, but bottled as vanilla. It is a clear liquid. Is Tonka bean flavoring poisonous? and what are the symptoms. I have been experiencing inner- ear type symptoms, double vision, ringing in ears, pain in pallete and teeth, dizziness, feeling of falling. I have just had an ENG test for vestibular disorder, and it is negative.I have gone to a neruologist, and maybe I have a toxicity to something. My Chiropractor suggests toxicity testing. Do you have any suggestions? ANSWER: All sorts of things are sold in Mexico as vanilla extract; I wouldn’t touch any of them with a ten foot pole. One of the favorite ones turns out to be a dangerous anticoagulant (produced from coumarin) and the other symptoms you describe are the same as that experienced by animals eating 7-hydroxycoumarin (from buckeyes, for example). The vanilla substitute you purchased, tonka bean (Dipyeryx odorata) extract, is a
