Jelly Beans

[Jaybird]

I know this is an unusual question for the forum but here goes. How come there were not any bags of black jelly beans this year? There were black ones in the mixed bags. I love the licorice or spiced ones, but apparently none were available in the Greater Cincinnati Area stores. Every year I would buy a couple bags at Wal Mart and after Easter load up at the 1/2 price sale afterwards. Managers of the stores had no reasons why. A friend said perhaps it's a racist thing and they weren't permitted to segregate them into separate bags. Just wondering if anyone else noticed??

[E_]

I did see a report somewhere that the black actual licorice type ones can be harmful if too many eaten. Maybe they felt it was a liability to have such a quantity all from one bag?

[E_]

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Consume ... 277152.htm

As it turns out, you really can overdose on candy—or, more precisely, black licorice.

Black licorice is an old fashioned treat that can be harmful if you eat too much. If you’re 40 or older, eating 2 ounces of black licorice a day for two weeks could cause an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia).

Days before the biggest candy eating holiday of the year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages moderation if you enjoy snacking on the old fashioned favorite.

So, if you’re getting your stash ready for Halloween, here’s some advice from FDA:

If you’re 40 or older, eating 2 ounces of black licorice a day for at least two weeks could land you in the hospital with an irregular heart rhythm or arrhythmia.

FDA experts say black licorice contains the compound glycyrrhizin, which is the sweetening compound derived from licorice root. Glycyrrhizin can cause potassium levels in the body to fall. When that happens, some people experience abnormal heart rhythms, as well as high blood pressure, edema (swelling), lethargy, and congestive heart failure.

FDA’s Linda Katz, M.D., says last year the agency received a report of a black licorice aficionado who had a problem after eating the candy. And several medical journals have linked black licorice to health problems in people over 40, some of whom had a history of heart disease and/or high blood pressure.

Katz says potassium levels are usually restored with no permanent health problems when consumption of black licorice stops.

Licorice, or liquorice, is a low-growing shrub mostly grown for commercial use in Greece, Turkey, and Asia. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says the plant’s root has a long history of use as a folk or traditional remedy6 in both Eastern and Western medicine. It has been used as a treatment for heartburn, stomach ulcers, bronchitis, sore throat, cough and some infections caused by viruses, such as hepatitis; however, NIH says there are insufficient data available to determine if licorice is effective in treating any medical condition.

Licorice is also used as a flavoring in food. Many “licorice” or “licorice flavor” products manufactured in the United States do not contain any licorice. Instead, they contain anise oil, which has the same smell and taste. Licorice root that is sold as a dietary supplement can be found with the glycyrrhizin removed, resulting in a product known as deglycyrrhizinated licorice7, or DGL, NIH says.

If you have a fondness for black licorice, FDA is offering this advice:

No matter what your age, don’t eat large amounts of black licorice at one time.
If you have been eating a lot of black licorice and have an irregular heart rhythm or muscle weakness, stop eating it immediately and contact your healthcare provider.
Black licorice can interact with some medications, herbs and dietary supplements. Consult a health care professional if you have questions about possible interactions with a drug or supplement you take.
If you’ve experienced any problems after eating licorice, contact the FDA consumer complaint coordinator8 in your area.

This article appears on FDA's Consumer Updates page9, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

Oct. 25, 2011

http://blogs.webmd.com/breaking-news/20 ... candy.html

Eat too much candy and you’ll be sorry. Eat too much black licorice, and you could be dead.

This creepy Halloween warning comes from the FDA. Too much black licorice, the federal agency says, can lead to “abnormal heart rhythms, as well as high blood pressure, edema (swelling), lethargy, and congestive heart failure.”

How much is too much? The FDA warns people age 40 and older not to eat 2 ounces of black licorice a day for two weeks or more.

And that’s a conservative warning. The NIH has warned that it’s “possibly unsafe” to eat just 1 ounce of black licorice a day for several weeks. In addition to the FDA’s list of drastic possible too-much-licorice results, the NIH adds paralysis, brain damage, and erectile dysfunction.

And if you eat a lot of salt, if you have high blood pressure, or if you have heart or kidney disease, the NIH says as little as a sixth of an ounce of licorice a day could cause these problems.

The issue, well known to many forms of traditional medicine, is that licorice root contains a drug: glycyrrhizin.

Many of those who use licorice as an herbal remedy seek relief of sore throat, cough, infections, arthritis, lupus, or chronic fatigue syndrome. It’s been used to treat all kinds of ailments ranging from muscle cramps to prostate cancer, although there’s no solid scientific evidence that it actually works.

But the potential side effects are real enough. That’s because licorice — real black licorice, not the phony licorice-flavored stuff flavored with anise oil — causes a drop in potassium levels. It may also mimic the activity of the female sex hormone estrogen.

http://boingboing.net/2011/11/01/danger ... orice.html

[Jaybird]

I doubt if real licorice is used in them. Probably anise or some licorice flavor. Wouldn't doubt if there was some toxic substance inthe black shell. Last time I had pure licorice candy was about 10 years ago that I bought at a candy store in Tarpon Springs, FL.

[E_]

[Sunset Lady]

I saw the black bag of jelly beans at Kroger here in Louisville today, they were 50% off.