Marcus and Sheila asked for Cassia. Its botanical name (in German) is Kassia fistula. It has something to do with the senna plant, maybe it's the same (ask the biologists.) The fruit of the plant is an app. 30cm (for all you non-Isos: app. 1 ft) rod with a diameter of app. 1.3cm (app. 0.5 inch). The color is brown up to nearly black. Inside of the rod there are lots of discs covered with a smooth black grease. Each disc holds one core among the black grease. The rod is a stack containing the discs. Of course there is a strong hull that surrounds the discs. Picture: ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| (This is a bar of cassia, only the discs are shown. :-)) It plays a v e r y important role in instinctive nutrition. Perhaps it sounds magically to you now but it's true: The black grease, that can be eaten is able to solve toxins in your body and direct them to your intestines and kidneys to be excreted. Also it directs toxins in your blood to the intestines/kidneys. Since blood is circulating through the brain it is very useful to have a powerful aid like Cassia to get the toxins out of the blood and out of your body. If practising raw nutrition, everyone faces detoxification phases where he/she feels tired, sick, etc. Perhaps the nose is running, the skin icking, the lungs producing slime. All of these detox symptoms can be reduced when Cassia is taken! It makes detoxification much easier. On the other hand if you are heavily intoxicated and are using Cassia deliberately it happens that the laxative effect is so strong that you spent half of your day on the toilet. Normally Cassia is eaten instinctively, i.e. you are sucking the grease of the discs, discard the discs (although if you like them you can eat them also) and continue until a stop comes. Stop signs: Light burning on tongue or throat; taste is getting stronger and stronger until it's unbearable; taste becomes ugly. Even if eaten instinctively the laxative symptoms can be drastic. In this case you should limit your intake mentally to your personal level of comfort. Cassia is taken in the morning time. If you like, you can also take it before going to bed in the evening. Cassia tastes sweet, sometimes very similar to liquor-ice (and the grease looks like this), can be sometimes like the best chocolate. Instinctive quality Cassia is sold by Orkos. Outside Europe it may be difficult to get a good quality (Sigh! Always the same problem.) I hope, I got it all here. Please help me Kirt, if I forgot important issues. Laxative instinctive wishes and a good detox, Stefan