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>Some time ago, I came across a reference to hunter-gatherers using wood
>ash as sort of a seasoning or salt on their food.  As an organic
>gardener, I'm aware of the soil-alkalizing and mineral-rich properties
>of wood ash. Lots of info on this subject on the net too.  But after
>coming up empty-handed on a search of human nutrition and wood ash, I
>was wondering if anyone here has come across this subject?
>
>I'm curious as to which species of wood ash is consumable (in minute
>quantites, of course) and what the mineral ratios are in each.  I think
>of the magnesium-deficient contemporary diets and wonder if
>wood-cooked/smoked meats didn't have that extra oomf that we're missing
>from our raw, or oven-baked, or stainless steel boiled, or
>cast-iron-fried meats?
The following plants are listed as vegetal salt in the book cornucopia II a
source book of edible plants by stephen Facciola
Achyranthes aspera, allium cepa, allium sativa,amaranthus spinosus,
asplenium nidus.avicennia germinans, borassus flabellifer, capparis decidua,
ceiba petandra,cyperus haspan,eleocharis dulcis, euterpe
oleracea,heliotropium curassavicum,heracleum lanatum ,iriartea ventricosa,
musa x paradisiaca, orbignya martiana,oxytenanthera abyssinica, petasites
palmatus,piper guineense, pistia stratiotes, portulaca oleracea, raphanus
sativus. rhus chinensis, r.javanica, sabalpalmetto, saccharum  spontaneum,
salvadora persica, tussilago farfara.
jean-claude
>
>Lois