Eating Gunpowder.

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I'm sure most folk are aware that alcohol 'proof' came about by mixing the suspected spirit with about an equal amount of gun powder and if it burned then it was 'proofed', that is, the alcohol content was confirmed.

Booze 'proofed' this way was about 100 proof or 50 per cent alcohol.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_proof
 
Have heard this before

The word; "gunpowder" is usually associated with Black-Powder. Now it can means other things. ..... ;)

I once bought a kennel from a fella who raised Dobermans. In conversation, he stated that he always adds a little BP to their food. Claimed it made them more aggressive. I asked a friend who had two Dobermans about this practice and he just smiled and said that eventually, it makes them nuts. ...... :eek:

Be Safe !!!
 
Not sure if this fits. However about 50 yrs ago I was working near Fort Leonard Wood, and visited their cafeteria often, and on all the tables there were bottles of 'Salt tablets'. What were they and what were they there for?/. I vaguely remember something about helping the recruits 'sweat' more or something...???
 
When I went through BCT at Fort Dix in the Summer of 1967 salt tablets were readily available, the belief was that you needed them to replace the salt you sweated out. IIRC that belief has either been disproved or discarded.
Eating gunpowder ? Not into the "nouvelle cuisine" myself. Recall the first time I tasted black powder at a Civil War re-enactment-YUKK!
 
It tastes like saltpeter, the other two components are pretty much tasteless. I've tasted saltpeter, it's a little like baking soda but perhaps a little more bitter.
 
Not sure if this fits. However about 50 yrs ago I was working near Fort Leonard Wood, and visited their cafeteria often, and on all the tables there were bottles of 'Salt tablets'. What were they and what were they there for?/. I vaguely remember something about helping the recruits 'sweat' more or something...???
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When I was in Basic Training in 1962, at Fort Knox they required us to swallow a salt pill at each meal with the idea that it would prevent loss of electrolytes that would cause heat exhaustion. It is my understanding now that only a few people need to replenish their salt with supplements in hot weather. Maybe a medical doctor can shed some light.

Aside from that, if I remember correctly, some recipes for Black Powder use stale urine to dissolve/suspend/combine the three ingredients.
 
Electrolyte drinkings have replaced salt tablets.

The real problem with profuse sweating isn't the loss of salt, it's the loss of potassium, which is key in keeping muscles from cramping, and which is lost a lot more quickly than salt.
 
The real problem with profuse sweating isn't the loss of salt, it's the loss of potassium,
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There's lots of potassium in potassium nitrate, which comprises about 75% of black powder by weight.
 
This reminds me when I was younger living in the city back in the 60's . There was this guy called " Cheap High Frank " he would do the craziest things it get a buzz. He would smoke a cigarette with a ping pong ball at the end . I would just say , what the _ are you doing
So why would you use gun powder for any other reason then BANG .
 
My understanding is that some modern gun powders, like Bullseye and other double base powders have nitro in them. After my heart attack I told the doctor I didn't need the nitro pills as I could just take some gunpowder instead (reload 45acp with Bullseye).

What I do know is that nitro gives you one hell of a headache, and too much can cause problems with low blood pressure.
 
REAL BLACK POWDER is edible in conservative amounts. It's made with few ingredients, some actually used to preserve food, and is for all intents and purposes non toxic unless consumed in large quantities.

If you want to know what it tastes like, go to the store and buy "salt substitute" in the spice aisle. This tastes very close to black powder, trust me on this one. :) They used it in times of great need to season their food, often the meat of horses or dogs, during war. It would add a bit of flavor and might mask an off piece of carcass.

As for smokeless? Not a good idea even in tiny amounts, it is much more dangerous.
 
too much [nitroglycerin] can cause problems with low blood pressure.
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Oh, yeah. I once did CPR on a woman who passed out, turned blue, and had no detectable pulse after taking nitroglycerin. She had heartburn, convinced herself that it was a heart attack underway, and took her husband's nitroglycerin. In church. Nitroglycerin allows the veins to dilate to reduce blood pressure. Too much and the blood pools in the veins without returning to the heart, and cardiac output drops too far for other organs, mainly the brain, to keep functioning. The sermon was pretty well shot after that, but I got her back.
 
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