I'm sorry, but somebone's going to have to explain to me the difference
    between a NATURAL chemical and an ARTIFICIAL chemical.

    It reminds me of all the crap one hears about SEA SALT
    (NaCl, with some Iodine added for a reason I've forgotten)
    versus NORMAL, AVERAGE, RUN-OF-THE-MILL, EVERYDAY TABLE-SALT
    (NaCl, with some Iodine added for a reason I've forgotten).

While most of the examples you give are indeed examples of adding the
word `natural' and doubling the price, there is a large difference
between sea salt and normal table salt. Sea salt tends to
contain many other things besides sodium chloride, I think potassium
chloride is a major one. Basically, if you take sea water and
evaporate it off what is left contains many minerals besides `salt'.

It does taste _very_ different, which is not to say better. I use
nothing else, my flat mate wont go near it.

My favorite ``natural'' snake oil is a certain famous french mineral
water which is so heavily processed that it looses it's
carbonisation. Since they can sell it for more if it fizzes they
carbonate it just before they bottle it. However, in order to be able
to stick `naturally sparkling'' on the label they save the CO2 they
extract from it and reintroduce it at the end. It makes all the
difference, this ``natural'' CO2 :-)

BTW, what would count as ``artificial'' CO2? Would it have to be built
from the quarks up?

--
r...@uk.ac.ed.cstr