Natural Highs FAQ
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1/15/94
DISCLAIMER
The information presented herein is for ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY and can
be found in ethnobotanical literature. Most (if not all) of the substances
listed in this faq are illegal to ingest and/or possess. The authors and
editors assume no responsibility should the information presented here be
used, misused, misunderstood, inaccurate or even read. Reading this faq
constitutes an agreement to these terms. If you are afraid you might be
tempted to use any of the substances mentioned here in illegal ways when
presented with the knowledge to do so, STOP READING NOW.
Many of the botanicals listed here are highly toxic and deadly. Always
keep them away from children.
This faq may be reproduced verbatim, in whole or in part, by any means, and
distributed freely by whatever means available, provided no charge is made for
the copy and this disclaimer is included.
INTRODUCTION
The following information was taken without permission from the book _Legal
Highs_ by Adam Gottlieb, 1973, Twentieth Century Alchemist, from _The
Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens_ by Schultes & Hofmann, 2nd Ed. 1980,
from _The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms_ by Gary H.
Lincoff and Carol Nehring, 1981, Random House, from _Narcotic Plants: Revised
and Enlarged_ by William Emboden, 1979, MacMillan Publishing, from various
mail-order greenhouse literature, from personal experiences of many people
(friends of friends, and fictional characters that exist only in the authors'
and editors' imaginations) and (mostly) from alt.drugs. Some sections contain
a "References" section if the author of that section felt like going to the
trouble; some mention references on the fly in the text, and some are just
unreferenced. Some personal correspondance is included too; in this case if I
could get the author's consent I included his name/email address; if I could
not track down the author, I included the mail anonymously. If the author of a
particular piece of mail doesn't want it included, I won't include it
(although I may paraphrase it without attribution).
I left minimal header information in the stuff that was pulled from the net
to give credit where due and to provide follow-up paths (do so at your own
risk). I didn't have the time (let alone motivation) to mail everyone whose
comments are included here to see if it was alright to include them, but if
the info was posted to the net once, I can't see a problem with putting it in
a faq. A later version might have more eloquent and concise attributions.
Much of the net stuff was edited extensively in that irrelevant info was
deleted from specific posts; however, the context and spirit of the remaining
information was preserved.
The substances listed here are arranged in a fairly straightforward format.
If a certain section is missing from a certain substance, it means that I had
no information to put in that section or it didn't apply. The substances are
ordered alphebetically, sorted according to Botanical Family name, then
Genus name, then (if necessary) Species name. This was a completely fascist
decision on my part, and I did it only because it was the easiest ordering to
maintain. Note that the name given in the heading is a common name and has
NOTHING to do with the way the list is ordered.
At the moment I haven't got time to organize this stuff anymore than it
already is (and that's not much). Hopefully in the future I will find time to
organize and index it, and to expand it to include dozens of other natural
highs. Until then, this mess will have to do.
Spelling errors are numerous and rampant, and I take no responsibility for
any of them even tho many of them are undoubtedly mine.
A WORD ABOUT MAO INHIBITORS
Some of the substances described here are MAO inhibitors; this information is
provided under the "Interaction precautions" section for the substance in
question.
MAO stands for MonoAmine Oxidase, an enzyme that breaks down certain amines
and renders them ineffective. MAO inhibitors, then, are substances that
interfere with the action of monoamine oxidase, leaving the amines intact.
If the amines in question are dangerous, they can cause nasty--even
deadly--side effects. Furthermore, it is dangerous to combine MAO
inhibitors.
If you are taking a prescription drug that is an MAO inhibitor, or any drug
that carries an interaction precaution against MAO inhibitors (like prozac or
most anti-depressants), avoid using any substance listed as an MAO inhibitor
here.
The bottom line is this: when using an MAO inhibiting drug, don't ingest
anything that contains potentially dangerous amines, or any other MAO
inhibitor. If a substance is listed as an MAO inhibitor here, it may be
dangerous when used in combination with any of the following substances:
- sedatives
- tranquilizers
- antihistamines
- narcotics
- alcohol
- amphetamines (even diet pills)
- mescaline
- asarone
- nutmeg
- macromerine
- ephedrine
- dill oil
- parsley oil
- wild fennel oil
- cocoa
- coffee (or any substance that contains large amounts of caffeine)
- aged cheeses
- any tyrosine-containing food
- any other MAO inhibitor
THIS LIST IS BY NO MEANS COMPLETE OR ALL-INCLUSIVE. COMBINE DRUGS AT YOUR OWN
RISK.
HALLUCINOGENIC MUSHROOMS
Family: Agaricaceae
Genus: Psilocybe
Species: baeocystis (Potent Psilocybe)
caerulipes (Blue Foot Psilocybe)
coprophila (Dung-loving Psilocybe)
cubensis (Common Large Psilocybe)
cyanescens (Bluing Psilocybe)
pelliculosa (Conifer Psilocybe)
semilanceata (Liberty Cap)
stunzii (Stunz's Blue Legs)
Amanita Muscaria (Fly Agaric), Conocybe smithii (Bog Conocybe) and Gymopilus
spectabilis (Big Laughing Gym) are among the other mushroom species known to be
hallucinogenic. However, Fly Agarics are classified as poisonous, and,
according to _The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms_, the
Fly Agarics that grow in North America cause "dilerium, raving, and profuse
sweating", unlike their hallucinogenic Siberian counterparts. (Perhaps WOSD
propaganda, I realize, but worth considering, at least for those of you who
don't normally rave...)
WARNING: mushrooms should NEVER be ingested unless positively identified to be
non-poisonous by a mycologist. Often the only differences between highly
toxic mushrooms and edible mushrooms are extremely subtle and require a great
deal of training to distinguish. Also, several hallucinogenic varieties have
been shown to be toxic to humans in medium to large doses.
Usage: Like most natural plant products, psychedelic mushrooms vary
considerably in strength due to genetics, growth medium, and
other factors. An effective dose of dried psychedelic mushrooms is on the
order of 1 gram. This would be on the order of one or two whole mushrooms
(best bet is to weigh them and make sure). Because strength varies widely,
you should ask other people who have had mushrooms from the same source about
the relative strength. For mushrooms from an unknown source, .5 grams of
dried mushrooms is probably a decent place to start.
'Shrooms are best taken on an empty stomach. Carlos Castenada
describes the effects of a mushroom-based preparation when smoked, and
anyone who has taken 'Shrooms would agree that the effects that he
describes are much more intense than the effects of reasonable dosages
taken orally. Although many people think that Carlos made the whole
thing up, it is possible that mushrooms are smokable and that smoked
mushrooms might produce a different experience than ingested, because
'Shrooms contain many compounds known as tryptamines (as in dimethyl-
tryptamine (DMT)) which are also psychoactive when smoked but not
active orally. Other than Carlos, I've never heard of anyone else
smoking mushrooms or mushroom products, so I can't vouch for the
effects.
If you don't like the taste of 'Shrooms, it is also possible
to consume a tea made by boiling mushroom fragments in water. The idea
here is to sprinkle dried mushroom fragments on water and boil them until
they sink, and then filter out the actual 'Shrooms and enjoy the tea.
Effects: The effects of psychedelic mushrooms are comparable to those of
LSD, but different in a number of ways. For one thing, the trip
lasts aproximately 6 hours, about half of what an LSD trip does. Mushrooms
also have less stimulant effect than LSD. Mushrooms tend to be more
visual than LSD and less auditory. LSD is probably better for enhancing
perception of music, although psilocybin does alter the perception of
sound (seems to make background noise louder) and like tryptamine-
based psychedelics, also tends to induce auditory hallucinations that
sound like 'noise'.
'Shrooms do have definite physical effects that are both similar
and different to those of LSD. Shrooms tend to cause 'Liquid Breathing',
especially before the onset of psychedelic effects. (Like LSD) Shrooms
don't cause stomach cramps, but they do seem to cause a headachesometimes.
A short term cross tolerance does develop between pscilocybin,
mescaline, and LSD, but there appears to be no long term tolerance,
except for learned behavior which allows one, for instance, to learn
how to talk somewhat coherently despite what psychedelics do to the
language centers and short term memory.
Another important difference between 'shrooms and LSD is that
the onset time of effects from ingestion is MUCH shorter. In the
experience of people that I know, the onset of effects is aproximately
30-45 minutes after ingestion, and the transition from physical effects to
mild depersonalization to intense hallucination is very short, even in
the subjective time of the tripper. There is a period of aproximately
one hour where psychedelic effects (visual/auditory hallucination,
flickering of visual field, time overlay effect, time distortion,
breakdown of linguistic centers, etc.) are VERY intense, and the
rest of the trip seems to be more psychological, that is, very
little hallucination, mostly depersonalization and time distorsion.
This is a very excellent time to spend in a natural environment
(your local woods, desert, or savanna) because it tends to produce
shamanistic, in touch with nature feelings much better than LSD
does.
Bad trips are very possible with mushrooms, and are probably
very similar to bad trips on acid. If you know or suspect that a
tripper is experiencing eyes-open visual hallucinations, you might
want to take them to a place where no there are no regular geometric
patterns that cover most of the visual field. High dosages of mushrooms
seem to affect perception of regular tiled surfaces much more so than
irregular surfaces. If possible, suggest to the tripper that you go
to a place where there is a featureless floor (say a drab carpet or
a concrete floor). It's also good to find a warm place, but always
heed to the will of the tripper so long as he doesn't want to do anything
stupid like jump off a cliff. See if you can find some mellow music that
is pleasing to the tripper (Say, the Grateful Dead or Spyro Gyra) and
remember that little things like turning the intensity of light up or
down can have a big emotional effect. Be sure to ask about these things.
When talking to someone on a bad trip, it often helps to keep
changing his train of thought; many people find that this keeps the
anxiety at a lower level. The primary rule is to watch the reaction
of the tripper to what you do, and take his needs and fears into
consideration. Keep him with people that he trusts and try to remove
any people that he doesn't trust. Of course, this advice is valid for
hallucinogens in general.
History: The practice of growing mushrooms dates back to around 100 B.C.,
and is based partly upon the discovery of minature mushroom stones found
near Gautemala City. Other finds further north also indicate an extensive
mushroom cult in the early civilizations. When Cortez arrived in Central
America, he found the natives using mushrooms as a sacrament. They called
them "teonanacatl", or "God's Flesh." The Spainards reacted strongly to the
mushrooms, giving written accounts of the loathsome mushroom rituals that
"provoke lust... cause not death, but madness... and bring before the eyes
wars and the likeness of demons." Teonanacatl was then banned from the
church as contributing to pagan behavior and idolitry. The only tribe
definately known to have consumed the mushrooms, however, is the Chichimecas.
Six tribes consume mushrooms today in Oaxaca: Mazatecs, Chinantecs, Chatinos,
Zapotecs, Mixtecs, and Mijes. It has recently been suggested that mushroom
use by the Chol and Lacandon Maya may be a vestage from the earlier Mayans
that disappeared for a time, and then was readopted. Present day ritual
among them Mazatec includes many rituals from the Catholic Church. Even
though the Catholics tried to eliminate the detested fungi, the Indians
still chant saints of the church and incorporate litanies, which are
undoubtedly post-Christian elements of their ritual.
Interaction precautions: I wouldn't recomend using them with alcohol or other
depressants. Also, people who are being medicated for a psychological
conditions, particularly with MAO-inhibitor class drugs probably DON'T want
to use 'Shrooms or any psychedelic because MAO-inhibitors tend to interact
seriously with most psychoactive compounds.
Active Ingredients: The primary active components of 'Shrooms are psilocybin
and psilocin, which also is an immediate metabolite of psilocybin. There are
a whole family of other tryptamine-related substances in 'Shrooms but most
of them are not active when eaten.
For further reading: Several books are available on the subject of growing
mushrooms, which is a rather complex task because it involves maintaining a
sterile environment and quite a bit of biology lab skills. The best book on
the subject is "Psilocybin: The magic mushroom grower's guide" by Oss and
Oeric from And/Or press. Spores are available by mail order; check
High Times magazine. These are legal to sell because they contain no
psychoactive compounds. Spores can also be obtained by taking a cap
print from mushrooms that you obtain from another source, like the
wild.
[some interesting info on Fly Agarics follows. Note that these are much more
poisonous than psilocybe varieties, the info above does not necessarily apply
to them, and the info below does not necessarily apply to psilocybes. --ED]
From:
Subject: Re: mail order botanicals
Date: 11 Nov 91 22:00:34 GMT
Organization: UC Irvine Department of ICS
In article <[email protected]>
[email protected] (Eli Brandt) writes:
>
>>anyone know the legality of fly agaric? anyone have any experience with
>>it?
>
>I'm sure it's legal. _Merck's_ sez that neither ibotenic acid and muscarine
>were "controlled substances" (what a *dumb* term) as of '76; was there maybe
>a "Toadstool Regulation Act" I missed? Anyway, you could call it "soma" and
>have a real good case for religious use...
>
>I don't know what the dose would be. The LD-50 iv in mice for muscarine is
>0.23 mg/kg; ibotenic acid is (for mice/rats) 15/42 iv and 38/129 oral. I'd
>be careful with anything with such a wide difference in toxicity between
>fairly similar species. I vaguely recall that muscarine is only found in
>the younger shrooms; it looks like you'd want to avoid them, unless it's
>also responsible for most of the interesting effects.
>
>>v
>>
>
> Eli
I obtained some dried Amanita via an unnamed source. They make you puke
(what else is new) and go into a dreamy state. Not "psychedelic" or
terribly euphoric. A friend (who is a botanist) has tried fresh ones,
reports that they're better.
IMHO, they're not worth your time unless your into ethnopsychopharmacology.
David A. Honig
MESCALINE-BEARING CACTI
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Gymnocalycium
Species: gibbosum: Native to Argentina
leeanum: Native to Argentina, Uruquay
Genus: Islaya
Species: minor: Native to South Peru
Genus: Lophophora
Species: diffusa (Peyote): Native to Mexico
williamsii (Peyote, Mescal,Chaute etc.): the classic Peyote, grows in
north central Mexico and south Texas.
Genus: Opuntia
Species: imbricata: Native to S-W USA to Central Mexico.
spinosior: Native to Arizona, New Mexico, Northern Mexico.
Genus: Pelecyphora
Species: aselliformis (Peyotillo, Peyote meco): Native to San Luis Potosi,
Mexico
Genus: Pereskia
Species: corrugata
tampicana: Native to Tampico, Mexico.
Genus: Pereskiopsis
Species: scandens: Native to Yucatan, Mexico.
Genus: Stetsonia
Species: coryne: Native to Northwestern Argentina.
Genus: Trichocereus
Species: cuzcoensis: Native to Cuzco, Peru.
fulvianus: Native to Chile.
macrogonus: Native to South America.
pachanoi (San Pedro, Giganton): Native to Peru, Equador.
peruvianus (Peruvian Fence Post): Native to Peru.
scopulicola
taquimbalensis: Native to Bolivia.
terscheckii (Cardon grande): Native to Northwestern Argentina.
validus: Native to Bolivia.
werdermannianus: Native to Tupiza & Charcoma, Bolivia.
Trichocerei are columnar, branched or candelabra like cacti, which
usually grow very fast. Cereus is a different genus, whose members
haven't been found to contain mescaline.
Cultivation: (from seed) Sow the seeds an inch apart on the surface of
sterilized, moist, sifted cactus mix. The pH should be 4.5-6.5. Cover
the tray or pot with an airtight plastic bag. Place in bright but indirect
light for 12 hours a day at less than 30 degrees centigrade. Don't let the
temperature get too high, and check to make sure the soil surface is moist,
but not too wet. A fungicide may be needed.
Cactus seeds will generally germinate in 1-3 weeks. When the seedlings
are about 2 cm tall (60-90 days for fast-growing species) transplant
them to individual pots. Handle them very cautiously and use moist soil
with pH 4.5-6.5 in the new pot. A good soil mix is 1/3 normal flower soil,
1/3 peat and 1/3 coarse sand or gravel. If you're growing a Trichocereus,
water once a week with a concentration of a flower fertilizer normally
used for flowering plants. Don't use standard plant fertilizers, as they
contain too much nitrogen. Bright light is needed 12-18 hours a day, and
the temperature should be 25-35 'C.
The easiest way of propagation is taking cuttings. Cut the mother plant
with a clean and sharp knife leaving 5-10 cm of it above ground. Cut
back slightly the edges of the cut to ensure that the new roots grow
downward. Place the cutting in vertical position to dry for 2 weeks to a
month depending on the size of the cutting. The compost where they are
placed after this should be very slightly moist, not wet.
For more information about growing cacti read e.g. Cullman, B|tz &
Gr|ner 1984: Encyclopedia of Cacti, Alphabooks A&C Black, ISBN 0-906670-37-3.
Usage: An easy method is to chop a cactus to small pieces, dry the pieces
and boil in water with plenty of lemon juice until there's not much
liquid left. To reduce nausea you should drink the liquid slowly over
a half an hour while avoiding excessive movement. For the same reason don't
eat solid food on the day of ingestion. A normal dose of mescaline sulfate
is 200-400 mg, which probably corresponds to 10-25 g of dry Peyote or
T. peruvianus, or 50-200 g of fresh San Pedro. Potency varies, so try a
small dose first. It's also possible to extract mescaline from cacti.
Effects: Mescaline produces a trip very similar to LSD lasting about
12 hours. The effects take a bit longer to come on. Mescaline is
cross-tolerant with LSD, psilocin and other psychedelics. A common side-
effect is nausea, which is worse when ingesting Peyote than other cacti
because of the extra alkaloids found in Peyote. If you manage to hold
the cactus in your stomach for 15-30 minutes before throwing it up,
you can still have a fine and nausea-free trip.
Mescaline does not cause chromosome damage in normal doses.
History: Peyote has been in use in America for at least 2000 years. The
Spanish conquistadors didn't like the use of drug plants by the Indians,
and catholic clerics declared officially in 1620 that since the use of
peyote was the work of the devil, all Christians were prohibited from
using it. The active prohibition of peyote still persists. A religious
manual written in 1760 presented the following series of questions for
the penitent:
Have you ever killed anyone?
How many have you murdered?
Have you eaten the flesh of man?
Have you eaten peyote?
Peyote was used for several centuries in Mexico before peyotism spread
into the US in the second half of the 19th century. Today it's legal for
the members of the Native American Church to use Peyote in several states.
The San Pedro cactus has been used by Peruvian folk healers to combat
the supernatural elements that cause diseases.
Active Constituents (of some cacti)
Botanical name mescaline other alkaloids
Lophophora williamsii ~1% dry Ann,And,Ant,Annd,H,L,P,T
Trichocereus peruvianus 0.8% dry T
pachanoi 0.1% wet Annd,H,T
bridgesii 0.1% wet T
validus 0.1% wet
macrogonus <0.05% wet T
terscheck. <0.05% wet Ann
werdermann. <0.05% wet T
taquimbal. <0.05% wet H
cuzcoensis <0.01% wet T
Stetsonia coryne <0.01% wet T
Pelecyphora aselliformis 0.00002% And,H,P
Mescaline content is probably given as hydrochloride, 128 mg mescaline
HCl = 200 mg mescaline sulfate. Doses of mescaline are usually measured
as sulfate. "Dry" means dry weight, "wet" fresh weight.
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