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AUSTRALIAN SUPPLEMENT FOR THE NATURAL HIGHS FAQ
Author: Michael from Melbourne (Hex)
with thanks to J.
John morgan_j@summer.chem.su.oz.au and
Petrus ppennane@cc.helsinki.fi for assistance.
INTRODUCTION
Hi there, I decided to do an Australian Supplement for the Natural Highs
FAQ. Information was taken without permission from my Ethnobotany lecture
notes, from The Genus Psilocybe by Gaston Guzman, 1983 (a very detailed
study on Psilocybes), from Mushrooms and Toadstools of Australia, by
C.I. Shepherd and C.J. Totterfell, 1988 (good book on Australian genera),
from The Magical and Ritual use of Herbs by Richard Alan Miller, 1983 (a
very useful book with an occasional mistake, a lot of the plants in this
list are from here), and from Wild Medicine in Australia by A.B. &
J.W. Cribb, 1981. Also of great use was Plants of the Gods by R.E. Schultes
and A. Hoffmann, 1979 (the classic hallucinogen ethnobotany work!). Other
useful books are The Strangest Plants in the World by S., D. & J. Talalaj,
1991, (a easy book for the general public but it is not as technical or as
accurate as the other references), and Poisonous and Hallucinogenic
Mushrooms, by R. & K. Haard, 1980. For general Australian vegetation I used
Flora of Australia (the 49 volume series) and Flora of N.S.W.
As a note for anthropologists and ethnobotanists, the Australian Aborigine
did not take any of the plant species that produced hallucinations apart
from the rare use of Corkwood which might be a delusinogen. They used
nicotine (from native tobacco and Pituri) and alcohol (from natural
fermentation of Eucalyptus gunii sugar rich sap or from honey ants and the
flowers of Lysiphyllum carronii mixed together), so who knows how many
native species are hallucinogenic (some authors claim that Pituri is a
hallucinogen and it is possible that it might be a deliriant in large
amounts due to the anti-cholinergics, then again it might not be).
Natives from PNG to the north used hallucinogens but the ethnobotanical
literature on plants used for entertainment purposes in PNG (such as New
Guinea Vegetation by K. Paijmams (Ed), 1976) are not as well compiled as
books on Aboriginal plant usage (Wild Medicine in Australia). The CSIRO
in the post war years did a phytochemical survey examining many of
Australia's plants for alkaloid content and this has been compiled in a
book Plants for Medicines by D.J. Collins, C.C.J. Culvenor, J.A. Lamberton,
J.W. Loder and J.R. Price, CSIRO, 1990.
If you know of any plants not on this list please post on alt.drugs and we
will expand the list.
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.
============================================================================
HALLUCINOGENIC MUSHROOMS I
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species: muscaria (Fly Agaric)
The famous white warted red capped toadstool. The cap can be from 3 cm to
30 cm across. A veil is present in young specimens which later on becomes
a white collar. Fruits late autumn and winter. Habitat is in introduced
pine, birch and beech forests in the ACT, southern NSW, SA, Tasmania and
Victoria. Internationally it is found from Europe north of Spain across
northern India to Japan and eastern Siberia. In North America it is found
from Alaska across Canada and the US to the eastern seaboard. It is occurs
in the highland areas of southern Mexico and Guatemala.
Usage: Fresh mushroom should be sliced vertically in 1 cm segments and
heated in an oven at 75 - 80 Celsius (165 - 175F) until dried. Start by
having 1/4 to 1/2 of a 10cm diameter sized mushroom until you know your
tolerances.
Also in ancient societies which used the mushroom such as the Koryaks,
the poorer people used to catch and drink the urine of the rich who ate
the fly agarics. As the muscimol and muscazone are not metabolized by
the body, this allowed the poor to enjoy the hallucinations.
Effects: Both Visual & Auditory hallucinations, OOBE's and being
transformed into an animal are some of the interesting hallucinations.
Atropine exacerbates the toxic effects of muscimol and ibotenic acid and
should not be administered (it is used in cases of muscarine poisoning
which is the poison in other Amanita species).
History: About 3500 years ago, the Aryans invaded the Indus Valley of India
from the north, bringing with them the worship of soma. The Aryans composed
1028 hymns, the collection is known as the Rig Veda. About 120 of these
hymns are dedicated to drinking soma and drinking urine enriched in soma.
R. Gordon Wasson and Wendy O'Flaherty were able to interpret the references
in the hymns to indicate that soma was A.muscaria.
Fly Agaric has been used for centuries from northern Europe across to
Siberia as a shamanistic inebriant by both the Ostyak and Vogul (western
Siberian Finno-Ugrian peoples), the Chukchi, Koryak and Kamchadal of
northeastern Siberia. It is also possible that the berserkers of Scandinavia
used Fly Agaric as an intoxicant to produce the berserker state of mind.
In North America it has been used by the Dogrib Athabascan who live in the
Mackenzie Mountains of nw Canada and it is also used by Ojibway Indians who
live around Lake Superior in Michigan as a hallucinogen.
Active Constituents: These mushrooms contain muscimol and muscazone (in
smaller amounts and less active than muscimol) both are CNS hallucinogens.
Ibotenic acid which is the principle agent of toggle-switch intoxication
(which cause muscle spasms, flushing of the skin and drowsiness), and
muscarine, a highly toxic alkaloid (muscarine content is extremely low,
0.0002% in fresh tissue - too low for phyisiological activity). The low
heat in cooking the mushroom decarboxylates and dehydrates the ibotenic
acid into muscimol and muscazone.
===========================================================================
AUSTRALIAN IBOGAINE SHRUB
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Ervatamia
Species: orientalis
A shrub that grows from 2 to 6 meters tall with smooth leaves occuring
opposite to each other on the stem. The leaves are 10 to 22 cm long and
from 4 to 7 cm wide. The flowers are white with twisted petals and it
flowers from October to May. The fruits occur in pairs, are smooth, curved
3 sided banana like with an orange colour, with fruiting from February to
August. Its habitat is in coastal monsoon vine thickets, at the edge of
tropical rainforests, or on stabilised dunes in monsoon regions. It is
found across the top end from northern W.A. through to Cape York in
Queensland. It is also found in various parts of South East Asia.
Effects: Ibogaine is a hallucinogen. It is also used to treat heroin
and morphine addiction as it eliminates withdrawal symptons and in most
users it also eliminates further craving for heroin or morphine (High
Times, March 1992).
History: E. orientalis was originally described as Tabernanthe orientalis,
even after its reclassification it is still closely related to T. iboga,
a shrub native to Africa. There is no history of usage by the Australian
Aborigine but the related T. iboga plant in Africa is used as a
hallucinogen and is used to meet the plant god Bwiti and to communicate
with their ancestors. T. iboga also has stimulant properties and is used
to keep hunters awake.
Active Constituents: The leaves contain ibogaine and the related alkaloids
iboxygaine, voacristine, vobasine, dregamine, ervatamine and
19-dehydroervatamine.
Knox, J.R. and Slobbe, J., 1975. Indole Alkaloides from Ervatamia
orientalis I-III. Aust. J. Chem., 28, 1813-1856.
============================================================================
CALAMUS
Family: Araceae
Genus: Acorus (Sweet Flag)
Species: calamus
A perennial herb that has a horizontal rootstock up to 1.5 meters long. The
leaves grow from 1/2 to 2 meters tall, are sword like and have a crimped
edge. The flowers are minute greenish-yellow on a cylindrical spike. The
herb grows in marshes and along the borders of creeks. It was originally
from India and South East Asia but has been introduced to Europe, North
America and also Australia.
Usage: Either eat the raw root when dry which is like ginger in both
texture and taste. Or it can also be made into a drink by boiling 1 ounce
of calamus root in 600 ml of water.
Effects: It acts as a stimulant when a 4 cm segment of root is eaten and it
alleviates fatigue. When more than a 24 cm root segment is eaten it is a
hallucinogen.
History: The Moso sorcerers of Yunnan, China have used calamus as a healing
herb for asthma and fevers. It is used in Papua New Guinea in various
rituals as a stimulant and it is extremely important in ritual medicine. It
is also used in PNG for initiation rituals to make young men grow tall and
strong. The Cree Indians over 40 years old use small amounts of it as an
anti fatigue herb while larger amounts are used as a mind altering
sacrament for the initiating of boys to become warriors.
Active Constituents: Asarone and B-asarone are in the essential oil of
calamus. These are the non-amine precursors to TMA-2.
FROM THE NET
From Shava Nerad Averett
Subject: Calamus
I was taught long ago in Vermont by a lady who was into herbs there, that
Sweet Flag (calamus) was chewed by local folks on long walking trips. It
was useful for three reasons (all of which I can attest to subjectively):
(1) It staves off fatigue
I suspect some of this has to do with:
(2) It staves off boredom
I've found it to be a mild euphoric. Does this have to
do with it being a stimulant? Maybe. Hallucinogen? Well,
I've never hallucinated on it. But it is a euphoric. It
makes an entertaining tea in combination with passion
flower and damiana.
(3) It keeps your mouth stimulated and moist
The fresh root, or fresh-dried, has a tingly effect on
the mouth that lingers, staves off thirst, and is pleasant
only with habit, from what I understand. I've always liked
it but some folks really despise it.
A piece of root the size of a medium kidney bean will last you quite a while
walking. I wait until the tingle in the mouth has completely disappeared
before I take another bite. I used to walk 23-25 miles at 4-5 miles/hr in
a summer evening sometimes (with or without the calamus). I suspect with
the calamus, I might have been able to cover twice that distance with no
strain at all with the calamus in the course of a day. Given sufficient
need, I would be willing to believe that I could make 70-75 miles, but I'd
hate to think what shape I'd be in the next day.
Calamus was associated with spirit-walking, I remember hearing, when people
would cover completely improbable distances in the course of very short
times. However, I remember hearing this as "indian traditional stuff" which
in Vermont could mean Algonquin, Iraquoi, or someone reading it in a book..;)
I also couldn't swear that that wasn't a simple reference to shamanic
journeying which might or might not refer to physical distances...
Shava Nerad Averett
/* all materials (c)1992, Shava Nerad Averett, and have nothing significant
to do with the University of North Carolina, a mostly owned subsidiary
of the NC Legislature, a mostly owned subsidiary of the DOT. */
============================================================================
HALLUCINOGENIC MUSHROOMS II
Family: Coprinaceae
Genus: Copelandia
Species: cyanescens (Blue Meanies)
A whitish grey to pale brown 4 cm diameter cap with a dark centre on a
slender, hollow, up to 11 cm tall stem. Bruising causes the cap and stem to
stain blue. Grows on dung and in rich pastures in NT, Queensland and NSW.
History: It is cultivated in Bali for use in native festivals and for
selling to tourists.
Active Constituents: Contains both psilocybin and psilocin. A speciman was
analysed in France and was found to contain 1.2% psilocin and 0.6%
psilocybin.
Family: Coprinaceae
Genus: Panaeolina
Species: foenisecii (Haymakers toadstool)
A cap that is dark brown when wet to a clay colour when dry and is up to
2 cm in diameter but usually smaller. The stem is slender, hollow and up to
5 cm tall. It grows singly or in groups in grassy places in the ACT, NSW,
SA, Victoria and WA.
Mentioned in Mushrooms and Toadstools of Australia as being poisonous and
hallucinogenic.
Active Constituents: Both psilocybin and psilocin.
Family: Coprinaceae
Genus: Panaeolus
Species: campanulatus
A reddish brown to sooty brown 4 cm diameter cap that is smooth to slightly
sticky when wet. Stem is up to 14 cm, slender and concolorous with the cap.
Grows on dung and in rich pastures in the ACT, NSW and Victoria.
Effects: From Victorian Toadstools and Mushrooms by J. Willis, 1950,
"rumour has it that they will cause an intoxication, under which the victim
suffers a strange sensation of growing taller and taller and over-topping
the objects round about him."
Active Constituents: Both psilocybin and psilocin.
OTHER MUSHROOMS
Conocybe and Gymnopilus do occur in Australia but there is no record of
them being hallucinogenic.
Boletus luridus and B. erythropus of the Family Boletaceae, are some of the
porous fungi that are poorly studied. They stain blue when bruised. They
are regarded as poisonous and contain muscarine. This toadstool is possibly
hallucinogenic but as I don't know, anybody who has tested it please put
your results up on alt.drugs so we can confirm or deny this.
============================================================================
AUSTRALIAN COCAINE SHRUB
Family: Erythroxylaceae
Genus: Erythroxylum
Species: australe
A shrub that grows up to 4.5 meters tall with leaves from 1 cm to 3.5 cm
long. The ripe fruit is up to 1 cm long, red and contains one seed. The
flowers are solitary or paired with white petals. Its habitat ranges from
stony/rocky hillside slopes to open sclerophyll forest, from NT through
Queensland to northern NSW.
History: E.australe doesn't have much history of usage but E.coca is used
in Peru. It is used to combat fatigue and cocaine is made from the leaves.
All Erythroxylaceae species are declared prohibited plants in NSW.
Active Constituents: The leaves contain 0.8% meteloidine, a cocaine-like
alkaloid.
Johns, S.R., and Lamberton, J.A., 1967. Meteloidine from Erythroxylum
australe. Aust. J. Chem., 20, 1301.
============================================================================
AGARA
Family: Himantandraceae
Genus: Galbulimima
Species: belgraveana
A large rainforest tree that grows up to 35 meters tall with leaves which
are glossy, metallic green above and brown beneath. The bark is scaly,
highly aromatic and is 1 cm in thichness. Flowers have two calyx lobes, no
petals and a large number of flattened stamens. It has red fleshy fruit
with a resinous scent. Found in Queensland and New Guinea, it is most
commonly found growing from 1200 to 2700 meters but can be found as low as
5 meters above sea level. It is only used by New Guineans who use it as a
pre battle hallucinogen, it was not used by the Australian Aborigine at all.
Usage: The bark was chewed and rubbed on the legs of tribal warriors.
Effects: Intoxication and hallucinations followed by extreme drowsiness.
Active Constituents: Twelve different alkaloids including himandrine,
himbacine, himgravine, himbosine and himbadine have been reported.
============================================================================
ACACIA
Family: Leguminosae
Genus: Acacia
Species: maidenii (Maiden's Wattle)
phlebophylla (Buffalo Sallow Wattle)
A.maidenii grows up to 15 meters tall. Its phyllodes (acacias don't have
leaves they have phyllodes instead) grow to 20 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide.
The seed pod is long and narrow, almost cylindrical and usually very coiled
and twisted. Its habitat is on the border of rain forests and in wet
sclerophyll forests. It is found in Queensland south of Proserpine, along
the NSW coastal regions especially in the Heathcote National Park and in
the Illawarra coast region south of Sydney to Ulladulla. It is also found
in Victoria at Newmerrella and at Lake Coringle near Orbost.
A.phlebophylla grows up to 4 meters tall. Its phyllodes are broad, short
and range from 6 to 14 cm long and 3 to 9 cm wide. The seed pods are broad,
straight, thick walled, leathery and not constricted between the seeds. It
is found only in a narrow range of altitude in the granitic declivities on
Mt. Buffalo in Victoria. For a list of non Australian acacias that contain
DMT check the Tryptamines FAQ.
Usage: Smoking the phyllodes of A.phlebophyll or the bark of A.maidenii
gives a mild hallucinogenic effect. The DMT can be extracted in methanol.
DMT is only active when smoked or as a snuff. To be active orally harmine,
a monoamineoxidase inhibitor needs to be ingested as well as the DMT.
Effects: Visual and tactile hallucinations. (see below for more details).
Active Constituents: The bark of A.maidenii contains 0.36% DMT. The
phyllodes (leaf like) of A.phlebophylla contain 0.3% DMT. The 0.24%
N-methyl tryptamine in the bark of A.maidenii is probably not active at
the these doses.
Fitzgerald, J.S. & Sioumis, A.A., 1965. Alkaloids of Australian
Leguminosae V, The Occurence of Methylated Tyrptamines in Acacia
maidenii. Aust. J. Chem. 18, 433.
Rovelli, B. & Vaughan, G.N., 1967. Alkaloids of Acacia I.
Dimethyltryptamines in Acacia phlebophylla. Aust. J. Chem. 20, 1299.
FROM THE NET
From J. Ukn Mar 9 17:07:04 1993Subject: Obtaining DMT fr
the drug itself :-)I discovered that a local plant, Acacia maidenii, was repo
was Dimethyl Tryptamine (DMT). Some research of old botany books suggested a
trees, trying to cause as little as possible permanent damage. The bark was
thick, red, fibrous and resinous.Smoking the bark directly gave a mild halluc
Monday night until Friday afternoon. The methanol quickly took up colour
from the bark and turned a deep red colour. As much as possible of the
methanol was removed by filtering. I evaporated off the methanol using a
fractionating column, a condenser, and a saucepan of boiling water as
heating, for some hours, and recovered much of the methanol. I placed this
methanol back with the bark and reextracted for some hours while
evaporating the rest, then filtered the bark again and combined the
extracts, and stripped as much as possible of the methanol, to leave a
thick resinous brown liquid. A portion of the extract was evaporated using
a hair-drier to give a thick brown resin. Attempts at smoking this using
pipe and hot knife proved unpleasant and gave minimal effect.It was decided t
was extracted twice into CH2Cl2, and the solvent evaporated as before. The
last stage of evaporation was accomplished with a hair drier, to leave about
a gram or so of pale yellow liquid. On standing 24 hours, this liquid
crystallised as circular arrangements of needles.On a second occasion, I took
moderately low pH (dilute HCl), and then that the addition of strong
hydroxide will leave the amphoteric resins in solution, but make the alkaloids
economical way to smoke DMT. Because there is little combustion, the smoke doe
successively lower resolutions, until I could see merely individual elementsof
My references tell me that N-methyl tryptamine is most likely inactive at thes
WATER LILY
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Genus: Nymphaea
Species: ampla
The water lily has thick dentate leaves, purple on the underside and from
14 to 25 cm across. The showy flowers are white and are up to 12 cm across,
with a yellow centre from the many yellow stamens.
Effects: Nymphaea may have been used as a narcotic and possibly as a
hallucinogen in both the Old and the New Worlds. N.ampla is reported to be
used in Mexico as a recreational drug with powerfull hallucinatory effects.
History: The water lily has had a prominent place in Egyptian, Minoan,
Indian and Chinese mythology.
Active Constituents: The rhizome contains apomorphine, nuciferine and
nornuciferine.
============================================================================
BETEL NUT
Family: Palmaceau
Genus: Aveca
Species: catechu
A slender tree up to 25 meters high that grows in hot but shady habitats.
The leaf blades grow to 1 meter across with many pinnae. Betel palms produce
250 nuts per year and they grow from India across to the South Pacific.
Usage: Mix 1/2 gm of burnt lime (hydrated calcium oxide) with one Betel Nut,
preferably in a semi powdered form. It is then placed in the side of the
mouth for a two hour period, and the saliva is spat out occasionally. It is
also brewed like coffee, made into cigarettes, or it can be mixed with
acacia gum, some burnt lime and a dash of nutmeg and used as a sweet as
done in Malaysia.
The leaf is also used as a paper for rolling tobacco and herbs.
Effects: Arecoline is a mild CNS stimulant. It increases respiration and
decreases the workload of the heart. It allows a journey to become more
vivid by allowing time to be perceived differently.
History: By 1930 there were about 20 million Betel nut chewers in India.
Regular usage does stain the mouth, gums and teeth a deep red. Excessive
use can cause innebriation and dizziness. Long term users cause damage to
the teeth and soft tissue of the mouth
Active Constituents: Arecoline is a volatile oil released from the nut by
saliva and lime. Other constituents in the nut include arecaidin, arecaine
ans choline. Betel leaf contains chavicol, allylpyrocathechol, chavibetol
and cadinene.
============================================================================
SCREW PINE
Family: Pandanaceae
Genus: Pandanus
Species: pedunculatus?
A tall tree growing up to ? meters with buttress or stilt-like roots.
History: The nuts of P.? are used by the natives of Papua New Guinea as a
hallucinogen.
Active Constituents: DMT has been found in P.? nuts.
============================================================================
SYRIAN RUE
Family: Peganaceae
Genus: Peganum
Species: harmala
This is a perennial herb that grows up to 80 cm tall and has a woody
rootstock. The leaves are alternate and are divided several times into
narrow, linear segments. It flowers in summer and autumn with creamy white
solitary flowers up to 1.5 cm long. The globose, deeply lobed fruit
contains many flat, angled, brown seeds with a bitter taste. It grows from
the Middle East across to east Asia. It has been introduced to Australia
and is found from SA across Victoria to NSW. In Australian botany books
P.harmala is known as African Rue while in international references such
as Plants of the Gods and The Tryptamine FAQ it is known as Syrian Rue.
Usage: Eating 1 gram of seeds inhibits MAO enough to make DMT orally
active. It is also possible to experiance hallucinations from the seeds.
Effects: Harmine and harmaline produce strong visual hallucinations
starting from about 300 mg (about 10 grams of seeds).
History: The seeds yield the dye 'Turkish Red' and are also used as a
spice. The seeds have been used as a hallucinogen in magic and in native
religions in some of its original range.
Active Constituents: The seeds contain about 3% by weight of the
Mono-Amine-Oxidase Inhibitors harmine and harmaline. The seeds also contain
minor amounts of other beta-carboline alkaloids such as tetrahydroharmine.
See the section on MAO Inhibitors in the Tyrptamine FAQ or the Natural
Highs FAQ as to what foods and drinks should be avoided while using a MAO
Inhibitor (unless you like a hypertensive crisis).
============================================================================
KAVA KAVA
Family: Piperceae
Genus: Piper
Species: methysticum
A shrub up to 4 meters tall with heart shaped leaves up to 16 cm long and
short spikes rising from the base of the leaf stem. The spikes are densely
covered with flowers. The plant grows in cool, moist highlands or wet
forests up to 300 meters above sea level. It grows best where summer
temperatures are between 26 - 32 Celsius. Its range is across the South
Pacific.
Usage: The upper rhyzome is used, traditionally in a tea (yaqona). For
maximum effects mix 1 ounce Kava with 10 ounces of water (preferably
coconut milk), two tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil, and 1 tablespoon
lecithin. Blend until the liquid takes on a milky appearance. Serves 1 - 2
people.
The resins can also be extracted with isopropyl alcohol in a heat bath.
The solvent is removed by evaporation. Redissolve in just enough warmed
brandy, rum, vodka, or honey. Also the resins can be extracted by repeated
soaking in cold acetone and boiling off the solvent. The upper rhyzome is
starchy with a faint pleasant odor and a pungent bitter taste.
Effects: Small amounts produce euphoria, large amounts produce extreme
relaxation, lethargy and eventually sleep. Often visual and auditory
hallucinatory like effects lasting 2 - 3 hours (Kava kava is not classed as
a hallucinogen but rather as a hypnotic narcotic). Effects are not noticed
when used for the first few times (like marijuana). It also produces
numbing of the mouth.
Continual chewing eventually destroys the tooth enamel. Also constant and
excessive use with alcohol can become habit forming and after several
months cause yellowing of the skin, bloodshot and weak eyes, as well as
other side effects. The symptoms disappear within two weeks after the
drinking has stopped.
History: Kava is used by the Samoans as part of their religious ceremonies
and by the Fijians for guests as part of their ceremonies welcoming special
guests and friends. Five varieties are cultivated in Fiji, three white and
two black. The faster maturing black varieties are preferred for the
commercial crop while the slightly slower growing white varieties are
considered the best for personal use. The white varieties are Kasa Leka
(white), Kasa Balavu (white) and Qolobi. The faster growing black varieties
are Kasa Leka (black), and Kasa Balavu (black).
Active Constituents: Kava has six resinous alpha pyrones; kawain,
dihydrokawain, methystician, dihydromethystician, yangonin and
dihydroyangonin. None of these are water soluble except when emulsified.
They are soluble in alcohol, oil and gastric juices.
FROM THE NET
From: J.
Subject: Kava extraction
Account of the effects of a Kava extract
Kava (Piper methysicum) is a traditional Fijian intoxicant, which is legal
in many countries. The roots contain various active substances, e.g.
methysticin, tetrahydromethysticin, any of which require quite large
amounts (>1g) for narcotic activity. It has become popular in Australia,
particularly among the Aborigines of the Nothern Territory, and is sold in
Fijian shops, and some corner stores in Sydney.
I bought 450g of powdered "Lewana" grade Kava for A$13 (around US$10).
"Waka" grade may be more effective, and the whole root better still,
although the preparation is more difficult. The whole powder was soaked in
aprx. 800 ml freshly distilled acetone for a few hours with occasional
stirring. The excess yellow acetone extract (around 300 ml) was decanted
and filtered, and the solvent distilled off, to leave a golden brown oil
which solidified somewhat on standing. This process was repeated with fresh
acetone (around 300 ml) aprx. six times, with the slurry being heated to
boiling on the final time, and all of the residues were combined, to give a
layer of oil aprx. 3mm thick on a standard petri dish. This amount was
divided between three people.
At 6:30 pm, we ate a teaspoon of the oil, washing it down with plenty of
water. There was a momentary mild queasiness as it hit the stomach, which
passed quickly. Seven minutes later, the first effects began, with a mild
wave through the body of relaxation, and mild euphoria. Further teaspoon
doses were taken at 6:45 and 7:00. The pleasant effects continued to
increase in intensity, and were not unlike a large dose of codeine,
although with some numbness and tingling in the extremities. There were
some mild visual effects, with the world taking on a kind of sheen or glow.
By about 7:30 pm, a change began to take place. The initial lightness
started to give way to a more heavy intoxication, with some heaviness in
the limbs. It was decided to smoke a moderately large quantity of marijuana
(heads, leaf and a little hash). At this point, the effects intensified
significantly. The combination was similar in some ways to a modest dose of
LSD, although with a strong stoning effect as well. It could perhaps be
compared with a mixture of LSD and a lot of alcohol. The audio
hallucinations were most pronounced, and stronger than those of LSD, with
changes in the perception of distance and direction of sounds, as well as a
kind of phased/flanged effect.
In summary, an acetone extract of Kava seems to be a most effective way of
concentrating the active ingredients and making ingestion easy. The effect
is initially one of a pleasant euphoric narcosis, followed by a heavier and
less pleasant drunken feeling, particularly in the body. There is little
desire at the end to repeat the experiment immediately, despite its having
been enjoyable. It enhances the hallucinogenic characteristics of
marijuana, particularly with regard to audio hallucinations.
J.
============================================================================
ANGEL'S TRUMPET
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Brugmansia
Species: aurea
The Angel's Trumpet is shrub up to 9 meters tall. The leaves are oblong to
elliptic, from 10 to 40 cm long and 5 to 15 cm wide. The flowers are either
white or yellow, usually from 15 to 23 cm long and the trumpet shaped
corolla flares broadly at the mouth. The fruits are green, smooth, have a
elongate-ovoid shape and they are fleshy. The seeds are angular, blackish
or brownish and measure about 12 by 9 mm. This species is relativly comman
in the gardens of Melbourne but its native habitat is in Andes of South
America. Brugmansia is closely related to Datura and to Methysticodendron
and has a similar chemistry to them.
Usage: The South American Indians added powdered seeds to fermented drinks
or they made a tea of the leaves.
Effects: Delusional effects similar to Datura. Brugmansia intoxication is
produces convulsions often so violent that physical restraint can necessary
before the onset of a deep stupor, during which visions are experienced.
History: Used extensivly in the Andes and in the western Amazon. The
Indians of Sibundoy use Brugmansia for magico-medicinal purposes. Indians
in Peru use a species of Brugmansia to communicate with ancestors and to
reveal treasures in graves. The Chibcha of Colombia used to give a
fermented drink with seeds from Brugmansia to wives and slaves of dead
cheiftans to induce a stupor before they were buried alive with the dead
cheiftan.
Active Constituents: Contains tropane alkaloids with hyoscine (scopolamine)
being the main component.
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PITURI
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Duboisia
Species: hopwoodii
A small tree or shrub about 3 meters high with narrow linear leaves up to
15 cm long. Its flowers have a broad bell shaped white corolla with a
purple striped tube and five lobes. The fruit is a black 6 mm long berry
that contains two seeds in a dark pulp. It grows in the arid regions of
central Australia from WA, across NT and SA to Qld and NSW. According to
Aborigines the best leaves came from a region around sw Queensland to the
nw of SA.
Usage: The dried and powdered leaves and twigs, often mixed with the ash of
Acacia species, was then placed in the side of the mouth like a plug of
tobacco and chewed. After Europeans introduced smoking it was also
sometimes smoked by both Aboriginies and Europeans.
Effects: It is both a stimulant and a narcotic. It is possibly also a
deliriant (due to the anti-cholinergics) in large quantities.
History: Used and prized by the Aborigines and traded across Australia.
When the first white men tried it they described it as having the kick of
a slug of gin. The sole survivor of the Burke and Wills expedition, King
chewed pituri to survive while the others died of starvation, refusing
aboriginal hospitality.
Active Constituents: Nicotine and nor-nicotine, minor amounts of hyoscine.
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CORKWOOD
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Dubosia
Species: leichhardtii
myoporoides
Corkwood trees are moderatly tall with D.leichhardtii growing up to 12
meters and D.myoporides growing up to 24 meters. They have thich corky bark
with the leaves from 4 to 15 cm long and 1 to 4 cm wide. D.leichhardtii is
found in the softwood scrubs of south-eastern and south-central Queensland.
D.myoporoides habitat is in high rainfall areas on the margins of
rainforests up to an altitude of 1000m. It is found from the NT across
Queensland and into northern NSW, possibly as far south as Sydney.
Usage: The Aboriginies who lived near the corkwood tree would make a hole
in the trunk, water would be poured into the hole and the hole plugged. A
strong liquor would be ready the next day for drinking from the hole.
Effects: Drinking the liquid from the hole would produce a 'stupor' in
the natives. The alkaloids in the tree are delusinogens.
History: The usage of drinking corkwood liquor seemed to stop fairly
quickly after the introduction of spirits to Aboriginies. The leaves of a
hybrid of the two species are harvested and exported to Europe for
medicinal purposes.
Active Constituents: The leaves contain about 7% dry weight of tropane
alkaloids with hyoscine (scopolamine) and hyoscyamine being nearly all of
that. Also minor amounts of the alkaloid tigloidine is present.
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HALLUCINOGENIC MUSHROOMS III
Family: Strophariaceae
Genus: Psilocybe (Gold Tops)
Species: group 1
cubensis
subcubensis
group 2
australiana
eucalypta
semilanceata
subaeruginosa
tasmaniana
The group 1 Psilocybes have a cap from 2 to 7 cm in diameter, viscid in
wet weather but shiny when dry. Colour of the caps range from whitish with
a pale yellow centre at first, becoming entirely honey browm to redish
brown. Often stains blue-green when old or injured. The stem is grows up to
11 cm tall, it is hollow, slender and slightly thickened downwards, smooth.
The group 2 Psilocybes have caps ranging from 1 to 5 cm in diameter with
the colour ranging from pale brown to tawny orange, redish brown, brownish
yellow or dark brown when older. Brusing causes blue-green staining. The
stems vary from 4 to 12 cm tall, slender and a silky fibrous texture.
P.semilanceata has a hollow stem with its texture being smooth or slightly
fibrous. The stem of P.subaeruginosa may become hollow.
In the psilocbyes the group 1 species fruit in the late spring and summer
while the group 2 species fruit in the late autumn and winter. Group 1
species habitat is in dung and rich pastures, they are found as far south
as Sydney (Windsor) to at least mid costal Queensland and possibly further
north. The group 2 species habitat is in native and occasionally in
introduced forests, they are found in southern NSW to as far north as Sydney
(Mt. Wilson), Canberra (Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve), Victoria (Eltham,
Ballarat, Mt Dandenong, Daylesford), South Australia (Mt. Lofty) and
Tasmania (Hobart, Mt. Field Nat. Park). P. semilanceata also grows in dung
rich pastures as well as in forests.
Read the Natural Highs FAQ for additional information on mushrooms.
Usage: Most people take from 6 to 12 mushrooms, but start off with a small
amount (like about 3 mushrooms) until you know your limits. For mushrooms
from an unknown source, 0.5 grams of dried mushroom is probably a
reasonable place to start. Other ways of taking mushrooms include drinking
a tea made by boiling dried mushroom fragments in water. Also there is a
recipe around for the making of Blue Mead using P.cubensis spores.
Effects: Visual and auditory hallucinations, kaleidoscopic variations in
the depth of vision, muscular relaxation, distortion of tactile sensations,
lack of concentration ability, perception of time and space alters and mood
alters as well, usually elevated but depression can occur.
Active Constituents: Contains both psilocybin (anywhere from 0.2% to 0.5%)
and psilocin (small amounts only).
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GALANGAL
Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Kaempferia
Species: galanga
A smooth stemless or short stemmed herb that grows to about 1.5 meters, its
round leaves grow to about 12 cm long and up to 12 cm wide. The leaves are
flat spreading. The flowers form a terminal spike and are white with deep
red veining. It grows in open grassy areas and is found from tropical
Africa through India to northern Queensland. The rhizome is rich in
essential oils and is highly aromatic.
Usage: Eat approx. 6 cm of the raw rhizome. Or take a tablespoon of
rhizome, cut small and add to a cup of boiling water. Then drink cold.
It is also used in Thai recipies such as Green Curry and Tom Yum.
Effects: Pleasant dreams and mild hallucinations.
History: Used by the natives of New Guinea in the Morobe & Fore regions as a
hallucinogen, as described in the movie The Valley, obscured by clouds (the
one with the Pink Floyd soundtrack). Used in the Philippines as a folk
medicine. Also used by Aleister Crowley as an incense in the Liber Samekh, a
ritual for 'communicating' with your 'holy guardian angel'.
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CHEMICAL ALTERATION
This section deals with how to chemically alter readily avalable natural
recources into more chemically unusuall compounds.
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EUCALYPTUS
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species: diversicolour (Karri)
obliqua (Messmate Stringybark)
regnans (Mountain Ash)
Mountain Ash is the tallest tree in Australia and grows up to 100m. It is
found in Tasmania in the Huon Valley and in Victoria in the Otways,
Dandenongs and Gippsland. E.obliqua grows up to 90m and is found across
southern Australia. Karri grows up to 90m and is found in the sw of WA.
FROM THE NET
From: malcolm@lingua.cltr.uq.OZ.AU (Malcolm Gillies)
Subject: Mescaline from Gum Trees
Please address all inquiries to: morgan_j@summer.chem.su.oz.au
Hi folks,
Whilst browsing chem abstracts yesterday I came across an intriguing
reference, especially for ozlanders. The Australian Dept of Defence
developed a technique for producing mescaline from eucalypt sawdust in
fairly high yield back in '64.
Here it is:
CA 61,8515
The preparation of mescaline from eucalypt lignin.
D. Amos, Dept. Supply, Defence Std Lab, Melbourne.
Australasian J. Pharm., 45, 529 (1964)
Dried Eucalyptus Regnans sawdust oxidised with nitrobenzene and alkali @
150C yielded 4% of syringaldehyde. Methylation @ 0-5C for 1hr with Me2SO4,
then heated at 70C for 1 hr gave 56% 3,4,5, trimethoxybenzaldehyde.
Converted to the cyanohydrin (ie +KCN+weak acid - jm) then reduced with
Pd black to mescaline. Overall yield 1% from dried sawdust. E. obliqua and
E. diversicolour both gave 0.7% yields.
So there you have it. Our army, or maybe ASIO, wanted a way to make vast
quantities of mescaline (we have lots and lots of E. regnans, and 1kg
sawdust ~20 doses), very cheaply (all the ingredients are chemicals of
commerce, except Pd black, which is a recyclable catalyst), from local
precursors. Which is funny, since there would have been no difficulty
importing precursors or mescaline itself in experimental quantities. Maybe
they didn't want to be reliant on foreign suppliers, or maybe they didn't
want another country to be aware they were importing mescaline by the kilo.
It sounds like we might have had our very own MK-Ultra project running at
the height of the Cold War. It would be very interesting to follow this up.
Anyone out there know if we had some monkey business going on?
Maybe they were even extracting DMT from wattles and turning it into
psilocin, eh, J?
John Morgan
Physical Chemistry
University of Sydney
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CANE TOAD
Family: Bufonidae
Genus: Bufo
Species: marinus
Introduced from Hawaii to Queensland in 1935 this toad has spread across
Queensland westwards into N.T. and southwards into northern N.S.W. It is
up to 20 cm long, has very warty skin and has a grey to brown, olive brown
or reddish brown colour. The underside is a whitish to yellowish colour.
The cane toad has a pair of large, highly visable poison glands located at
the back of the head. It eats anything smaller than itself and is poisonous
to anything larger that might eat it.
The bufotenin in the poison, while classed as a hallucinogen is not
particularlly healthy or a nice thing to do to your body. So below is
J's recipe for the conversion of bufotenin into something more
interesting.
A close relative of the Cane Toad is the Sonoran Desert or Colorado River
Toad (B.alvarius) which contains 6 to 16% 5-MeO-DMT (50-160 mg 5-MeO-DMT),
a more useful and safer hallucinogen than bufotenin. For more information
on the Sonoran Desert Toad checkout the Tryptamines FAQ.
Here is J's recipe for Cane Toads
(see also Psychedelic Chemistry, p.45)
Mix blended toad secretion with excess methanol and allow to stand a few
days. Filter. Evaporate methanol. Extract residue with dilute HCl.
Basify with NaOH or NH3.
Extract into organic solvent (eg dichloromethane).
Evaporate to leave crude bufotenine.
Dissolve 4.1g bufotenin in 20 ml 1M NaOH and evaporate to dryness under N2.
Dry in vacuum at 90C and dissolve in 50 ml dimethoxyethane. Add to 1.9 g
acetyl-Cl in 50 ml in 50 ml dimethoxyethane and stir four hours at room
temperature. Add to dilute NaHCO3 and CHCl3; shake and dry, evaporate in
vacuum the CHCl3 layer to get 5-Acetoxy-dimethyltryptamine. This should be
active at maybe 15 mg smoked, possibly orally as well. I can't remember
off hand.
Hope someone tries this one day.
J's quote on smoking bufotenin, "I'ld rather smoke paint stripper".
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Other plants growing in Australia include Morning Glory, Wild Lettice,
Datura, Mescaline bearing Cacti and Nutmeg. These are covered in the
Natural High FAQ. Other plants growing in the wild include Cannabis sativa
(Indian hemp) and Papaver somniferum (Opium poppy).
There are also plants used in PNG for entertainment purposes such as the
leaves of Pueraria phaseoloides (Fabaceae) used in New Britian and the
seeds of Lactuca indica (Asteraceae) by the Kukukuku. As neither species
grows in Australia, there is little information on them and I have not
included them in the FAQ. Also growing in PNG are several species of
Psilocybe such as P.brunneocystidiata, P.inconspicua, P.papuana and
P.kumaenorum.
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