The Entheogen Review׃ Vol. 16, No. 4 (2008)

THE ENTHEOGEN REVIEW
The Journal of Unauthorized Research on Visionary Plants and Drugs Winter Solstice 2008 Volume XVI, Number 4 ISSN 1066-1913
The Entheogen Review

The Journal of Unauthorized Research on Visionary Plants and Drugs
Otto Snow Speaks
CONTENTS
Unauthorized Research on Cluster Headache Lost in Jonathan Otts Footsteps: Acetone Tinctures of Salvia divinorum 117 126 132 137 146 150 151 152 155 155 155 157 157 158 160 160 160 161 165 169 170 174
Editor: David Aardvark Technical Editor: Keeper Trout Copy Editor: E.V. Love
First Look at a New Psychoactive Drug: Symmetry (salvinorin B ethoxymethyl ether) Old Hair and Tryptamines Keep that Mimosa Mud! Lamid I Need a Miracle Network Feedback Armatocereus Again? Trichocereus pachanot Takini: Identification & Chemistry Extracting Plastics Deprenyl & Phenethylamine Peyote Harvests California Bans Salvia Sales to Minors Buy Some Gloves! Sources Book Reviews Farewell and Thanks! Bibliography Index for All 2008 Issues
Contributors R. Andrew Sewell Otto Snow Thomas Lyttle Zhah Dr. Mercury Dr. Feelodd J. Cocktoasten Justin Case Jon Hanna Keeper Trout Plastinate, CA Fork, CA The Salvia Divinorum Observer The Discovery Channel Will Beifuss
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VOLUME XVI, NUMBER 4
WINTER SOLSTICE 2008
Unauthorized Research on Cluster Headache

by R. Andrew Sewell, M.D.
[] I was going crazy; I have a ghastly memory of hammering on a wall with my cast in impotent anguish as a continuous white-hot blade of agony sliced through my brain for two consecutive hours, only to begin again two hours later. I screamed and wept; I prayed to a God I wasnt sure I believed in to forgive sins I wasnt sure Id ever committed. My wife could do nothing except stand helplessly by while I went nuts. There was no painkiller that could touch this affliction; all that resulted from multiple-capsule doses of Seconal was that I was unpleasantly, stupidly stoned while left to cope with the undiminished torment in my head. Jim DeKorne, founding editor of The Entheogen Review (DeKorne 1994)
Perhaps the greatest triumph of unauthorized research on visionary plants and drugs to date is the discovery that small doses of LSD, psilocybin, and LSA (lysergic acid amide) are more effective than any conventional medication in treating the dismal disorder, cluster headache. Five years ago, no one other than cluster headache patients or neurologists had ever heard of cluster headache. Now, treatment of cluster headache is routinely listed among potential therapeutic uses for psychedelics, and has even penetrated popular culture to the point that the character Gregory House, M.D. has used a psychedelic drug to treat headache on the TV show House not once, but twice (Kaplow 2006; Dick 2007)! The first mention of therapeutic effect from a psychedelic on headache comes from Drs. D. Webster Prentiss and Francis P. Morgan, professors of medicine and pharmacology at Columbian University (now George Washington University), who began to conduct animal and human experiments with peyote in 1894 in order to determine whether or not it had any valuable medicinal properties. Two years later, their report concluded: The conditions in which it seems probable that the use of mescal buttons will produce beneficial results are the following: In general nervousness, nervous headache, nervous irritative cough [etc.]. In their account are a number of cases, including #5: The same
gentleman reports that his wife formerly used to take the tincture [anhalonium1] for nervous headaches and that it always relieved her. She has them so seldom now that she does not use it (Prentiss & Morgan 1896). Intrigued by Prentiss and Morgans reports of mescalines psychological properties, the psychologist, sexologist, and womens rights champion Havelock Ellis decided to try peyote (a decoction of three mescal buttons) himself the following year, taking it for the first time on Good Friday at 2:30 pm. His 1897 trip report states: The most noteworthy, almost immediate, result of the first dose was that a headache which for some hours had shown a tendency to aggravation was somewhat relieved. He continues: At 3 began to feel drowsy. At 3:30 took another third of the infusion. My headache was speedily still further lightened, and I now felt a certain consciousness of energy and intellectual power. Strangely, the report ends with: I have myself never felt hopeful about mescal as a therapeutic agent [] it is not easy to see in what diseased conditions the crude drug itself is indicated, and Ellis never investigated headache further (Ellis 1902). Ultimately, the use of mescaline to treat headache never caught on, perhaps because most of the early American and European peyote users complained
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What is Cluster Headache?

Everyones had a headache, much to the chagrin of cluster headache sufferers, who find scant sympathy for their torment. Unlike your average hangover, a cluster attack is considered the most painful condition known to man, and has been compared to having a lit cigarette held to the side of ones face, or giving birth through the eyesocket. Men who have experienced both kidney stones and cluster headache rate the cluster attacks more painful. Women with cluster headache who have given birth without anaesthesia rate the pain of a cluster attack worse. Cluster headache is about a thirtieth as common as migraine, and is five times more common in men. Unlike migraine pain, which is described as dull and throbbing, the pain from cluster headache is sharp, steady, and intense. Also unlike migraine, which feels better if one lies down in a dark room, cluster headache patients are restless and agitated, compelled to pace around, press their temples, and sometimes even bang their heads on walls and doors. Perhaps the most striking feature of cluster attacks is their periodicity, which is the cardinal feature of the disease. At peak, there can be between one and eight attacks per day, usually at the same times each day, especially about ninety minutes after going to sleep, with the onset of REM sleep. This association with sleep frequently leads to sleep deprivation or sleep fear. The first cluster period usually lasts four to eight weeks and recurs thereafter once or twice a year, but the pattern is strikingly consistent for a given patient. Ten percent of cluster headache patients get no remission period. The attacks never go away. These are the ones who kill themselves, leading to the nickname suicide headache for this disorder. One morning I returned to the house, the pain undiminished, and decided that Id had enough. I was loading my shotgun to kill myself when my housemate came downstairs and took the gun away from me. He said: Dont you think thats a bit extreme? Why dont you go down to the clinic and have them shoot you up with morphine, knock you out, or something? Jim DeKorne (DeKorne 2006)
that peyote caused headache (Perrine 2001). The pharmacologist Arthur Heffters trip report of June 5, 1887 reads: Nausea, occipital headache, intense dizziness, and clumsiness in moving began about half an hour after the last dose (Heffter 1898). Prentiss and Morgan reported that one of their experimental subjects experienced a three-day headache following a dose of mescaline, severe enough to be debilitating on the second day (Perrine 2001). Investigations all but ceased when anhalonium was removed from the U.S. Pharma-
copeia, and by 1938, when Richard Evans Schultes published his summary of peyotes therapeutic effects, headache does not even rate a mention (Schultes 1938). The torch then passed to psychiatry. The first modern-day observations of the psychedelic treatment for headache came from psychotherapists who were using LSD to treat neurosis in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They observed some startling remissions. Case 1Mrs. M., aged 51.
EFFECT* ++ + + +++ ++++
TABLE ONE
DRUG AVERAGE CLINICAL DOSE LSD-25 50 to 100 mg BOL-148 (2-bromo-LSD) 2 to 4 mg LAE-32 (D-lysergic acid ethylamide) 1 to 3 mg PML-146 (1-methyl-d-lysergic acid propanolamide) 1 to 3 mg UML-491 (1-methyl-lysergic acid butanolamide) 2 to 6 mg * RESULTS OF THERAPEUTIC EXPERIMENTS BASED ON 390 CASES OF HEADACHE OF VARIOUS ORIGINS (SICUTERI 1963). THE ENTHEOGEN REVIEW, POB 19820, SACRAMENTO, CA 95819-0820, USA
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A happily married drama teacher who had complained of a severe migraine since age 9 []. She had six weekly sessions of LSD in doses of 40 to 90 micrograms. Eight months since her last treatment, she has had no more attacks of migraine, reads one account of psycholytic psychotherapy. LSD is particularly suitable for anxiety states with accompanying tension. We have been particularly successful with migraine [emphasis added] (Ling & Buckman 1960). Jay Stevens refers to this in his book, Storming Heaven: A number of therapists talked about the serendipitous side effects that they sometimes saw in their patients. They would be in the middle of a postsession interview, perhaps two or three weeks after the original LSD session, and the patient would suddenly say, Oh and the headache is gone too. What headache?, theyd ask. Why, the headache Ive had for ten or fifteen years, would be the answer (Stevens 1987). In every case, however, resolution of the headache was attributed to resolution of the underlying psychodynamic conflicts. Not one person suggested that it might be a direct pharmacologic effect of the drug itself. It was a near miss, scientifically speakingthe answer was in plain sight, but nobody asked the right question. The first mention of LSD specifically to treat cluster headache can be credited to Dr. Federigo Sicuteri in 1963. A giant in the field of headache medicine, Dr. Sicuteri founded the first headache center in Europe, introduced the serotonin theory of migrainewhich formed the basis for all subsequent experiments with lysergic acid derivatives, from the early ones with LSD to the most recent development of sumatriptan (Imitrex)and developed the first prophylactic drug for migraine, methysergide. Methysergide, which is basically LSD with one of the ethyl groups changed to a methoxy, islike LSDalso psychotropic in supratherapeutic doses (Abramson & Rolo 1967; Bender 1970). This safe, legal version of LSD was marketed as Sansert for many years, but removed from the U.S. market in 2002 because of its unpredictable propensity to cause retroperitoneal fibrosisan uncontrollable growth of scar tissue that chokes the internal organs, leading to death. Dr. Sicuteri died in April of 2003, and was honored by the entire world of headache specialists. Sicuteri has changed the life of a million sufferers, wrote Donald Price (Puca 2003).
PATIENT ZERO
This 34-year-old Scottish man had his first onset of episodic cluster headache at the age of 16, with headaches recurring regularly every seven months. They consisted of one month of four to six left orbital attacks per day that lasted from 30 minutes to three hours and were precipitated by alcohol and stress. At worst, he rated the pain of the attacks as being 10 out of 10 in intensity, and they occurred almost continually for five days in the third week of each cluster period. He was prescribed the histamine receptor blocker pizotifen, which was ineffective. In January 1993, at the age of 22, he took LSD recreationally and was surprised when his anticipated February attack did not occur. Over the next two years, he took LSD three or four times and missed his next four consecutive cluster periods. In April 1995, at 24, following a 12-month abstinence from LSD, he experienced another attack and was prescribed propranolol and amitriptyline, both of which were ineffective. Suspecting that his use of a psychedelic drug had prevented his cluster periods from recurring, he ingested psilocybincontaining mushrooms the following October and did not experience his anticipated November cluster period. After that, until December 1996, he consumed 10 to 12 fresh liberty cap mushrooms (Psilocybe semilanceata) every three monthsabout a quarter of the usual recreational dose required for psychedelic effectssuffering no attacks whatsoever until he discontinued his use of the mushrooms in order to test whether there was a correlation between their use and the absence of cluster periods. He was right: in January 1998, his next cluster period began, and he was again prescribed propranolol, which mitigated some of his attacks but which he was unable to tolerate because of an overly slowed heart rate. His first post to the Internet on this subject was on July 28, 1998. From then on, he ingested liberty caps every six months, and has since been almost pain-free on this regimen, with two exceptions. The first was in 2001 when he had destroyed his supply because he feared being discovered by the police, and as a result took a smaller than usual dose, which resulted in a seven-day cluster period. He was prescribed oxygen, but the episode ended before his insurance approved this treatment. Another cluster period occurred in April 2003 when he deliberately took a smaller dose as an experiment and again suffered a week of attacks, which he then aborted with a second dose of psilocybin-containing mushrooms.
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Table 1 (see page 118) is reproduced from Dr. Sicuteris summary of the effects of lysergic acid derivatives other than methysergide on 390 headache patients (Sicuteri 1963). Standards for scientific reporting were somewhat more lax forty years ago than they are now; we can tell from his paper that 25 of the 238 patients treated with methysergide had cluster headache, but there is no indication that Sicuteri thought to treat the cluster attacks acutely, measured whether the LSD had any cluster-periodterminating effects, or followed the patients to see if they skipped their next cluster period. Moreover, he referred to cluster headache by the archaic term histamine cephalgia (cluster headache was not formally defined using modern nomenclature until 1980), so there is no guarantee that what he considered cluster headache is what we would consider the same thing today. Needless to say, Sicuteri saw much more promise in methysergide than he did in LSD, and spent a considerable portion of his career developing it as a medication. The true potential of LSD in treating cluster headache was thus unfortunately overlooked. The next scientist to investigate the use of visionary plants to treat headache was Dr. Ethan Russo, who later went on to found the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics and is well-known for his interest in migraine. In the early 1990s, Dr. Russo made two expeditions to Perus remote Manu National Park (in the same fashion as Schultes Amazonian research fifty years earlier), researching the use of medicinal plants by members of the Machiguenga tribes, about whom he had written earlier (Russo 1992). Sometimes they crush leaves or flowers which they drip into their eyes to treat migraine or enhance their hunting prowess, he writes; in a later work, he described the use of several psychedelics by the natives to treat headache, including Brugmansia arborea. Apparently, longitudinal cuts were made in the stems or branches of this small tree and these branches were then applied to the skin; an anesthetic and soporific effect became apparent after fifteen minutes. Over fifteen years later, Russos manuscript, An Ocelot for a Pillow: Researching Headaches, Hallucinogens, and Hunting Magic Among the Machiguenga of Manu remains unpublished, unfortunately, so it is unclear what else he discovered. He has since devoted his career to exploring the therapeutic use of Cannabis. Although Cannabis appears to have utility in the treatment of
CASE CH037
Authorized Research This 46-year-old man with restless legs syndrome began to have cluster headaches at age eight. He was taken to many doctors and suffered severe disruptions of his schooling owing to his need for frequent hospitalization. His headaches came without warning, were described as being like a red hot poker being poked through my eye, and were associated with runny nose, drooping eyelid and teary eye on one side, and whole-body perspiration. The pain was overwhelming and rendered him incapable of speaking or doing anything. He often screamed, flailed around, pounded his head with his fists and banged against anything he could find without regard for his personal safety. He described these episodes as degrading and exhausting (he was woken two or three times a night by an attack) and distressing for his companions. Until his mid-20s, his cluster periods were regulartwice a yearand lasted six to eight weeks, but as he grew older, the cluster periods gradually lengthened, and 15 years ago, they became secondary chronic, at which point he had to stop working and was classified as disabled, not leaving his home for months on end. In 1998, he participated in a functional imaging study that demonstrated, for the first time, hypothalamic perfusion changes during a cluster attack (May et al. 1998; Kaplow 2006).
FIGURE ONE:
Brain of CH037 clearly shows hypothalamic activation during experimentally induced cluster attack.
Unauthorized Research Unfortunately, amitriptyline, propranolol, and lithium were ineffective in controlling his headaches. Verapamil was partially effective, and oxygen and sumatriptan worked well as abortives; prednisone was also effective. In November 2004, he took a two-gram dose of psilocybincontaining mushrooms but did not note any change in his headaches. After a second dose a week later, however, his headaches remitted completely and have not returned as of July 2008. He is now able to sleep through the night and has resumed a normal life, completely without medications. He currently uses tea, coffee, cigarettes, and Cannabis daily, but no other drugs except for a sub-psychedelic maintenance dose of mushrooms every two or three months.
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migraine, there is no evidenceanecdotal or otherwiseto suggest that it is helpful in treating cluster headache. In 2003, Otto Snow published a book, LSD, in which he describes his extraordinary results in treating migraine with psychedelics. Although headache terminology can sometimes be confusing (the term cluster migraine always makes me shudder), the symptoms that Snow describesdouble vision, unsteady gait, right arm and leg numbness, difficulty speakinglocalize to the brainstem, not the hypothalamus, which is where cluster headache originates (Snow 2003). These symptoms are consistent with a rare form of migraine called basilar-type migraine, or Bickerstaff Syndrome; if this is the case, then ergotamine, triptans, and beta-blockers such as propranolol can be dangerous and should not be used. His experiences with LSD treating migraine are interesting, and conform with the observations of other researchers; but cluster headache is not migraine! In 1998, unauthorized research on cluster headache stepped in where authorized research had drawn a blank. Scotsman Craig Adams,3 proprietor of The Moorings Bar in Aberdeen (an unusual profession, given that alcohol reliably triggers cluster attacks)also known as Patient Zeromade a remarkable post to the Internet in which he described his use of psilocybin to treat his cluster headache. He was vilified by the cluster headache community, which was generally unwilling to hear about the new treatment,4 but he persisted. The 38th person he persuaded to try psilocybin for cluster headache was a Midwesterner named Bob Wold.3 Mr. Wold (Figure 2) was a tough case. His cluster headaches had started as episodic, but his cluster periods had grown longer and longer until eventually they ran together, and nothing seemed to help. When I obtained copies of Mr. Wolds medical records from his neurologist, Dr. Freitag, I counted no fewer than sixty-five medication trials, all of which had failed (except for two of his four weeklong inpatient admissions to the Diamond Headache Clinic). Faced with a choice of trying psilocybin or undergoing gamma-knife brain surgery, he figured that it was likely to be brain damage either way, so he took the psilocybin. And it worked! The first dose gave him only 24 hours of relief, but subsequent doses broke the cluster headache cycle altogether. Livid that none of the neurologists he had seen had shared with him this simple, effective treatment for his terrible malady, he founded a group called the Clusterbusters (www.clusterbusters.com) in 2001. Clusterbusters is dedicated to bringing the attention of the medical establishment to this new medicine, promoting clinical trials, and turning psilocybin into a prescribable drug. After the Clusterbusters membership topped 100, Bob Wold approached MAPS, and MAPS approached Harvard Medical School, where I was conducting research, with a proposalwere we inter-
FIGURE TWO:
Bob Wold, unauthorized researcher on visionary drugs and cluster headache; founder of the Clusterbusters.
ested in a potential new treatment for a terrible disease? For a young neurologist who was new to research, it seemed like a gift from heaven. With the help of Earth and Fire Erowid, who graciously agreed to develop and host it, we put a dummy questionnaire on the Internet that asked a number of innocuous questions about quality of life with cluster headache, followed by a money question asking permission to contact the respondent to ask more questions about cluster headache. Those who checked the box, I phoned, e-mailed, and quizzed about their use of psychedelic drugs. This gave me 242 cases; I combined these with the 120 provided by the Clusterbusters and 21 cluster headache patients whohaving heard that I was researching cluster headachee-mailed me out of the blue, to yield a large database that I was able to search for evidence of therapeutic effect from psychedelic drugs. The final step was to require medical records documenting the diagnosis (since Internet identities are notoriously unreliable).
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What is LSA?
LSA, also known as ergine, is an ergoline alkaloid thatunlike LSDoccurs in nature in a number of plants, two of which can be found in the United States (Argyreia nervosa, or Hawaiian baby woodrose, and Ipomoea violacea, morning glory), and one of which grows in Mexico (Turbina [= Rivea] corymbosa, or ololiuhqui). Hawaiian baby woodrose is a perennial climbing vine that was native to the Indian subcontinent but now is present worldwide. Knowledge of its psychedelic properties started to spread in the 1960s, after a paper detailing its chemistry was published (Hylin & Watson 1965), and after it was noticed that poor people in Hawaii would consume the seeds for a cheap buzz (Emboden 1972). Seven or eight seeds will cause a four- to twelve-hour trip similar to LSD but with fewer visual effects, and with occasional nausea, flatulence, and vomiting. Morning glory is another climbing vine whose seeds contain LSA, and was originally used by Aztec shamans in Mexico to commune with their gods. Ololiuhqui was likewise used by South American healers in shamanic healing ceremonies, and is thought to have been the most common visionary plant consumed by indigenous people throughout the continent. It is still used by the Mazatecs, who live in the southern mountains of Mexico. The constituent LSA was identified in 1960 by Albert Hofmann. Because LSA is generally an unpleasant trip, few recreational users take it twice, and perhaps because of its low abuse potential, it is categorized in Schedule III, the same class as buprenorphine and anabolic steroids, not in Schedule I as are most other psychedelics.
How many people would send documentation of illegal activity to a faceless authority figure over the Internet? So many, in fact, that I cut the study off at 50, reasoning that more cases than that would not necessarily be more convincing; three more medical records arrived after the cutoff point. The results were extraordinary! (Figure 3) Psilocybin and LSD appeared to be at least as effective as the conventional medication at aborting an acute attack, and appeared to be able to terminate cluster periods and even prevent them from reoccurring, a characteristic not shared by any conventional medication. I published the results in the journal Neurology with my colleague Harrison Pope, Jr., a renowned professor of psychiatry at McLean Hospital, and my former colleague John Halpern (Sewell et al. 2006). The study suffered from several methodological flaws, unfortunately. Firstwhat was the dose? One big one and two small ones, would be a typical answer. Three stems and two caps. Not too useful for constructing a doseresponse curve. Second, what about selection bias? Unfortunately, its probably possible to find fifty people on the Internet who would swear that rubbing cow manure in their hair cures cluster headache; cyberspace is a big place.
FIGURE THREE:
Authorized Research on Visionary Plants and Drugs: Efficacy of LSD and psilocybin indicated here is likely higher than would be seen in a clinical population for two reasons: 1) the population of cluster headache patients willing to resort to taking psychedelic drugs is by definition one for which conventional medications are not that effective, and 2) patients are more willing to share success stories than failures. Still, holey moley!
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The solution came from England. A group called the Organization for Understanding Cluster Headache (OUCH-UK) had noticed that seeds of the Hawaiian baby woodrose and morning glory plants, when ground up, seemed to be just as effective as LSD or psilocybin in treating their cluster headache. Even better, morning glory seeds can be ordered over the Internet, overnight-delivered, and consumed immediately without the need for a sixweek delay while spores germinate and mushrooms grow. Better still, lysergic acid amide (LSA), the active ingredient in the seeds, is only Schedule III, so being caught with it is unlikely to result even in prosecution, much less a stiff prison sentence. News of the discovery spread like wildfire and quickly jumped the pond, presenting me with a unique opportunity. Given that I had a database of 383 cluster headache patients, none of whom had taken LSA at the time they had enrolled in the study,5 how manytwo years laterhad taken it? Sixty-eight, it turned out. This was no longer a retrospective case series, which is scientifically unconvincing, but rather a prospective cohort study (which, while considerably more compelling, is still not up to the level of a randomized clinical trial). Not only that; since seeds come as discrete units, it occurred to me that all I had to do to arrive at a dose was 1) analyze a seed, 2) ask each subject how many seeds they had taken, and 3) multiply the two values to arrive at the dose. This idea proved to be a dead end, unfortunately. Preliminary analysis of the seeds revealed that there was an over ten-fold variation in alkaloid content from batch to batchsome seeds being complete duds, containing no LSA whatsoever (Figure 4). The only solution was to have patients mail me whatever seeds they had left over after they treated themselves, so I could see exactly what they had taken (Figure 6, next page). Disclosure of the results will have to await peer review, but a preliminary poster presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Headache Society can be viewed on the Erowid web site (erowid.org/chemicals/lsa/ lsa_article2.pdf). As one might expect, sub-hallucinogenic doses of LSA appear to be effective in treating cluster attacks, terminating cluster periods, and extending remission periods in cluster headache.
Concentration of Total Alkaloids in Seeds
Total Alkaloids % wt
Argyreia nervosa
avg = 0.445% wt 4.45 mg/g
Turbina corymbosa
avg = 0.080% wt 0.80 mg/g
Sample
FIGURE FOUR:
Authorized research into visionary plants and drugs: alkaloid content of Argyreia nervosa and Turbina (= Rivea) corymbosa.
LSD
LSA
methysergide
sumatriptan
FIGURE FIVE:
Structural homologies between authorized and unauthorized treatments for cluster headache. Changing an ethyl group on LSD to a methoxy yields methysergide (Sansert). Sumatriptan (Imitrex) is dimethyltryptamine (DMT) with a methanesulfonamide in the 5-position, and is therefore potentially illegal under the Controlled Substances Analogue Enforcement Act.
And so it came to pass that modern science could have stumbled upon this discovery several times, but unfortunately asked the wrong questions, drew the wrong conclusions, or simply looked the other way. It was not a cadre of smart Ivy League doctors drawing chemical diagrams on chalkboards or running complicated structural computer simulations who discovered that psychotropic indoles treat clus-
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Unauthorized Research
Authorized Research
Hawaiian baby woodrose seeds obtained via mail-order. Husks removed. Sample of seeds (1 g) sent to Dr. Sewells lab.
Seeds ground with mortar and pestle in lemon juice.
Seeds weighed, measured, and counted.
Seeds dried
and placed in a teabag to make lysergic acid tea.
Lysergic acid and other alkaloids absorbed orally and sublingually.
Silica gel Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis of Argyreia nervosa extract (10% methanol/chloroform); development with Ehrlichs reagent. LSA exists in tandem with an isomer that is inactive and the two convert rapidly back and forth between one form and the other, equiliberating at a ratio of 4 LSA to 5 iso-LSA. The same is true of LSD.
FIGURE SIX: Unuthorized research into visionary plants and drugs combined with authorized research on visionary plants and drugs.
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Alas, I doubt if I could provide any scientifically useful data. [ My diaries were] shredded when I left New Mexico in 2003. (Id accumulated 16 tons of stuff during my 37 year residence there, but when we moved to Hawaii everything had to fit into a shipping containertriage time.) I now regret all that ruthless shredding because Im writing a sequel to Psychedelic Shamanism and wish I had access to some of the old diaries.
There you have it. Even as Jim DeKorne cranked out the first photocopies of The Entheogen Review, irrefutable scientific evidence of the therapeutic efficacy of psychedelic drugs lay buried in his files, not ten feet away, unexamined, only to be thrown out a decade later. Any number of conclusions can be drawn from this. I prefer to surmise the following: First, the truth wins out eventually; and second, the universe has a sense of humor.
FIGURE SEVEN:
Kyle Reed, authorized researcher.
And with that thought in mind, on behalf of Jim DeKorne, David Aardvark, and the cast and crew of The Entheogen Review, I bid you all good night, and good luck.
ter headache. Rather, it was a dedicated patient group, testing different psychedelic compounds through trial and error, much as the shamans of old honed their healing techniques through observation and iteration. Unauthorized research made the discovery, leaving authorized research merely to confirm it and refine it. Which brings us back to Jim DeKorne, former editor of The Entheogen Review. Compulsive about documentation, he recorded the date of every one of the fifteenor-so occasions (October 25, 1964; February 21, 1965; February 18, 1979, etc.) that he took LSD over three decades (DeKorne 1994). It should be a simple matter, I thought, to cross-reference these occasions with the timing of his cluster periodswhich he also recorded in excruciating detail and show that his infrequent use of LSD corresponded with a skipping of each subsequent cluster period. I was dismayed to receive the following e-mail:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks go to Ethan Russo, M.D. and Nicola Schilling, L.C.S.W. for their comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. Special appreciation goes to Kyle Reed (Figure 7), the analytic chemist who performed all the seed analyses in the study mentioned above in his laboratory at Harvard. When I calculated how much I would have had to pay to extract the alkaloids from all those seed samples using a commercial laboratory, the figure exceeded $30,000. However, Kyle refused to allow me to even reimburse him for the cost of the raw materials used in the analysis. Thanks also to MAPS and Seth Hollub, for sponsoring and funding the authorized LSA research, and to Miles Cunningham, M.D., Ph.D., for the use of his laboratory.
FOOTNOTES
1. Anhalonium lewinii (= Lophophora williamsii) was standardized to a 10% tincture by a process described in the U.S. Pharmacopeia and given at a dose of 48 grams. 2. Dr. Arthur Heffter was the first Chairman of the German Society of Pharmacologists, wrote the first Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, and was the first to isolate mescaline from peyote. It is meaningless to ask whether Heffters or Havelock Ellis self-experimentation was authorized or unauthorized; a century ago scientists were free to authorize themselves. 3. Real name used with permission. 4. It is my observation that cluster headache patients appear to be unusually lawabiding. The existence of a particular personality type that accompanies cluster headache has been commented upon many times but never formally verified. 5. And yes, that was one of the things I had checked. They may not have heard of LSA, but I had!
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Otto Snow Speaks

Interviewed by Thomas Lyttle
nity were harmedphysically and psychologicallyby the physicians who treated them. The government would do nothing to investigate or stop it. Prescription drugs kill more people then street drugs. So if national security begins at home, one needs to learn about all drugs. Most drugs have the potential to cripple or kill you, whether theyre available via prescription, over-the-counter, or off the street. Personal responsibility demands that you take what is safe and works for you; in some cases, personal responsibility has to trump legal restrictions. In my quest for knowledge on the topic, I visited university libraries and read through all of the journal articles I could find on any specific drug. After which, I read through the drug patents. This is why my books are so well referenced, more so than any other synthesis books on the market. The real science is in the journal articles. I did my library research on psychedelics from 1973 to 1985. Why focus primarily on psychedelics, rather than government-approved psychoactive drugs?
Prior to his death in September of 2008, Thomas Lyttle completed the following interview with Otto Snow. Lyttle met Snow in the early 1990s, and they quickly became friends due to their shared interest in entheogens. A chemist and independent researcher, Snow is the author of the books Amphetamine Syntheses (1998, 2002), OXY (2001), LSD (2003), THC & Tropacocaine (2004), and Love Drugs (2005).
What sparked your interest in drug chemistry?

Environment. I grew up in a world of high technology, and prescription drugs were everywhere. The city where I lived had many script doctors, and unfortunately my parents became a couple more statistics in the quagmire. My father worked in the defense industry, and many people in this commu-
My library searches on prescription and OTC psychoactive drugs indicated that these pharmaceuticals tend to be toxic. They dont work for some people, can have severe adverse effects, and in many cases must be taken chronically. They essentially create disease in patients. Dont get me wrong, some conventional psychoactive drugs are useful and safe. Psychedelics probably follow a similar pattern with regard to utility: some are useful, many are not. But psychedelics are rarely taken chronically, and they generally have low toxicity. My primary interest was studying the so-called psychotomimetics, in a search for the endogenous causes of mental illness. Although ultimately, I am a strong advocate of good nutrition, exercise, and socializationthese are much safer than drugs.
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In your book LSD, you mentioned using acid as a cure for your migraine headaches as a teenager. Can you tell us a little about that? When I was fifteen years old, I was diagnosed with migraines. Half of my body goes numb when I get them, and they last for weeks at a time. Prescription ergot alkaloids, barbiturates, and narcotics were the standard treatments. None of these worked very well. However, by binding to serotonin receptor subtypes 5, 6, and 7, LSD appears to stop the sequence of neurochemical events that causes migraines. LSD also seems to allow the individual to psychologically transcend what is causing the migraines, via the mind-brain connection. Your book discussed other people with migraines who took LSD too, right?
For a few years it was obtained from the Brotherhood of Eternal Love. Later, I found a laboratory that supplied patients in the area. I will call the source Dr. Lysergic. He had produced LSD prior to it being scheduled, and he quietly continued to do so after it became illegal. He would be in his eighties by now, if he is still around. It has been many years since I have been in contact with him. Tell us more about the sessions. The primary objective of the session was to dissolve the headache. If the LSD is taken as soon as a headache starts coming on, it is effective. For many people, the fact that a migraine is developing may be signaled by an increased sensitivity to light, or by seeing auras. I know that a migraine is coming on because I start feeling numb in my pinky finger and my arm. Sessions started at 9:00 am, after breakfast, and all sessions were guided. There were no real distortions with the experience. Colors may have been a little brighter, but not nearly so much as when the drug is taken at night. When the medication kicked in, it was important to let go and relax. During the peak drug effects, we would be in the mountains or in a field somewhere, lying on our backs looking up through the forest at white clouds against a blue sky. The point was to actively release the headache. What role do the guides play in this treatment? The guides must have a lot of experience. They should know the people they are working with, and be familiar with their life situations. It is an intimate psychological relationship, not a drivethru therapy. At various times, we all acted as guides for each other. In LSD you also mentioned an alcoholic friend who used LSD to keep her addiction at bay. Could you tell us a little about that?
There were a few of us. The friends I hung out with were ten to forty years older then me. Many had initially obtained LSD legally, prior to the moratorium in 1965. Alcoholics and people with neuroses also found LSD to be an effective medication. Dont get me wrong, LSD is not a panacea. But I know that it worked for our migraines. These people taking LSD for medicinal purposes were white-collar folks. The drug was not being abused. No one partied with it. Sessions were set up several days in advance, and they were carefully controlled to make sure that individuals received the maximum benefit. Over time, people suffering from migraines do not need to take LSD as often. What was the dose? The usual amount was 100 micrograms, but some individuals needed 200 mics. Who provided the LSD?
When I was fifteen years old, I was diagnosed with migraines. LSD appears to stop the sequence of neurochemical events that causes migraines.
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Jasmine was in her sixties. She originally supplied us with LSD, back before we purchased it from the Brotherhood or Dr. Lysergics associates. Jasmine was administered LSD in a series of legal sessions at a clinic, before the drug was scheduled. Her clinic doses were rather large. But after that, she only took low doses of about 50 micrograms, a couple of times per week, and these kept her free from the addiction. Do you think that LSD will be used legally in the future for migraines or alcoholism? Prohibition hasnt stopped its use for such purposes. Its currently being used for these conditions around the globe. Wherever there is high technology, and people with brains, some of those brains are going to get aches. These people are smart enough that theyre going to take something that works, not something that theyll have to consume chronically, which they might become addicted to, or which has toxic side-effects. Although we need more pharmaceutical development in this nation, simply raising general awareness about the risks and benefits of drugs that are already available sometimes on the black marketcould dramatically reduce suffering. Not everyone who takes LSD is going to be helped by it. Of course, for those it can help, there should be legal access to pharmaceutical quality LSD of a standardized dose. But I dont know how much hope there is that this will happen anytime soon. What about the recent study showing the effectiveness of psilocybin in treating cluster headaches? My own experiences were with LSD, and those were three decades ago. Id love to see new, controlled studies that explore the potential of LSD as a headache medication. Your career was shaped early on by your independent scientific research into brain chemistry, with an eye toward understanding and treating mental illness. Tell us a bit about the environment in which you were raised. My mother was born in Montreal, and my father was from Boston. For over twenty years, my father worked on electronic intelligence, information, and
electronic warfare systems. My mother was office manager for a chain of medical and pharmaceutical supply companies. So I inherited a deep respect for science and technology from my father, as well as an understanding of pharmaco-economics from my mother and the pharmacists she worked with. I was given old copies of the Physicians Desk Reference, when the new ones came out. Back then, it was generally perceived that the knowledge to understand these books was the sole purview of physicians. Sadly, even with this attitude, those copies of the PDR contained only scant overviews of the meds. Some have expressed their opinion that the PDR should be viewed as more of a drug catalog than a prescription guide. In any case, most physicians only take a couple of semesters of chemistry classes in school. Years later, due to the horrific medical care my parents were subjected to, I found out that the physicians in the community where I lived were either script doctors or cowards. I moved my folks to Maine to get them proper treatment. My mother had basically been tortured by a New Hampshire physician, and my father was recovering from cancer. In 1985, a gang of Maine state troopers broke into your home, traumatizing you and your family. Would you recount those events for us? At the time, I was starting up a research company. My attorney had incorporated the company. I was going to be developing neurochemicals. Late one evening, a half-dozen officers unexpectedly forced themselves into my familys home. The officer in charge had lied on the affidavit, in order to get a warrant. He lied so that they didnt need probable cause for the home invasion. It was orchestrated in such a way to conceal the fact that what they were really trying to pull off was a shakedown for money. When one orders chemicals that could be used in the manufacture of scheduled drugs, suppliers are required to notify the DEA. Then the DEA either asks the drug unit from local law enforcement to look into the purchase, or they will stop by themselves and ask questions. Someone might come to
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your door and inquire why you need a listed precursor chemical. Or a surveillance investigation might be instigated, to determine if anything illegal is happening. But processing countless legal molecules requires specific lab equipment along with many chemicals, some of which are listed precursors. In my case, I was never questioned and there was no investigation. At midnight, officers pounded their flashlights on the outside of the house, waking us up and forcing us to let them in. They threatened my family in an attempt to get us to cough up money, and I was physically assaulted by an officer. There was no lab, there were no illegal drugs, and there were no immediate precursor chemicals. My family was terrorized throughout the early morning. I was falsely arrested on two counts. I was not allowed to have access to my research papers. In simple terms, I wasnt allowed to defend myself or assist my attorneys. It was two years before the situation was resolved. Does the DEA really advocate or endorse this sort of terrorism against scientists or chemists? The number of students in the United States studying mathematics and science has been declining in recent years, and this has been determined to be a risk to national security. I have a letter from the DEA relating that they want drugs to be developed, and they want people to determine which drugs can effectively treat medical conditions. Of course, chemists must follow the appropriate protocols, and refrain from dumping controlled substance analogues on the street. But America is a democracy, and the DEA is a law enforcement agency. Interference with scientific investigation is more akin to socialism than democracy. Although I grew up in an area dominated by the development and production of electronics, explosives, and chemicals for warfare, such interests were not my calling. I was studying psychoactive drugs, not weapons. I had been into the Boston DEA Office, where they gave me books and offered pointers on chemical families that they were having problems with, such as PCP analogues. So I steered clear of those chemicals.
The federal prosecutor objected to the court about my attorneys questioning DEA chemists, and outrageouslythe judge went along with it! Nevertheless, the DEA is not against research, to my knowledge. What happened with the case? The case was not processed. The FBI ended up going after the officers in charge, and my journal articles and research papers were returned. That must have been a terrible experience for your family. Yes it was. Because of the stress, my fathers cancer returned; it metastasized and killed him. And I was disabled as a result of it. Terrorism by government officials against citizens is a horrible thing. All Americans should be protected from such terrorism. When the checks and balances fail, terrorists are given authority in the government. The action taken against my family and me was not something new for these officers. A year before, they had handcuffed a man behind his back and terrorized him with an attack dog. They were never prosecuted for that. But eventually, these officers were found to have committed perjury, had sex with informants, stolen money, lied on affidavits, etc.; it was truly terrible. The corrupt officers were all fired. Its called taking out the trash. I hadand still havefriends in local, state, and federal law enforcement. They are honorable people. There are lots of good officers in the state of Maine. Many people were on my side through the whole ordeal, including folks in law enforcement. It just goes to show that sometimes the system does work, at least in part. Science is important. The books that I have written are used by students, law enforcement, and attorneys. Some folks may not have heard of the second chemical in the title of your book THC & Tropacocaine. This could act as a substitute for cocaine, right? In the 1980s, when the United States was being hit with the cocaine blizzard, there was a company that was easy to do business with. They stocked
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tropacocaine, and a salesman said that they had a kilo available. He later told me that he grabbed the kilo for himself, and I never got the scoop on what happened with it. In any case, a major pharmaceutical company could produce tropacocaine and addicts could get the drug from clinics. This would make cocaine addiction more manageable, and remove the profit from the illicit cocaine trade. Although, honestly, cocaine addicts might benefit from some of the newer antidepressant drugs that release dopamine. People I knew years ago who were addicted to coke for many years are dead today. Cocaine can be toxic to the heart. You were legally prescribed Marinol, synthetic THC, for a long-standing illness. How does it compare to Cannabis?
was legally manufactured and sold in large amounts for quite a while. So far as the fatty acid amides go, I believe that anandamide was the first to be tested by humans. Ive been told that its effect is like THC. Was it smoked, snorted, or taken orally? The researcher did not go into details, but I speculate that it is active by all routes. Oleamide, which I describe the synthesis of in my book, is a CB-1 agonist. It is a cannabinoid that naturally occurs in the brain, like anandamide does. Oleamide is also called cerebrodiene. Whats a CB-1 agonist? Its a molecule that binds to the THC receptor site. Oleamide is made from oleic acid, a component of olive oil, by cooking it with urea. Other CB-1 agonists use different oils, such as coconut oil. Its simple chemistry: cooking oil and fertilizer. It doesnt get any easier than that.
Uncle Sam and several physicians helped me to assess Marinol over a period of two years. Its an interesting medication, but overpriced. The sesame seed oil carrier for the THC can cause gastrointestinal problems and severe diarrhea in some patients. The drug could be reformulated and improved, but THCwhether from Marinol or marijuanais effective for treating many medical conditions. Im interested in hearing more about the fatty acid amides that you talk about in the book. Will these replace THC and Cannabis? Eventually they may. There are people who have tested them, but who have not gone public for fear that the fatty acid amides will be placed into Schedule I before further research can take place. However, in most cases, specific drugs are scheduled only when substantial abuse is determined. Consider, for example, how long MDMA was available before it was restricted. We didnt see pharmaceutical companies going through the appropriate protocol to develop it as a medication, but it
Oleamide, which I describe the synthesis of in my book, is a CB-1 agonist. It is a cannabinoid that naturally occurs in the brain, like anandamide does.
Has any human testing of oleamide happened yet? It has been patented for use in humans. They did not describe the human testing of it. But as we well know, people dont go to the expense of patenting applications for medicines unless someone has given the drugs a taste test. Oleamide has been found to be approximately one third as active as anandamide in rats. What that equates to in humans remains to be determined. Interestingly, oleamide is an appetite suppressant in lab animals. We may see many of the fatty acid amides available in the next few years. This is the hottest research going. They might be mixed with an inert carrier such as ground alfalfa leaves and pressed into tablets by pharmaceutical firms. Im speculating though, because they would have to obtain Investigational New Drug status through the FDA.
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Or be pressed by underground chemists into bricks of designer hash. And there are thousands of possibly synergistic combinations of psychoactive fatty acid amides that await discovery. It very well could be the new designer frontier. No one is even talking about the research that has been done with these compounds in humans yet. You describe the synthesis of a few of them in THC & Tropacocaine, right? Yes, and there are many more to investigate, should readers take the initiative to explore further in university libraries. We are at the dawn of a psychedelic revolution for motivated chemists. Its in Americas hands now. And theyre made from common oils used in the kitchen, wow! Moving from cannabinoids to opioids, tell us about your book OXY. While reviewing the United Nations documents on narcotics, I discovered that if there is any sort of national catastrophe, in short order there could be very few effective painkillers available to the masses, since the United States prohibits the production of opium poppies, the raw material used to synthesize strong painkillers. So I put together OXY. Everyone should grow scarlet poppies, Papaver bracteatum, just in case. Unlike P. somniferum, the scarlet poppy is legal to grow; it contains thebaine, which my book OXY explains how to extract, purify, and convert into several potent painkilling chemicals. People can usually get narcotics from a physician if they are in pain. But with terrorism and natural disasters at our doorsteps, rural Americans must have the capacity to produce their own narcotics. It is important. Love Drugs is your most recent book. Whats it about? Love Drugs is a sequel to Amphetamine Syntheses. I didnt have enough room in Amphetamine Syntheses, so Love Drugs contains additional formulas. I include multiple sources for precursors of not only MDMA, but also of numerous other entactogens. Obscure reactions. From-scratch reactions. Prepa-
ration of nitroalkanes, reductions, and such. Oodles of new reactions. The chemistry is easy and extensive. Of course, in the United States, research into entactogens was essentially banned by the Controlled Substances Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986. This is unfortunate, since entactogens are such a promising category for drug development. What is the future of the independent neuroscientist or chemist? Can someone who is not connected to the university system or the medical profession actually conduct experiments and design new compounds, without repercussions? In theory, yes. But even the researchers in universities are not releasing their findings for fear of repercussions, such as the loss of their funding or the scheduling of the molecules they are investigatingeither of which would block their ability to continue working in this arena. Unfortunately, the present political agenda does not support progress. Finally, where can people find your books? FS Book Company (fsbookco.com) and the Homestead Book Company (homesteadbook.com) keep all my titles in stock. Many bookstores also carry my books. If theyre not on the shelf, stores are usually happy to order them for you, to make the sale, and buying from your local bookstore saves you the shipping cost. Most of my books are first editions, and most will not be reprinted. So along with being valuable references, they are an investment for collectors. You can also check out a few of my blogs on-line at myspace.com/ottosnow. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Lost in Jonathan Otts Footsteps:

Acetone Tinctures of SALVIA DIVINORUM
by Zhah
This isnt the article I was hoping to write. I was hoping to report on an easy-to-make, easy-to-dose, and highly effective Salvia divinorum tincture. But the looming end of The Entheogen Review has prompted me to relate the curious null-results of my attempts as they stand. The most common Salvia divinorum tinctures are ethanol-based. This, despite the poor solubility of salvinorin A in ethanol1.28 mg/ml in 200 proof ethanol rapidly becoming less soluble with declining proof (Sphere 2006a)the extreme irritation to mucus membranes by high-proof ethanol, and the perhaps unwanted additional buzz that can accompany an ethanol tincture for those sensitive to the effects of alcohol. My thought on this was: Why bother with the ethanol at all, if its problematic? I recalled that acetone has a low toxicity, and it seemed to me that one could simply extract with acetone and evaporate down to saturation, to quickly and easily make an acetone tincture. With a solubility of 23 mg/ml for salvinorin A in acetone (Sphere 2006a), only ~50 microliters (ml) of acetone tincture would be needed to deliver a 1 mg dose as compared to approximately 1 ml for an ethanol tincture. Measuring this small amount of liquid reliably may seem problematic, but in the age of e-Bay, used volumetric micropipettes, which retail for several hundred dollars, are available for $2070.1 Since micropipettes are highly accurate, even down to the order of < 1 ml, micropipetting acetone tinctures should be an easy and economical way to accurately measure extremely small amounts of salvinorin A without having to invest a thousand dollars or more in an analytical balance. This led me to my second idea: anybody wanting to work directly with vaporizing or smoking salvinorin A could micropipette the appropriate amount of acetone tincture directly into the elbow of a slightly bent glass tube or onto a square of blotter, let the acetone evaporate, and then micro-torch the elbow while inhaling through the tube or simply smoke the blotter. Scroogle.org revealed to me that I was not the first to consider acetone tinctures of Salvia divinorum. Jonathan Ott (1995a) conjectured that excessive salivation due to the irritation of mucus membranes by ethanol may reduce absorption or even cause the salvinorin A to precipitate out while in the mouth when using alcohol-based tinctures, hence decreasing their efficacy. Ott expected rapid absorption with much less irritation and salivation, and hence better efficacy, from an acetone-based tincture. Ott bioassayed a 10 mg/1.0 ml solution of salvinorin A in acetone and found it to be even more potent than vaporized salvinorin A, obtaining threshold activity at 100 mg, definite psychoactivity at 250500 mg, and visionary activity above 1 mg; he also reported similar success from using a 10 mg/1.0 ml solution in DMSO2 (Ott 1995b). This sounded promising! People are reluctant to consume acetone, although with an oral LD50 of 5800 mg/kg in rats (Oxford University 2008a), this chemical has relatively low toxicity. Acetone is a natural metabolic by-product in the human body and is present in blood and virtually every organ and tissue, as well as in other plants, animals, and insects (CCOHS 2008a ). The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety reports no or only minor effects in people ingesting up to 20 grams per day (!) for several days (CCOHS 2008b). With an oral LD50 of 7060 mg/kg in rats (Oxford University 2008b), ethanol is not much less toxic than acetone, but this particular mind-numbing poison enjoys the grace of
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social acceptance, so few people really think twice about drinking it. Like ethanol, acetone is highly irritating to mucus membranes; but, as mentioned above, due to the much greater solubility of salvinorin A in acetone, approximately 18 times less solvent is required to deliver a dose in acetone than in ethanol, and correspondingly less irritation of mucus membranes is expected. Acetone can, however, be a life-threatening aspiration hazard, so great care must be taken not to breathe the liquid into the lungs, whatever one is attempting (CCOHS 2008b).
The emerald-green residue was scraped up and dissolved in 2 ml of pharmaceutical grade acetone. Bioassay #1: Assuming approximately 23 mg/g leaf based on average leaf potency (Gruber et al. 1999) and a maximal yield, I calculated that a 50 ml dose would contain approximately 500750 mg salvinorin A, while a 20% yield would correspond to 100150 mg, Otts reported threshold dose. 50 ml were applied sublingually and held in the mouth for 25 minutes. The solution burned slightly and was unpleasant. No activity was noted. Bioassay #2: 100 ml, assumed to correspond to a dose of 200 mg1.5 mg, was similarly bioassayed. Again no activity was noted. After these disappointments, I decided that a more quantitative approach was required to provide proof-of-concept. The remaining 1.85 ml were evaporated, washed four times with 23 ml naphtha and evaporated, producing 34 mg of light green powder. Sphere reports yields of 2 mg/g and higher (Sphere 2006b).3 Based on this, and in order to set an approximate lower limit for the dosing, I assumed a yield of at least 1 mg/g, which would mean that the extract should contain at least 10 mg of salvinorin A. This was dissolved in 0.5 ml of pharmaceutical grade acetone, which should have produced an almost saturated solution. Bioassay #3 & #4: Teeth, gums, tongue, and mucus membranes below tongue were brushed thoroughly and rinsed with the menthol-containing mouthwash One Drop Only for 15 minutes. Then 25 ml of tincture were applied sublingually and held below my tongue for 20 minutes with the tongue slightly elevated to reduce salivation. This should have corresponded to a dose of at least 500 mg. Only very mild threshold effects were perceived, which easily might have been placebo effects due to set and expectations. An additional 50 ml assumed to correspond to 1 mg salvinorin A was applied sublingually and held under tongue for 30 minutes. A deep meditative state was reached, which may indicate psychoactivity, but it was sub-psychedelic and not reminiscent of Salvia space. Are there immediate tolerance effects for salvinorin A?
Procedure
I based my approach on Spheres Salvia divinorum Extractions Using Chilled Acetone tek (Sphere 2006b), which extracts three times for 3 minutes each with -10 C acetone, the idea being that the chilled acetone leaves more of the gunk behind while still getting the salvinorin A, due to its high solubility even in subzero acetone. The extracts are combined and filtered to remove sediments, evaporated, and the resulting residue is washed several times with naphtha to remove remaining chlorophyll and plant lipids. The result is a greenish-white crystalline powder. Sphere also suggests optional water washes to remove tannins, and several isopropyl alcohol (IPA) washes to get rid of the remaining chlorophyll. Sphere reports that you can wash all the way to white with IPA, losing more and more of your yield with each wash due to solubility of salvinorin A in IPA. Extraction #1: 10.1 grams of dried whole Salvia divinorum leaf (sourced from a reliable Mexican vendor) were powdered and extracted three times with 50 ml of -8 C acetone in a pre-chilled vessel nested in an ice and salt water slurry, maintaining a temperature of < -5 C during the extraction. The extracts were combined and evaporated. (This evaporation was unplanned. Due to time constraints, the combined extract was simply left standing instead of being filtered first, and the solvent evaporated on its own.) The residue was redissolved in 20 ml of 20 C acetone, filtered through a coffee filter to remove sediment, and again evaporated. True to my initial idea of simply extracting with acetone and reducing, I skipped all the washes.
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Extraction #2: At this point the problems arising from not knowing the purity of my extract became painfully obvious. At any rate, my initial hopes of a quick and easy tincture were dashed. The lack of definite psychoactivity puzzled me, however, and I decided to proceed with the proofof-concept experiments. I again extracted 10 grams of dried, crushed Salvia divinorum leaves three times in chilled acetone, washed two times in water, numerous times in naphtha (until it stopped taking on color), and four times in IPA. The result was approximately 20 mg of crystalline white powder with only a slight green tinge, which I assumed to be relatively pure salvinorin A. This was dissolved in 2 ml of pharmaceutical grade acetone. Bioassays #610: A series of bioassays was performed with 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 ml of acetone tincture, assumed to correspond to doses of approximately 100 mg, 200 mg, 500 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg respectively, applied sublingually as above. At no time were perceived psychoactive effects greater than sub-psychedelic, which might also just have been placebo effects of set and expectations. Salvia space, familiar to me from the quid method using fresh leaves, was never perceived. Bioassays #1113: 50, 100, and 200 m l were micropipetted into the middle of a glass tube and allowed to evaporate. The glass tube was heated with a micro-torch while I inhaled through it. No effect other than burnt fingers was perceived.
an extremely low tolerance for and dislike of ethanol, I had never smoked Salvia divinorum [but see Epilogue] nor used an ethanol tincture; however, I have always entered Salvia space easily using the quid method with fresh leaves. I did experience excessive salivation during the bioassays, even from just 50 ml of acetone, so maybe Otts conjecture regarding a drop in solubility and the resulting precipitation in ethanol tinctures also applies to acetone tinctures. Bioassays #1113 make me seriously question the purity of my extract, and without access to gc/ms, I had no way of knowing how much salvinorin A was actually in my tinctures. However, each step of the extraction corresponded visually very well to the images and descriptions posted on-line (Sphere 20022006; Sphere 2006b). I had based my extractions on Spheres Salvia divinorum Extractions Using Chilled Acetone tek to reduce the amount of contaminants, so that I could try to work with roughly estimable doses of fairly pure salvinorin A. However, Siebert and Sphere have both noted that some leaf components appear to actually facilitate sublingual absorption (Siebert 2008; Sphere n.d.). Yet bioassays #1 and #2 should have covered this possibility, if the acetone tincture had been as effective for me as for Mr. Ott.
Epilogue
After submitting a draft of this article to The Entheogen Review, David Aardvark and I puzzled over possible causes of my null results. We concluded that there were three possibilities: the leaf was inactive (it hadnt otherwise been bioassayed); the extraction process went awry; or the acetone tincture wasnt working for me, at least not in whatever doses I had taken it. This meant that to clinch this experiment we must: assay the leaf, analyze the extract, and repeat the bioassays with known doses of a verified sample of salvinorin A. Bioassaying the leaf was easy. Despite my aversion to smoking, I purchased a $10 bong at the local head shop, crumbled a single dried leaf of approximate 0.25 g mass into the bowl, micro-torched it,
Discussion
These results were very disappointing, especially in light of Otts description of the remarkable efficacy of acetone tinctures. I contacted Daniel Siebert. He reported having had previous personal success with acetone tinctures, but with a much lower efficacy than Ott reported, obtaining only mild effects from a 1 mg dose (Siebert 2007). In addition, David Aardvark reported to me having no effects at all from sublingual application of 2 mg dissolved in acetone (Aardvark 2008). Siebert asked if Id had any previous success with quids, ethanol tinctures, or smoked leaf. Having a problem with smoke in my lungs and also having
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inhaled, and blasted off. I was launched into a Shulgin plus four/Salvia Level 5 state of colorful mystical union with The Ultimate Reality. The shocking abruptness of this experience reminded me of Alan Watts comment regarding his DMT experience as being struck by noetic lightning. I concluded that the leaf was active. Analyzing the extract posed greater difficulties. At the conclusion of my experiments last year, I had dumped the remaining 0.10.2 ml of tincture onto a watch glass, put it in the chemicals cabinet and forgot about it, as I routinely dispose of solvents by simply letting them evaporate, and because my own attempts to arrange an analysis hadnt panned out. When David told me six months later that he could arrange for a reference standard and a lab analysis, and asked me if I had any extract left to analyze, I cringed inwardly. I checked the cabinet and found the residue of the tincture on the watch glass, which consisted of a tiny speck of white crystal in the middle surrounded by green residue, greener than I remembered it being in my cleaned extract. I thought hard: had I dumped the tincture onto a clean watch glass? Was this the remnant of the extract? While I couldnt be sure that the glass had been clean, I was fairly certain that those last ~0.2 ml had landed on that watch glass, so I decided to give it a whirl. I scraped up all the residue (approximately 5 mg total) and mailed it off, along with the comment that I wouldnt want to bet my life on this one. Disappointingly, the lab didnt find any salvinorin A detectable in the sample that was sent; they only found traces of three other unidentifiable compounds.4 (Interestingly, the major unidentifiable compound of the three was also present in the 98+% pure reference standard; it may be one of the other salvinorins found in the plant.) This meant that I could no longer definitely conclude that the acetone tinctures werent working for me. But because of the uncertain condition and quality of the sample being analyzed, I also couldnt conclude for certain that the extraction had gone awry either. That question remains open. Nevertheless, the lab results did mean that our third task of repeating the bioassays with known material was that much more important.
I contacted Daniel Siebert and ordered 20 mg of 98+% pure salvinorin A, which Daniel kindly provided at a discount and shipped immediately, due to the deadline for this article. The material was dissolved in 1.0 ml of pharmaceutical grade acetone and a new series of bioassays was performed. Bioassay #14: 50 ml of acetone tincture, corresponding to 1 mg of salvinorin A, were applied sublingually and held under the tongue with my tongue slightly elevated for 5 minutes. At that point I spread the accumulated saliva around my cheeks and gums with my tongue and waited another 10 minutes. No effects were noted. Bioassay #15: 100 ml of tincture, corresponding to 2 mg of salvinorin A, were applied as above. While I thought a slight shift within the first minute of application might be the start of psychoactivity, no further effects were noted. Bioassay #1617: 200 ml of tincture, corresponding to 4 mg of salvinorin A, were applied as above. After 10 minutes and no effects an additional 400 ml were applied, again with no notable psychoactivity after 20 minutes. However, making a curious tale curiouser and curiouser, I felt quite certain that I did obtain low-level psychoactivity two hours later over a period of two hours while I lay awake, futilely trying to sleep. The combined 0.6 ml of acetone damaged my sublingual tissues to the extent that the top layer of tissue fell off and left the area under my tongue sore for several days. I wouldnt want to assay this amount of acetone tincture again. Bioassay #18: 50 ml of tincture, corresponding to 1 mg of 98+% pure salvinorin A, were micropipetted into a glass tube identical to the one I had used previously, but new and clean. I micro-torched the glass tube while inhaling through it. No effects. I weighed the tube on a milligram scale before and after heating and there was no change in weight. Bioassay #19: 50 ml of tincture, corresponding to 1 mg of 98+% pure salvinorin A, were pipetted onto a piece of aluminum foil and allowed to evaporate. The foil was micro-torched from beneath while I
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inhaled the vapors through the tube. Blast off. Same experience as with the dried leaf. I concluded from this that I hadnt been able to heat the residue sufficiently to vaporize it in the glass tube. This means that bioassays #1113 wouldnt have worked regardless of whether my extract was active or not. Unfortunately, it didnt originally occur to me to bioassay my extract using aluminum foil. Bioassays #16 and #17, in particular, are of special interest. This combined dose of 12 mg salvinorin A was completely ineffective for me within the normal time frame and showed unexpected low-level activity much later. I have gotten good results within 20 minutes using the quid method with 1050 g of fresh leaf, which would contain roughly 316 mg of salvinorin A, assuming that 10 g fresh are roughly equivalent to 1.3 g dried. This dose is around the order of the 12 mg of salvinorin A assayed in the acetone tincture. When doing 50 g amounts of fresh leaf, I have split the material into two 25 g quids and replaced the first quid at 10 minutes, similar to the procedure for bioassays #16 and #17 above. When using quids, I have excessive salivation, but get results nevertheless, so the salivation I experienced with the acetone tinctures isnt necessarily the problem. I did, however, experience substantial irritation of the mucus membranes with acetone tincture that I dont with quids. Perhaps this prevented absorption? Also, fresh-leaf quids contain all the other substances in the leaves, which, as mentioned, seem to aid absorption. Regardless, it is now quite certain that the acetone tinctures are basically ineffective for me, even at very high doses. Incidentally, all of the new developments reported on in this Epilogue occurred during the one week before this article went to press. I conclude this strange tale by relating the first normal thought I had back on planet Earth after smoking the dried leaf (pardon the vulgarities, but they accurately capture what I thought): Fuck the acetone tinctures just get a bong and smoke the shit. Which is a wisdom, it seems, that everyone else figured out long ago.
Acknowledgments
The author and The Entheogen Review express their thanks to Mireia Ventura of the Spanish harm reduction group Energy Control (energycontrol.org) for conducting a gc/ms analysis of the extracted material, and to Daniel Siebert (sagewisdom.org) for kindly donating and rapidly mailing 98+% pure salvinorin A to Venturas lab for use as a reference standard.
Footnotes
1. You never know what was previously drawn into a used micropipette (e.g. blood for AIDS tests), so when acquiring one inquire as to how it has been used; and whatever the case, autoclave the disassembled pipette in the steam insert of a pressure cooker before use! This wont damage the micropipette, they are made to be autoclaved. Be sure to also acquire and use the disposable tips. 2. Difficulties in replicating Otts results are not restricted to acetone tinctures. Just before this article went to print, I was forwarded the following bioassay report from a researcher who wished to remain anonymous: Your article seems consistent with anecdotal experiences using DMSO. Up to 8 mg pure salvinorin A (in 2 ml of a 25% DMSO solution), held in the mouth for a bit over ten minutes, was modestly psychoactive (felt physically off-balance, pressure on chest, somewhat stoned feeling), but certainly not psychedelic like smoking Salvia divinorum. 3. Spheres 2 mg/g or higher figure was inferred based on a statement in Salvia Divinorum Salvinorin Extraction and Refinement FAQ relating that from 250 grams of crushed leaf you get 1 g of extract which is at least 50% salvinorin A. Although Sphere washed his material until it was white, there is no report of any quantitative (or qualitative) analysis having been done on it. Spheres presumption appears to be that the totally white crystals are nearly pure salvinorin A. 4. This might be interesting in itself, because it would mean that the extraction procedure hadnt worked for me, and I generally have good laboratory technique. The question, therefore, would also remain as to what, in fact, had been extracted.
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First Look at a New Psychoactive Drug:

Symmetry (salvinorin B ethoxymethyl ether)
by Dr. Mercury and Dr. Feelodd
Abstract: Background: Salvinorin B ethoxymethyl ether (Symmetry) is a novel and unusually potent salvinorin that has not previously been tested in humans. Methods: Symmetry was synthesized and given in doses of 10 mg to 400 mg to four test subjects. Effects were measured through semi-structured interview and administration of the Peak Experience Profile. Results: Symmetry was extraordinarily potent, psychoactive at the minimum doses taken. It produced geometric visions and ego loss at higher doses, and also induced a feeling of foreboding. Conclusions: Symmetry is a salvinorin derivative of unusual potency that is worthy of further investigation but nevertheless is unlikely to become popular.
INTRODUCTION
Many readers of The Entheogen Review will be familiar with the largely legal psychedelic Salvia divinorum, an entheomedicinal sage originally used by the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico. This plants active compound, salvinorin A (Ortega et al. 1982), is the most potent naturally occurring psychedelic known, producing clear effects at doses of one milligram or less when vaporized (Siebert 1994). Salvinorin A acts at the kappa opioid receptor (Roth et al. 2002), and since most previously known potent opioids have been alkaloids, not diterpenoids, this discovery has excited scientists considerably. In recent years, over a hundred derivatives of salvinorin A have been synthesized in hopes of producing new medicines (Prisinzano & Rothman 2008). A few of these derivatives have had interesting properties, but most are simply disappointing, less-potent imitations of salvinorin A itself. Other salvinorins and related compounds have also been extracted from the plant (Shirota et al. 2006), but again, these compounds are less potent at opioid receptors than salvinorin A. Our attention was therefore caught by a report of a derivative that was actually more potent: salvinorin B methoxymethyl ether (Lee et al. 2005). This in vitro result was later confirmed in mice studies, which also showed that the drug appeared to last longer than salvinorin A (Wang et al. 2008). Then came another report that a slight modification to
FIGURE ONE
this compound made an even stronger drug, salvinorin B ethoxymethyl ether (Munro et al. 2008), which appeared to be about ten times as potent as salvinorin A in vitro (Figure 1). If this turned out to be true in humans as well, it would make salvinorin B ethoxymethyl ether (henceforth referred to as Symmetry) one of the most potent known psychedelics, comparable to the legendary LSD. Now thoroughly intrigued, we decided to find out for ourselves.
METHODS
Four subjects (Alpha through Delta) were recruited to participate in the bioassay. All were free of comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions, had extensive prior experience with psychedelic drugs, and were not allergic to salvinorin A. Set: As with other visionary plants and drugs, users of Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A sometimes report contacting plant spirits, teachers, or entities
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when under the influence (see, for example, Kathleen Harrisons encounter with the spirit of La Pastora; Harrison 2000). One of our subjects felt strongly that the Symmetry needed to be honored before she took it, so we went along with this approach because there seemed no harm in it, and we were also curious if such psychological suggestion might increase the chance of some sort of entity encounter. Participants were instructed that they would be taking a new derivative of the plant teacher salvinorin A, with which everyone was familiar. In order to prepare, each participant was instructed to: 1) Rent two nature documentaries and watch them over the two days prior to the experiment, in order to increase awareness of and appreciation for the natural world; 2) View old photo albums, paying particular attention to pictures of family; 3) Write an autobiography (not for sharing) of no more than two pages, in order to promote introspection; 4) Read two FAQs from Erowid (Gnosis et al. 1996; Salvia Authors 2006); and 5) Think of two questions for any potential Symmetry entity to answer. Setting: A living room with windows, a carpet, sofa, chairs, and many plants. Candles were lit, in addition to diffuse incandescent lighting, and soft ambient music was played. Participants had been asked to bring toys to share and drums to play, although none were subsequently used. Standard rules applied: respect absolute confidentiality, ask before changing any aspect of the environment, respect each participants veto power over activities, and no hitting, sex, or co-ingestion of other inebriants. Drug: Salvinorin B ethoxymethyl ether (Symmetry) was synthesized from salvinorin B by the published procedure (Munro et al., 2008; see reference for URL). This should only be attempted by trained chemists in well-equipped labs. The reagent used, chloromethyl ethyl ether, can give you cancer not only if it touches your skin, but also if you breathe the fumes. For dosing, a 10 mg/ml solution of the compound in acetone was prepared. The desired doses were added to small pieces of cigarette paper by microsyringe and allowed to dry in a warm airflow.
Measures: Subjects were interviewed the next day via an openended format that elicited details of their experience in a nondirective manner. The interview also included questions about the nature of their visionary experiences, what the positives and negatives were, whether contact with any entities had occurred, and what they would change about the experimental design in order to improve the experience. A one-month follow-up was conducted that consisted of two questions: 1) Are you glad you had the experience? and 2) Would you do it again? The Peak Experience Profile (PEP) is a 180-item selfadministered questionnaire originally developed by Walter Pahnke in 1962 for his Good Friday experiment and revised over the years by Pahnke, Franco Di Leo, Stanislav Grof, A.A. Kurland, J.C. Rhead, William Richards, and Richard Yensen (Richards et al. 1977; Doblin 1991). It has been used in many psychedelic drug studies to assess the degree and quality of visionary experiences. Each subject completed the PEP within a week of the experience.
Subject Total Dose (mg)
PEAK EXPERIENCE PROFILE
Alpha 400 7 0 10 3 9 5 0 25 67 23 34 38 90 0 76 25 51 46
Beta 350 30 0 25 13 26 8 1 46 60 40 40 3 40 3 56 12 34 45
Gamma 11501350 30 23 5 18 9 2 17 26 30 13 40 35 75 26 64 22 45 48
Delta 150 10 0 0 0 8 2 2 20 0 0 0 0 35 9 20 5 11 12
Aesthetic Experience Personal Psychodynamic Experience Negative BPM-I Positive BPM-I BPM-II BPM-III BPM-IV Nadir Internal Unity External Unity Sense of Sacredness Objectivity and Reality Transcendence of Time and Space Deeply Felt Positive Mood Ineffability Other Transpersonal Experience PEQT Reactivity
TABLE ONE: Peak Experience Profile (PEP) by subject. BPM = Basic Perinatal Matrix, a Grofian analysis. PEQT = Peak Experience Quotient Total, the average of the shaded subscales.
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consistently exceeded positive effects at all doses. There appeared to be little experience of personal insight despite otherwise dramatic effects (Table 1). Subjective results of bioassays were as follows: Alpha Written down the next day based on notes. (T:0:00 min) 10 mg As this is the first time this drug has been tried, and we suspect based on mouse studies that it may be even more potent than the already potent salvinorin A, I opt to start with a low dose. Within seconds of smoking, an undeniable shift in my consciousness occurs, a slight trippy feeling, but without any noticeable alteration in perception, thought content, or process. (T:0:05 min) 20 mg (30 mg total) The trippy feeling intensifies. With closed eyes, the dark behind my eyelids roils suggestively, like sea creatures struggling beneath the oily surface of a swamp, but fails to coalesce into any particular patterns. Communication and mentation remain unaffected. (T:0:10 min) 20 mg (50 mg total) A deepening and intensification of the trippy feeling, but again, nothing particularly noteworthy. A temporal course becomes apparentthe feeling peaks in a minute or two, then wanes slowly. I feel hot. (T:0:15 min) 50 mg (100 mg total) I am sweating profuselywhen I run my fingers through my hair, they come away wet. There is a mild sensation ofnot heavinessbut being pulled down into my chair. I feel a slight mental fog, as can occur with alcohol, but no temporal lapses or difficulties communicating. There are no noticeable effects on music perception or tactile sensation, but closed-eye visuals are now undeniable, albeit frustratingly indistinctfragmented, colored spoke-like patterns. (T:0:20 min) 100 mg (200 mg total) Again, a deepening and intensification of all previous phenomena, but no qualitative shift. Open-eye visuals are now apparent: sharp colored
FIGURE TWO :
PEP subscales by dose. Reactivity was fairly constant between subjects, except at the lowest dose; this measures a subjects tendency to exaggerate responses in a nonspecific manner. Negative, or nadir experiences consistently exceeded positive mood changes. [Note: The apparent heart symbol on #10 line is merely a superimposition of a square and x symbol.]
Bioassay: After a light meal, at a predetermined time, the room was smudged, and subjects participated in a modified version of the Four Winds Ceremony, each subject taking one of the four compass points, honoring the drug and the experience they were about to have. The cigarette paper containing the Symmetry was then smoked using the flame from a butane lighter. Bioassay structure was based largely on the protocol popularized by Alexander Shulgin (Shulgin et al. 1986; Shulgin & Shulgin 1991), but for logistical reasons, a day was not left between successive doses.
RESULTS
Despite instructions to the contrary, none of the participants had watched nature videos or written his or her autobiography, although all brought questions to ask any potential entity that they might encounter. The drug was quite potent, with one subject alerting at 10 mg, another at 50 mg, and the other two experiencing undeniable psychoactive effects at 50 mg. Psychedelic effects increased rapidly and linearly by dose (Figure 2), with the exception of one subject who appeared unusually tolerant to its effects. The unpleasantness of the experience appeared unrelated to dose, and
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borders to objects with a suggestion of palinopsia (visual echoes). I am starting to wonder if I am somehow inhaling wrong and not getting the full effects of the drug, or else leaving too much time between successive doses, as the effects appear to peak within a minute then diminish rapidly. (T:0:25 min) 200 mg (400 mg total) According to observers, I commented on the intensity of the trip, laughed uproariously, and conversedcoherently at first, but rapidly incorporating nonsense words and syllables. Then I paused, leaned forward and asked, apropos of nothing, Did you say something symmetry? It seemed as if I had meant it in the sense of symmetrical. (It was decided on the basis of this first communication from the beyond to name the drug Symmetry.) Later sentences rapidly degraded into complete babble. My head was observed to retract, and my face froze into a frighteningly blank expression as if I were having a stroke. My hand adopted a strange pose and waved around very slowly, alternately creepily awkward and graceful. I remembered none of this. BLAM! I am trapped like a fly in amber, in a geometric space that is so different from ordinary reality as to be indescribable. The overall feeling is one of stuckness, together with slow and inexorable grinding. As I come to, I realize that my perspective is arbitrary and that I can shift it at will to different points in the cavitating matrices in which I am embedded. With that comes the realization that the presence of a perspective implies an I to have that perspective. This is a new change; in fact, I have just emerged from an indeterminable period of total ego loss. The experience was ineffable, but I will attempt to describe it using crude analogies in the blunt tool that we call language. Imagine a sheet of sand going over a cliff, or rather a rapidly receding ledge under sand such that the sand drops in a sheet as the ground vanishes under it. It is impossible to determine whether the sand is moving forward over the edge, or if the edge is moving backward under the sand, but either way the edge itself is a one-dimensional line defined by a two-dimensional surface moving over the contour of an unseen three-dimensional object. That
line can wiggle or ululate or assume configurations other than a knife-edge, so technically it is not onedimensional, but the line doesnt know that. Now add two to every dimensionI was perceiving all three-dimensional objects in my world as fourdimensional surfaces contouring a five-dimensional object (or objects) that I could not directly perceive. Except that I wasnt actually perceiving any objects in my environment, it was my mind that I was perceiving, as a manifestation of the movement of a five-dimensional object through a four-dimensional membrane. Except, there was no movement; thats the term for the intersection of threespace with four-space, not four-space through fivespace. It was completely atemporal. Hopes, dreams, fears, memories, habits, all the things that define us are creations of time; remove time and you remove everything that comprises the me of each of usthe ego is obliterated. If that analogy makes no senseand it cannot then alternately, imagine two viscous and immiscible liquids in a clear cylindrical container, one denser than the other so that a distinct interface is visible between them. Trapped at that interface is a blob of food coloring. Now, spin the top layer of fluid. The blob elongates, grows thinner and thinner, less and less visible; eventually it is a layer only a molecule thick and cannot even be seen by the naked eye. Now stop the top layer, and spin it the other way. The blob re-coalescesfirst visible as a long colored line that slowly grows thicker then abruptly retracts from both directions until the original blob is visible as a unitary sphere for a split second; then, as the liquid layer continues to spin, it elongates, thins, and disappears in the other direction (which, although opposite, looks exactly as it did when elongating in the first direction). Now, imagine that this cylinder contains an infinite number of layers of immiscible liquids, all spinning, each layer containing one or more blobs in various stages of coalescence. By arranging the blobs correctly, and timing the spinning of the layers, one could make it seem as if one blob was moving up and down and right and left through the layers, in an arbitrarily complicated path, rather than many different blobs coalescing and de-
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coalescing in pattern. These blobs are everything we see in the three-dimensional world, and in our consciousness as well. Again, the analogy is inadequate, because the geometry is no longer there, and spinning implies movement, which assumes time, which didnt exist, but I am at a loss to find words to express such atemporality since time is so embedded in our thoughts and language. The eternal moment in which I was trapped seemed to be passing. As a sphere passing through a plane appears from a two-dimensional perspective to be a point that rapidly expands into a circle, slows, reverses course, shrinks rapidly to a point, and disappears forever, so it seemed that the moment I was in was rapidly constricting as it moved out of the four-dimensional plane I was in. Fleetingly, it occurred to me that I might be left in a grey, timeless limbo. But to my surprise another moment followed, rapidly expanding, somewhat overlapping the first one; more moments followed in steadily quicker succession (again the time implied here is a metaphor, as they werent really quicker) and I rejoined the stream of time. It was now hard for me to remember what had happened to me during the period of ego loss, but I did remember the thoughts Id had about it in the atemporal period I had just left. The room reformed around me, three expectant faces looking at me. The initial comedown was rapidlike a sphere passing though a planefollowed by a slow decline. I ate half a bunch of juicy green grapes and enjoyed them. Slight confusion remained; I was unable to keep track of dose and timing for the other participants with nearly the precision that I had planned. I was still experiencing mild visuals until two hours later. I had no difficulty sleeping, woke up feeling normal the next morning, and did not remember my dreams. I was shaken by the experience and had no desire to re-dose. There had been no sense of a presence or guiding spirit; there were no answers to the questions that I had formulatedin fact, they seemed completely irrelevant given the experience that I had just been through.
Beta Written approximately 14 hours later. (T:0:02 min) 50 mg Slight physical sensation of heaviness and tingly skin. Borderline closed-eye visuals. (T:0:04 min) 100 mg (150 mg total) Intensified physical sensations. Open-eye visuals. A vague sense of foreboding. (T:0:06 min) 200 mg (350 mg total) Objects replicate over surrounding surfaces. All visible surfaces, including other people, seem to be connected parts of the same object, like a textured blanket thrown over reality. Replication continues until my entire visual field is filled with repetitive motifs, resembling vast bookshelves of books bound in fresh skin. The geometry of the room has changed and contracted. My awareness of my body as a separate entity is gone, but I feel a strong physical rush, accompanied by growing paranoia. Someone is monitoring me, and I must act sober. But this is clearly impossiblethe real world is now invisible; I have no idea where Im looking, what posture Im in, what Im saying. This intensifies the paranoia. I attempt to sit still and remain silent, but dont know if Im succeeding. The geometry of the room slowly expands to normal. I hear voices; distinct objects appear. Normality returns, but I am definitely confused and physically clumsy. (T:0:30 min) Slight hallucinations are still apparent. (T:2:00 hours) Sober but shaken. One wonders who would see anything in this experience. Gamma Recorded the day after the trip, then transcribed. This protocol was similar to the preceding one starting with 50 mg, then at two-minute intervals, 100 mg, 200 mg, 400 mg, then between two and four
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more doses of 200 mg, the precise number of which eluded the recollection of all of us later, for a total dose of 11501550 mg. In the beginning, the first thing I noticed with eyes closed were these whirling, snowflake-like things; they were very cool they were in the pattern of the Tree of Life, the flower patternthey were laughing. I know this makes no sense, but I started laughing because they were laughing because I knew what they were: an underlying structural pattern. Then I noticed feeling as if I was disoriented as to which direction was up, and thats when I knew that it was going to be very interesting if I took more. It felt as if I was holding on to a monkey bar, but I couldnt tell if I was upside-down or I dont know, it was as if there was a space in front of me. Then there was a space that I dont remember very well, in which I felt confused but knew that I wanted to smoke more. I was given more to smoke, but I cant remember too much about it.
Then the patterns became more colorful, but not like they were geometric. Well, they werent really geometric, they were somewhat irregular, but they were patterning. There seems to be some break in time during which I cant remember what happened. But something that I heard in the music gave me a clue as to I dont know its kind of personalits more like certain experiences Im trying to create more of in my life, and how to do that. I definitely remember feeling confused on the way up, incapable of communicating with any of you. I remember I was laughing because that kid in the video, Alex [the star of some witless YouTube Salvia selfadministration videos that we had watched earlier] said that the more you smoke Salvia, the easier it is to hold it in your lungsand I completely got what he was saying. The more high I was, the easier it was to smoke more, which was useful because Im not very good at smoking anything! Did I have a four-hundred mic dose? No! That was in that incomprehensible period as soon as you told me something, it immediately left my brain. If I said yes right away then that was fine, but if I didnt say yes right away then I probably forgot what you asked. Did you have to repeat questions to me? Then it segued into this weird snail-shell of a spacethats what I was talking about. It was like being in an Escher-like space, with arches that vaulted up overhead and could connect different points in time across my life. Thats what I saw. It wasnt as if I was watching a movie seeing things; I was re-experiencing them. But mostly experiences like walking along the street I lived on as a child, looking up at the sky and the trees overhead that I could see. I never think about this now, but I could actually see what it looked like at that age, like it was a memory I never think to recall, because it seems trivial. I felt that there was a presence of my brothers best friends father! Its somehow related to [Alpha] too (laughs)I felt that over where you were located was somehow related to where he was located in the space. I remember thinking about you at that moment, thinking that your description of this experience was pretty er even though I was not experiencing it quite the same way you were, it made a lot of sense, what you were saying, how you were describing it. Theres a lot more, but its all details. Like what? Well, when I was laughing at the snowflakes, it wasnt my complete visual field; there was a jagged edge running though the vision and everything to the right side of the jagged edge was black space [see Figure 3]. And I had the sensation that everything on that side of my body was there was nothing going on over there. But everything to the left side was very patterned and interesting. Was it a line? No, it was off to the right; it was completely irregular; it wasnt geometric at all; it didnt have a pattern; it was kind of uncomfortable. I remember thinking, Why is there this line? Why is this vision incomplete? It seemed very odd.
FIGURE THREE: Visual depiction of Symmetry experience.
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And then there were a lot of strange body sensations; a feeling like I was just an outline of myself. The cat touched me at one point; it felt really weird! I knew it was the cat, but it didnt feel very cat-like! The texture was like touching silk but getting cotton. It felt a little more coarse. At any point on my body that was touching something else in the room, like the couch or the floor or itself, there was an uncomfortable amount of pressure, which is why I think that the next time I do it Ill try to change how Im sitting. I think I may have said this when I came out of it, but it would be ideal to be floating. That would be amazing. A sensory deprivation tank? That would be great! That would be fascinating. Wow, Id love to check that out. I had questions but I forgot about them until afterwards. No answers came. I had a question about what form the [deleted] should take, and although I didnt get an answer, afterwards when I was thinking about itstill salviad up but not tripping hardI thought about some of the concepts, and that the idea of toruses might be something worth pursuing. It was my own mind thinking about it, but it was inspired by the form of the wrap-around space. I didnt get the sense of an entity outside. I got the sense of curtains parting, delivery into an idea. I dont know where ideas come from, they just seem to arrive. But there wasnt a sense of, Okay, impart to meee They just sort of appeared. Ive had a lot of experiences with Salvia, and many of them have been good, but some of them have not been very good. In those experiences Ive had the experience of an entity, something pointing out to me whats going on. I feel a discomfort in my body unless I sit exactly right, and these corrections are very precisemake a tiny little adjustment here, and so on, until everything is right. There definitely feels like there is an outside entity that needs to be appeased with Salvia. There was a lot more closed-eye stuff with Symmetry. Would I be able to tell which is which? I suspect yes, because this posture correction is so reproducible with Salvia. Thats why I sat down on the floor, because I knew that if I wanted to sit up straight then I wasnt going to be able to do it on the couch. I expected that this was going to happen, and that I would have to sit up straighter, but that feeling was completely not there at all. I told you that I still wanted to change my position, that I wasnt perfectly happy with how I was oriented; I could feel my hands on my knees, and it didnt feel quite right, but I knew that if I put them on the floor then it wasnt really going to help. There was no way to get right! Id like there to be a way to feel right. What would I change going into it? I would probably take something to make my body intensely comfortable no matter what happened.
Delta Recorded the day after the trip, then transcribed. (T:0:02 min) 50 mg The first thing I noticed was a bit of general light-headedness, a little tingling everywhere; I couldnt differentiate it from being mildly stonedsomething like that. I couldnt tell if it was placebo. Am I feeling something, or am I not? (T:0:04 min) 50 mg (100 mg total) Then it was moreI definitely got some effects; the shadows were very strong and the walls the spaces between the shadows were more orangevery orange, much more so than they normally were. Now that I can see this picture thats difficult to describe on the wall, the Hope and Fear picture (see Figure 4); the blue stuff looked more like a hologram, the blue bits look more silver and had a degree of depth, like a hologram jutting. And it was by far the most interesting thing on the wall! The rest just looked like shadows. And the tea mugs looked more orange. The glow seemed to have spread further.
FIGURE FOUR:
Difficult to describe.
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Map of 2006 Burning Man by Lisa Hofmann www.studioninedesign.com
(T:0:06 min) 50 mg (150 mg total) It was a feeling of it was not unpleasant, but I guess foreboding was the word you used. It was a sense that I didnt necessarily want it to be more. But because the effects were so relatively mild, I felt that even if the next one was worse, it probably wouldnt be worse to the point that Id, I dont know, freak out. And then it really was just a linear increase on everything I had before. The shadows became more exaggerated; the hologram thing looked more like that. Then I remember looking around and realizing that everyone was here, and that I had entirely forgotten what was actually happening, and it was kind of amusing to realize that Id been entertainment for other people. Very hallucinogenic because Id completely forgotten that anyone was present! But I had the experience that Ive had a couple of times on mushroomsespecially inside a room that it was quite hard for me to imagine the room connected to an external space. Out through the windows looked very surreal, as if that was just a painting, and that there wasnt really anything outside that room. I didnt have any strong feelings of time distortion, but had you asked me to make any kind of judgment about future or past, I would have struggled. The room was spatially and temporally separated from anything elseforward or back, inside or outsidebut not in an intense way. When I closed my eyes I saw some small patterns actually even when I went to sleep about an hour later, I had some small patterns, but only very minor, nothing with any shape. You then asked if I wanted more, and I really didnt (laughs). At the same time, I wasnt having a bad experience, but there was a sense of caution, like, I really dont want more. Its hard to know whether that was the drug or whether that was something that I brought with it, because what you guys were reporting didnt sound very good. So in my mind I was thinking that if I took more and got into this next state, then that would be a disaster. I want to try to avoid that so lets just stay here. Things werent really jumping out at me crazy; I wasnt getting any massively vivid effects, just these discontinuities: What was I doing again? Wheres
outside? I felt like I was holding it together pretty well, but I was disoriented. And with the visuals and all the effects, I felt like a little bit more might be enough to lose my grip, and the thought of that didnt appeal at all. I didnt have any questions, but I didnt get a sense that if Id had any questions If anything there was less information rather than more information in the experiencea dulling and disconnect. So I feel like if Id asked a question, the answer would either have made no sense or seemed even further disconnected. How would I prepare differently? I dont know. I had some not really bad paranoia experiences, but definitely in that dimension, when I was coming down. I remember looking at you all and thinking that you must think Im crazy, that everyone was looking at me weird, and that I must look really weird. So I was somewhat hyper-self-aware. Had it been a higher dose, it would have been very unpleasant. But I knew to think, Well, this is a drug state. Maybe its true, but if so, Ill worry about it in five minutes time. So it was okay. There werent any positive vibes coming from the experience. The general emotional experience wasnt positive. Slightly unpleasant. So I dont know. This was a comfortable environment. I certainly wouldnt ever take Symmetry in an uncomfortable environment. Anything you could do to make yourself physically comfortable. Perhaps a more closed spaceokay, this is a closed space. Something more safe then. More soft things. Its hard to say, but I wouldnt want to do it in a sterile laboratory environment, thats for sure.
DISCUSSION
Symmetry is a salvinorin derivative of extraordinary potencythreshold dose when smoked between 10 mg and 50 mg, with marked effects at 150 mg to 300 mg, potency rivaled only by a few synthetic compounds such as LSD and carfentanyl. By comparison, Jonathan Ott has noted threshold effects from vaporized salvinorin A to occur at 500 mg, while Daniel Siebert reported a threshold of 200 mg; in both reports, notable effects required more than one milligram (Ott 1995a; Siebert 1994). Effects from smoked Symmetry became noticeable
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within seconds, peaked in about a minute, and started to diminish rapidly after about five minutes, as with salvinorin A. However, unlike salvinorin A, a residual alteration in consciousness was still noticeable at 30 minutes; all subjects were back to baseline by two hours. At low doses of 100 mg to 200 mg, spoked geometric closed- and open-eye visions, alterations in perspective, palinopsia, and foreboding predominated, and at higher doses, mental confusion, derealization, and more vivid geometric visions occurred. At 400 mg, one participant had a full plus-four experience (Shulgin et al. 1986), although another took three times that amount without the same effect. The reason for this disparity is unclear,
although interestingly, that subject considered salvinorin A to be her drug of choice and had much more experience with it than the rest of us put together. No subjects experienced any sort of entity contact or even sensed a presence of such entities, despite suggestions that they might, reporting instead a vague sense of foreboding, as if venturing beyond a door marked Do Not Enter. All participants at one-month follow-up reported enjoying the experience and being willing to take it again. Symmetry may be of particular interest to mathematicians or theoretical physicists; nonetheless, if this first look is any guide, it is unlikely to gain enduring popularity as either a recreational drug or spiritual sacrament.
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Old hair and Tryptamines

by Keeper Trout
In recent years there have been an increasing number of investigations of mummy hairs for possible evidence of early drug use; these now include a couple of searches for tryptamines. It was with great excitement that I encountered two papers by Juan P. Ogalde, Bernardo T. Arriaza, and Elia C. Soto, asserting they had found evidence of ayahuasca consumption in an ancient snuff-using population from northern Chile (Ogalde et al. 2007, 2009). Previous analysis of six South American snuff samples by Bo Holmstedt and Jan-Erik Lindgren reported tryptamines in five of them, one of which also contained harmala alkaloids, and the sixth sample contained only harmala alkaloids. Speculating that the harmala alkaloids may have come from Banisteriopsis caapi, Holmstedt and Lindgren proposed that the MAO-inhibiting harmala alkaloids could potentiate the action of the simple indoles, noting that the combination of b-carbolines and tryptamines would thus be advantageous (Holmstedt & Lindgren 1967). While this combination later became known as the ayahuasca effect, with regard to making DMT orally active within that shamanic brew, it has been suggested that the origins of this pharmacological combination may lie within the use of snuffs, with its application in ayahuasca being a recent derivation (Ott 1996). Although Anadenanthera peregrina is considered the primary plant source for snuff used by the Piaroa of southern Venezuela, due to their snuff testing positive for bufotenine, one Piaroa snuff sample analyzed was also found to contain harmine (Smet & Rivier 1985, in Torres & Repke 2006). In their book Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America (see page 167), authors Manuel Torres and David Repke remark:
There is no ethnographic evidence for use of Banisteriopsis species as a snuff admixture; the Piaroa did not seem to be familiar with ayahuasca potions (Smet and Rivier 1985). However, in light of the well-documented Guahibo practice of chewing Banisteriopsis bark in conjunction with taking snuff, we cannot dismiss the possibility that the Piaroa might have added it to their snuffs (Torres & Repke 2006).
However, readers of The Entheogen Review may recall mention in the Winter Solstice 2002 issue (page 139) of an aspiring anthropology doctoral candidate who observed the preparation of a snuff by the Piaroa that contained fresh shoots of Banisteriopsis caapi pounded into a paste along with Anadenanthera peregrina seeds; his bioassay reports of this snuff described enhanced and prolonged activity (Rodd 2002), echoing the results from previous insufflation experiments using the pure chemical form of assorted tryptamines in combination with harmine or harmaline (Ott 2001). The snuffing implements from northern Argentina and Chile are quite fine, delicate and small in both the equipment and the apparent snuff aliquot size, at least in comparison to the blowpipe technology found farther north. This difference has long been a point of curiosity; a common explanation proposed has been that the snuffs from northern Argentina and Chile were substantially more potent, permitting activity from relatively tiny amounts of material. While this certainly could be the case, the use of a tryptaminic snuff on top of oral consumption of Banisteriopsis caapi would also be expected to enable a more robust perception of the tryptamines in the snuff. (For anyone skeptical of this claim, it can be easily evaluated by ingesting an active dose of B. caapi or Peganum harmala seeds, waiting until full onset of the MAOI effectsapproximately 30 to 60 minutesand then insufflating or smoking a known and familiar dose of 5-MeO-DMT.) It could even be that the use of tryptamine snuffs concurrent with the oral consumption of Banisteriopsis
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caapi, such as is documented with the Guahibo, may have been what inspired the addition of tryptamine-containing plants to ayahuasca brews to begin with. Alas, my excited anticipation of possible support for the idea that the ayahuasca effect was first discovered via the potentiation of snuffs by Banisteriopsis caapi was about to be rudely dashed on the rocks. As I read further, I discovered that, while the authors did claim to find harmine in at least one adult mummy believed to be a snuff user, as well as in the mummy of a one-year-old infant (suspected of not being a snuff user), they found no tryptamines in any of their mummies. The Ogalde group made three noteworthy comments:
[]samples tested from individuals in the Azapa Valley showed that they did not consume [Anadenanthera], despite archaeological evidence of snuffing implements. This negative finding is important because a lack of tryptaminic alkaloids indicates the absence of hallucinogenic compounds during the Middle Period of the Azapa Valley.
5-MeO-DMT. Further, the Ogalde groups assumption that only Banisteriopsis caapi could have served as a harmine source needs questioning, despite the immensely fascinating line of conjecture that it raises concerning possible ancient networks of drug traders at an early date. Oddly, the Ogalde group did not analyze snuff, seeds, or residues in their mummies snuffing equipment. Instead, they only cited work published by the Torres group concerning materials recovered from a different archaeological site. Details from the Torres groups analysis may be helpfully illuminating here. When analyzing snuff samples dated circa 780 c.e. (about 1,230 years old)1 from Solcor-3, the Torres group was able to detect 5-MeO-DMT, DMT, and bufotenine (Torres et al. 1991). What they found was present only in small amounts, although the material probably contained a decent percentage of alkaloids when it was fresh. Their finding was not surprising, since degradation of Anadenanthera alkaloids in storage, within even shorter time frames, has previously been reported (Schultes et al. 1977). The oxidation of DMT, even when pure, is a wellknown phenomenon to anyone who has possessed a sample of high quality DMT for a few years. While the potency may not be diminished much, samples take on a yellow color and pungent skatole smell, both of which increase with age. Several years ago, J. Case had the good fortune to physically examine some synthetic DMT that had been legally produced in the mid-1960s by a French pharmaceutical contractor. He reported the interior of the strong-smelling material was nicely crystalline and nearly white with light peach overtones, but the exterior of the sample was intensely orange and very waxy in appearance (Case 2002). According to one underground chemist, even high-purity, colorless, and almost odorless DMT crystals are said to take on a yellow color over time (Anonymous 2008). While I have been unable to locate any studies concerning the degradation rate for DMT or 5-MeO-DMT, I did find a study involving another
and
The results of 32 mummies hair samples showed that none of the samples tested positive for 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine alkaloid. This information is extremely useful, because it shows the snuffing kits used in Azapa Valley were not related to Anadenanthera consumption.
and
Here we present chemical evidence suggesting Banisteriopsis consumption during the Tiwanaku Middle Period.
Due to the lack of requisite standards related to detection times for tryptamines, and no known proof that tryptamines actually are detectable in hair, the first two statements are entirely unsubstantiated. The most that currently can be said with accuracy, based on a hair analysis showing negative results for 5-MeO-DMT in a mummys hair, is that the hair analysis performed did not detect
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dimethylated tryptamine: psilocybin. In an analysis of dried Psilocybe semilanceata preserved as herbarium specimens, it was discovered that the psilocybin level had dropped below detectable levels before the samples reached a century and a half in age (Ohenoja et al. 1987). DMT and 5-MeODMT should be expected to be more stable than psilocybin, and bufotenine to be even more stable, but all will have some finite ceiling of detection. It seems reasonable to believe that tryptamines can stay potent for many years, and remain detectable for even longer, but it is also beginning to appear likely that the upper limit of detection is on the order of some centuries. The age of the mummies tested by the Ogalde group was not given; only a date range for archaeological evidence during the Tiwanaku empire expansion along the Atacama Desert of Chile was notedcirca 5001000 c.e. implying that the mummies may be somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 years old.1 Among the conclusions made by the Ogalde group, two are in need of a closer look: 1) Concerning Anadenanthera snuffs:
[] samples tested from individuals in the Azapa Valley showed that they did not consume [Anadenanthera] [] Our research revealed that the snuffing paraphernalia was not directly associated with Anadenanthera in the Azapa Valley.
[] we believe the consumption of Banisteriopsis was part of a medicinal practice, perhaps as [an] Ayahuasca [Banisteriopsis only] infusion. It is possible that Banisteriopsis consumption, an Amazonian plant, coincided with snuffing kits as elements of social differentiation.
Wow. The authors seem willing to go to great lengths of speculation regarding the use of Banisteriopsis neat, based on their inability to detect tryptamines in the mummies hair samples. A few years earlier Castro et al. (2003)working with mummies from northern Chile that were older than those that the Ogalde group examinedproduced similar results. The hair samples they analyzed were obtained from mummies dated around 100 b.c.e. to 140 c.e. (or about 1,870 to 2,110 years old).1 But along with being unable to find any tryptamines, the Castro group also failed to detect any harmala alkaloids. Their wide range of speculation for the lack of such alkaloids included almost everything, except for the possibility that the alkaloids had degraded and were no longer detectable! The Ogalde group was similarly operating on the assumption that snuff alkaloids would show up in their mummies, if those mummies had used the snuff. Based on their negative findings, and in order to explain the tryptamine-positive findings of the Torres group, the Ogalde group proposed that:
While the chemical analysis suggested the Solcor-3 people were familiar with this type of drug, it does not necessarily indicate ingestion.
Strangely, despite these claims, and despite the observation of extensive chronic snuffing-related injury in the perinasal areas within the skulls of the mummies they examined, the Ogalde group offered no suggestion as to what snuff they thought was in use. 2) Concerning ayahuasca:
We believe this plant [Banisteriopsis caapi] was not used to prepare hallucinogenic drinks in Azapa Valley because we did not find tryptaminic alkaloids and harmine is not hallucinogenic in its pure form []
Several elements about this proposal are strangely lacking though, only one of which is the fact that no one seems to have actually done an analysis of any hair or soft tissue from the Solcor-3 population. 1) Neither the Ogalde group nor the Castro group performed analysis on modern hair from a known user of tryptamines, and they did not otherwise establish that drug testing of hair for tryptamines is even possible or had been done previously. While it seems likely that DMT and 5-MeO-DMT would be detectable in hair, this should not simply be
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presumed to be the case. In addition, since DMT and 5-MeO-DMT are endogenously produced in humans, and what with hair being believed to help protect alkaloids from degradation for long periods, one might suspect that DMT and/or 5-MeODMT would always be present in every human hair sample (see Clarke 1986 and Davis 1989). Despite this, I have been unable to locate any analysis on ancient or modern hair that reported a positive for DMT or 5-MeO-DMT. Certainly, DMT has good oil solubility, suggesting it could successfully get into the sebum (this is believed to be the route for nonpolar alkaloids to physically enter the hair before it leaves the follicle). However DMT is also extensively degraded in humans by the well-known deaminating action of MAO, and also by the action of red blood cells, which open the indole ring (see Hryhorczuk et al. 1986). 2) As mentioned earlier, at no point did the Ogalde group test the actual snuff or snuffing implements buried with their mummies to determine if alkaloids could be detected on them after so many years and, if so, what the alkaloids might be. The Castro group commented that the porosity of their mummy hair added an undesirable permeability; so this, too, may have been a factor in their negative results. In the course of asking as many pharmacologists, toxicologists, and analytical chemists as I was able to contact about the Ogalde groups
results, their datas integrity was brought into question even further. Analytical chemist Steven Barker commented that the Ogalde groups data appeared to be overworked, misinterpreted, and did not support the presence of harmine in their hair samples (Barker 2008). While the Ogalde groups work is fascinating, in order for it to have more meaning, appropriate standards and additional rigor must be applied to their studies. An important missing element, that needs to be established, is determining how long ayahuasca and Anadenanthera alkaloids remain detectable. Next, and just as importantly, it must be established that these alkaloids actually can be detected in the hair of modern ayahuasca and snuff users. If either of these points is lacking, then the negative analysis of a mummys hair can offer nothing of meaning other than the outcome of that one test.
Footnotes
1. Dates presented within this paper should only be considered rough approximates, as there was not enough information included within the published accounts to understand how they were determined. Radiocarbon dating produces a range, not a set date, and should be expressed this way (or should include a numeric degree of +/- uncertainty). Also, most researchers do not perform their own dating, and mistakes in publishing dates can happen if a researcher doesnt understand or indicate that the raw figures provided by the lab are usually reported in radiocarbon years. Raw dates can be corrected to give calendar dates, but this is not always done.
Trouts Notes on Some Simple Tryptamines is now available in a completely updated second edition. At 304 pages, with over 400 illustrations (including more than 300 full-color photographs), Some Simple Tryptamines is an invaluable reference tool for those interested in psychoactive plants containing tryptamines, as well as assorted synthetic tryptamines. Some Simple Tryptamines is the most comprehensive and detailed overview that exists concerning this subject. Softcover, printed on high quality acid-free paper, with a sturdy sewn-and-glued binding. It belongs in every serious psychonauts library, and the addition of color photographs in this expanded edition is tremendously helpful for the purpose of identifying botanicals. The book is $50 (USA), $55 (foreign), from www.entheogenreview.com.
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Keep that MIMOSA Mud?

by J. Cocktoasten
I was cleaning out my kitchen cabinets a while back, and ran across a one-gallon jug containing an aqueous basified Mimosa tenuiflora solution, on which I had performed a DMT extraction the previous year using Nomans DMT for the Masses tek (see www.entheogenreview.com/ dmt.html). That extraction had yielded 0.946 of a gram of recrystallized material from only 100 grams of root-barkalmost a full 1.0%. Not bad.
Since Id exceeded my yield expectations at the time that the original extraction was performed, I had little hope that the solution I found would produce any additional DMT. However, I was reluctant to dispose of it without running another naphtha pull, just for the hell of it. I was amazed to open my freezer the next morning and see my precipitation vessel adorned with a significant amount of fluffy crystals. I decided a second pull was in order. Combining material from the first and second pulls, I was left with a total 0.921 grams of additional unrefined extract! How was this possible? I discussed my findings with a chemist friend who questioned whether or not I had determined this extract to be DMT, suggesting that it might contain a mix of other substances. He asked if I had sampled it. Unfortunately, Id combined the material with another stash, so I could no longer perform a bioassay solely on the new isolate. The only solution was to repeat the experiment.
extract. This material was slightly more yellow and waxy than the original extract. A portion of this unrefined extract was further refined via recrystallization; however, that process yielded less pure white crystal than expected, with more dirty material than usual clumped to the bottom of the vessel.
TESTING
The unrefined extract was rolled into a joint of dried mullein leaf and smoked by a group of test subjects who were all familiar with the effects of DMT. Subjects reported the material to be of lesser strength than expected, but said that it definitely had DMT effects. One subject felt that it was slightly harsher than other unrefined extracts he had smoked. The refined crystals were later smoked by one test subject, who found their effects to be consistent with DMT.
CONCLUSION
There is little doubt that re-extracting the Mimosa solution after waiting several months resulted in a significant additional yield of DMT. The experiments also suggest that waiting one year results in a greater additional yield than waiting six months. However, subjective testing indicated the unrefined extract was of lesser purity than material from the original extraction, and the lower recrystallization yield supported this finding. Finally, Id like to recommend a significant improvement to the Noman tek. The tek describes using glass collection jars, but Ive found that DMT has a tendency to bond aggressively to glass surfaces. It does not however, bond to plastic surfaces, particularly high-impact plastics like Nalgene. Using plastic collection jars promotes easy removal of the extract (it simply pours out), and avoids tedious scraping of surfaces and the inevitable waste of some material. [NOTE: See comments regarding the use of plastics on pages 157158. Eds.] Have fun, and hold onto that Mimosa mud!
FOLLOW-UP EXPERIMENT
I performed the Noman tek on a kilogram of Mimosa tenuiflora root-bark, resulting in 9.1 grams of recrystallized DMT. The spent solution was then shelved for six months. I would have preferred to wait a full year, but I intended on publishing the results in this final issue of ER, which presented an unavoidable time constraint. The first pull yielded 3.14 grams, and a second pull yielded 0.82 grams, for a total of roughly 4 grams of unrefined
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Lamid
by Justin Case
After my third bioassay of methylisopropyllysergamide (aka lamid) as a known substance, I now believe it is the same mysterious drug that my friends and I encountered in a small run in the 1990s, which was provided to us as another sort of acid by my primary acid dealer. We all also had LSD during the same time, and it was clearly not the same molecule. My dealer called it the beauty kind, but soon most of us were referring to it as candy acid. It might be synonymous with the similarly curious acid lite that appeared in limited quantities during the late 1990s in England under the name bliss. I bioassayed candy acid a couple dozen times during those years, and was left both wanting more and wondering what the fuck it had been.
Unlike LSD, lamid does not appear to become fully psychedelic even with increased dosages. Its effects were largely the same with 200 mics as with 100 mics, except for a relatively minor increase in euphoria and stimulation, with a significant increase in body load. Friends in the 1990s attempting to get stronger visual effects by taking far larger doses (well into the low milligrams) generally reported falling asleep. It does not appear capable of ever reaching colorful and geometric levels. The known material, provided on blotter paper, tasted like some sort of acetate. But otherwise the tastemore a feeling than a flavorwas distinctly acid-like. First alerts appeared within 15 minutes, with onset around 40 minutes. There was lots of rushing euphoria, delicious radiant body sensations, altered perception, and a nicely magical glow to the world, but with maybe a tenth as much mental alteration and almost no introspection, as compared to LSD. Nevertheless, the introspection that was there was gentle and clear-minded, compared to the sometimes pushy self-analytical character of acid. Socializing was easy and comfortable, even when a surprise visitor dropped by.
The body load was similar to LSD. Around onset, there was a bit of edginess with some minor cramping, and abdominal discomfort was intermittent throughout the experience. Movement took more effort than normal; but, overall, walking was no problem and enjoyable. Hot tubbing was fine, although I overheated fairly rapidly. While there were not many visuals, anything showing any movement looked odd and exaggerated. Especially outdoors, everything appeared to be hyper-real, as if there was too much contrast or as if the auto level command in Photoshop had been applied to an overly dark digital photo. Sex required focus, with minor difficulty maintaining an erection. Tactile senses were elevated, and the erotic/sensuousness aspects were really sweet. It showed less than a three hour peak, and the effects had largely faded by the sixth hour, with only minor residuals for several more hours. This is a really nice molecule if one can resist viewing it as an acid substitute. Its a wonderful thing on its own: euphoric, stimulating, and mind altering in an open, expansive way that permits easy contact with other people and ones surroundings. If a person wanted to ingest acid, he or she probably would be disappointed with lamid, consider it boring, or maybe not even like it, since it largely lacks visuals and is missing most of the mental aspects of acid (preserving only around 10% of them), yet it retains many of acids somatic discomforts, such as the inability to comfortably regulate ones temperature and significant elements of body load. However, if someone wanted to visit a museum, participate in an interactive public situation, or go out and socialize, lamid could be an ideal molecule. I suspect that it will find a place of great value if judged on its own merits, rather than being thought of as a replacement for LSD.
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I Need a Miracle
by Jon Hanna
When travelling in Costa Rica for the

2007 Mind States conference, I had the great pleasure to visit the Ark Herb Farm, run by Tommy Thomas, one of the conference speakers. The grounds at Ark are covered in countless species of plants, including many medicinals and a healthy selection of psychoactives. One of the more interesting psychoactive plants on site was Synsepalum dulcificum (Richardella dulcifica), an unassuming little African shrub covered with small fruits commonly referred to as miracle berries. This fruit has the amazing ability to alter ones perception of sour flavors, changing them to taste sweet. Those with a flair for the dramatic, like our guide at Ark, will insist that folks sampling a miracle berry first suck some juice from a lime, in order to have a fresh memory of what sour tastes like. After which, one takes a berry, crushes it in ones mouth, and spreads the juice around on ones tongue, coating as much of the surface as possible. Ones next suck on that same lime is pure sugar candy. One has to experience it, in order to believe it. It is truly incredible. The miracle berry could be a great way to introduce the topic of psychoactive plants into discussion with normals, since the effect that it has is so specific and nonthreatening. Some people throw miracle berry parties, providing assorted sour foods to sample while under the influence. The sour-to-sweet effect is caused by a glycoprotein contained in the berries called miraculin. One might quickly speculate that miraculin could be of great help to dieters with a sweet tooth. (Indeed, after trying the berries myself, I envisioned a bottled beverage that has a shot of miracle berry juice housed in a two-part screw cap, and lemon water contained in the bottle: low-cal lemonade.) Unfortunately, while there are a few issues with stability and production,1 the bigger stumbling block may be the FDA, who in 1974 effectively shut down the efforts of Robert Harvey, the first person who made a concerted attempt to get miraculin-
based products onto the U.S. market (Fowler 2008). Nevertheless, two products containing miracle berries have appeared in recent years. The plant is legal to grow and use, if you can obtain one. However, one vendor of plants, Logees Greenhouses, has had a hard time keeping them in stock; a friend who ordered a plant in May of 2008 had his money refunded six weeks later with no comment, and then was informed via e-mail in October that they had the plants back in stock (although they had never mentioned the fact that they were out of stock in the first place). Demand for the plants went through the roof, after Logees was mentioned as a source on The Martha Stewart Show. Another vendor who offers fresh berries as they are available was swamped with orders after an article in The New York Times mentioned his company; his order fulfillment similarly slowed to a crawl. Fresh berries are desirable because dehydration breaks down the miraculin during the drying process. However, freeze-drying preserves the potency of freshly picked. A friend who attempted a homemade freeze-dry on berries (using desiccant in his refrigerators freezer compartment) didnt have much luck in preserving potency. However, his approach was likely hampered by his having merely refrigerated the berries for the first few days he had them, rather than immediately freezing them, which is said to preserve their potency. (The berries were quite potent on the day they arrived, and still fine after two days in the refrigerator. But after further refrigeration for five days, and then ten days in the freezer, their potency was dramatically reduced.) The two products that are more consistently available are freeze-dried extracts pressed into pills, and a freeze-dried powdered crude extract. Ive found the fresh fruit to be the most potent, with the pills
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ranking second, and the powder coming in third.2 Maximum contact with the tongue increases efficiency. The pills can be skated around on top of the tongue as they slowly dissolve, to make more contact with the tastebuds. The powder tends to quickly get displaced by saliva and swallowed. Using a small hash press to compress the powder might make it more effective. I weighed one of the pills, and it was 344 mg. The pills are made from miracle fruit powder and corn starch. The freeze-dried powder is clearly a crude extract (its quite pink and sticky); because it is an extract, one might presume that it would be more potent by weight than the pills, especially since there is no corn starch diluting it. Yet strangely, vendors of the powder say that a dose is 1 gram (or about three times as much material as the pills). From the cheapest suppliers I could find, pills cost $1.20 each, fresh-frozen fruits cost $3 each, and freeze-dried crude extract costs $35 per gram. (These companies have required minimum order amounts, ranging from $12 for pills to $60 for fresh-frozen fruits.) Even for the miraculin hardhead who takes two pills, the pills are still the most cost-effective approach. Its been suggested that one start with a clean mouth (rinse it out with water), and particularly if one is a smoker, one might want to brush ones tongue first. After coating ones tongue with the material, consider these recommendations from the pills manufacturer on how to prolong the effects as much as possible:
As for extending the duration of the miracle fruit experience and making it more effective, the less liquids the better. Also, the more time the tablet has to dissolve on the tongue, and the more surface area the protein can coat, the better. Hot things are no good, and I assume fatty foods, which create their own layer on the tongue would also not be ideal. Basically, use the tablets as a before meal mint and stick with food (Boko 2008a).
could probably extend the effect by laying off the liquids. The main fresh-frozen fruit vendor claims that the effect from his fruits lasts 3090 minutes. Although the miracle fruit, when potent, unquestionably makes sour flavors sweet, there have been scattered reports of it also making bitter flavors sweet. This has not been the case in my mouth, nor in the mouths of most fruit-heads Ive spoken with, but I can not dismiss the possibility that some peoples taste buds are affected differently. When describing the use of miracle fruit before consuming Trillium brand absinthe, one reviewer remarked:
[Trillium] can be quite bitter if you dont hit it with ice water and a smidge of sugar, but under the influence of Miracle Fruit, its all anise, all the time. Its kinda like choking on the strongest black liquorish rope youve ever put in your mouth (Coleman 2008, emphasis in original).
Another bitter-to-sweet bioassay was recently posted on-line in a trip report where someone had mixed a gram of the powdered crude miracle berry extract into a San Pedro smoothie. This psychonaut claimed that the extract made the drink palatable (see www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread. php?t=53883). It is usually the bitter aspect of cacti that puts people off, not their sour side. But turning any sour present into sweet may still counter the bitter somewhat. I decided to conduct an experiment of my own. I cut off a chunk of a Trichocereus pachaNOT (to use Trouts neologism) plant that I have had for over a decade. This particular plant has never shown rapid growth, so I speculated that it should have had plenty of time to sequester bitter alkaloids. I washed and despined it, peeled off the waxy cuticle, and cored it. Indeed, chewing up a mouthful was quite bitter. Then I popped a couple of miracle berry pills and let them slowly dissolve and coat my tongue. There seemed to be a slightly sweet taste in my mouth. Could this have been the result of an alteration of flavors left over in my mouth from the first taste? Alas, when I ultimately chowed down on another fresh piece of cactus, it was still very bitter. It might
For me, the change in taste seems to last somewhere between ten minutes and a half-hour, but usually starts tapering off after about ten minutes. However, I like to suck down a lot of lime juice, so I
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have been less offensive than the first piece in an overall sense. Perhaps somewhere from zero to 25% less offensive. That is, it seemed slightly less offensive, but I do not feel absolutely sure that it was. I probably wouldnt use my pills in the future on pre-dosing before consuming bitter brews. On the other hand, if entheogenic plant extractions were conducted using lemon juice, the berries might then add some more welcome sweetness. My results dont necessarily negate the results reported with the San Pedro smoothie. I did not actually attempt to replicate that experiment as it was conducted. It could be that the larger amount of crude miracle berry extract might overwhelm the taste buds more completely, and bitter gets lost as well. Or, as mentioned previously, it could just be that different individuals taste buds are affected differently. My own favorite post-berry foods are limes, soft cheeses, and plain yogurt. The effect on beer is odd, but not unpleasant (particularly with a creamy stout beer). Several people I have spoken with dont like the effect on wine (it causes the wine to become too sweet, like a wine cooler). A friends favorites include chilled mango, grapefruit, pomegranates, and a berry ice cream produced from equal parts of frozen blue-/black-/rasp-berries, a banana, and enough soy or dairy milk to get the materials to blend. I look forward to trying that. Finally, it has been pointed out to me by a fruithead with friends in the porn industry that the vaginal environment is quite acidic, at a pH of 3.8 4.5 (roughly equivalent to the acidity of wine), as compared to the normal pH of 7.4 found in most body tissues. Since miraculin can affect the flavor of anything acidic, it can lend a fruity icing flavor to your favorite persons nether-regions. I kid you not, folks (Boko 2008b). Just another application that some people might want to investigate. Who needs a miracle?
Miracle Fruit Man www.miraclefruitman.com Sells fresh-frozen fruits. Since I last visited his clunky and mundane web site, it has gotten a dramatic makeover, giving the business a much more professional look. Ive had some friends tell me they waited forever to get their fruits, and others who told me that their fruits were shipped promptly. It wouldnt hurt to make sure that he has some in stock before placing an order. Miracle Fruit USA www.miraclefruitusa.com Sells freeze-dried miracle fruit extract granules, plants (currently in stock), seeds, and fruits (out-of-stock when I looked, but you can get on a notification list; however, their minimum order is $10 more than the Miracle Fruit Man for the same quantity). r6xx.com Sells pills made from freeze-dried miracle fruits. Lowest per dose price and fast service.
FOOTNOTES
1. Production of commercial quantities of miraculin has been set back somewhat by the need to grow a large number of Synsepalum dulcificum plants into fruit production, then harvest the tiny fruits to extract and purify the chemical. However, scientists at the University of Tsukubas Gene Research Center in Japan recently genetically altered lettuce, so that the plants produced miraculin (Sun 2006). This work may someday lead to greater availability and lower cost of miraculin-containing products. 2. It is worth noting that other people have reported the exact opposite regarding potency, finding the crude extracted powder the most potent, the pills second best, and the fruits the least potent. One vendor of pills claims that each tablet contains the miraculin content of three fruits; so in theory, the pills should be more potent than the fruits. In the case of the fruits, freshness is paramount to potency. Similarly, in the case of the powder, it could be a situation where some powder has decreased in potency due to the length of time it has spent in storage, while other powder may have been extracted more recently. (One vendor of powdered extract states, Freeze-dried miraculin is stable at 4 C for several months.) Differences in the quantity of saliva produced by different individuals may also affect potency of various materials.
RESOURCES
Logees Greenhouses, Ltd. www.logees.com Sells plants, but they appear to be continually back-ordered.
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ARMATOCEREUS AGAIN?
Some of our readers may be familiar with Wade Davis claim concerning Armatocereus laetus being employed by Peruvian shamans as a Trichocereus pachanoi substitute called pishicol (Davis 1983). Unfortunately, the one published analysis of this cactus showed no evidence of psychoactive chemicals (Djerassi et al. 1955). Recently, friends traveling in Peru encountered an Armatocereus [bottom photo, left] that was claimed by locals to sometimes be used as a T. pachanoi substitute, or used in combination with T. pachanoi. It was said to be strong, yet no one our friends encountered had actually consumed it. The photo showing the Five San Pedros employed by Peruvian shamans [top photo, left] also includes a cutting of this plant (its the tip on the far right). Although we were able to acquire a cutting [middle photo, left], the plant died from rot soon after arrival. The cutting was identified by our friends as Armatocereus matucanensis, and images within David Hunts New Cactus Lexicon (2006) support this ID. As it presently lacks chemical analysis and ethnopharmacological study, weve mentioned it here in the hope of stimulating one of our readers into looking at this further. Eds.
TRICHOCEREUS PACHANOT
One of the more interesting errors Ive discovered in my own belief system concerns the plant most of us know and love as Trichocereus pachanoi. Youve seen the plant Im talking about, that self-same cloneits everywhere: from Bay Area botanical gardens, to Americas Target and Home Depot gardening sections, where it is commonly sold as a potted plant. The thing I once gullibly swallowed (if you will pardon the pun), is that these specimens were all produced via cuttings propagated from Backebergs clone. However, as astutely observed by Michael Smith, this plant does not match its published description. Amazingly, taxonomists overall dont want to even hear this observation, and its the same story with the horticulturists I know. Its not even that they shoot down the argument; rather, they dont want the conversation to begin in the first place! Nevertheless, Smith is right on this one. The plant lacks a black wooly ovary (Britton & Rose 1920). In short, it is not a bona fide T. pachanoi. People can argue about descriptions, or debate over ranges of variations they consider permissible within the context of making a solid identification, but in this case, our plant does not match the botanical description, whereas T. pachanoi from South America does match.
TOP:
Five San Pedros Photo by Anonymous
MIDDLE:
Armatocereus matucanensis Photo by Martin Terry Armatocereus matucanensis Photo by Grizzly
BOTTOM:
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What we want to target is the plant preferred by shamans in Peru [figures 1, 4, and 5]. Now look at Backebergs (1959) view of Trichocereus pachanoi in Peru [figure 2], Ritters (1981) view of T. pachanoi in Peru [figure 3], and some other T. pachanoi from Peru [figures 46]. I have no trouble thinking that these plants are the same species, and those that are in various states of flowering show dark wooly hairs. And this species is far more potent than our ersatz T. pachanoi with its white wooly hairs [figure 7], which may be why we can still purchase ours today. When the first contemporary laws scheduling psychedelics were created, truly potent Trichocereus cacti were largely unknown. In fact, until fairly recentlywithin the last fifteen years or soit was damn hard to even find anything other than the common San Pedro clone, unless one grew cacti from seed. (I have to wonder whether we would still have access to Trichocereus species, if this had not been the case?) Other differences in flower morphology between these plants exist as well. For a more detailed photo comparison and discussion, see www.accurateinformation media.com/pedro/pedro.html. K. Trout
San Pedro from a Peruvian shamans garden Photo by Geneva Photography Trichocereus pachanoi from Peru as depicted in Backeberg 1959 FIGURE THREE: Trichocereus pachanoi from Peru as depicted in Ritter 1981 FIGURE SIX: Trichocereus pachanoi from Matucana, Peru Photo by Grizzly FIGURE SEVEN: Commonly available San Pedro clone in the USA (Trichocereus pachanot) Photo by K. Trout
FIGURE TWO:
FIGURES ONE, FOUR, AND FIVE:
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TAKINI: IDENTIFICATION & CHEMISTRY

Readers of The Entheogen Review may be interested in tracking down a copy of Moretti, C. et al. 2006. Identification of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine (Bufotenine) in Takini (Brosimum acutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg, Moraceae), A Shamanic Potion used in the Guiana Plateau, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 106: 198202. The information below is mostly condensed from that article. Takini (aka takweni and tauni) is an entheogenic plant used by shamans in Suriname, French Guiana, and the region east of Par in Brazil. Novice shamans are said to drink its frothy red latex and smoke its bark, in order to tame the protecting spirit of the tree. Later in life, the shamans drink the latex to reinforce their alliance with the spirits that they have tamed. The drink reportedly produces visionary effects and unconsciousness. Takini was originally misrepresented in 1968 by the anthropologist P. Kloos as Helicostylis tomentosa and/or Helicostylis pedunculata (Moraceae). Four years later, takini was properly identified by C.C. Berg as being Brosimum acutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg (Moraceae), following his examination of herbarium specimens (Berg 1972). When the tree is tapped, it first exudes a milky translucent latex, followed by a red latex. The milky latex is traditionally discarded, and only the red latex is used. Recently conducted chemical analysis of both kinds of latex (Moretti et al. 2006) showed that the milky material contained bufotenine at a concentration of only 0.7 mg/ml, while the red material had a substantially higher amount of bufotenine: 23.425 mg/ml. Bufotenine was concluded to be the sole psychoactive component, even though a total of only 12.5 mg was present in a 500 ml portion of red latex, the volume that is typically consumed. Bufotenine was not detected in the bark. As Jonathan Ott only reported mild effects from an oral dose of 100 mg of bufotenine free-base (Ott 2001), it is hard to believe that an oral dose of
merely 12.5 mg would have much, if any, effect on its own. We suspect that more work is needed to assess the possible impact of other components of the plant, particularly with respect to any effect(s) produced by smoked bark. Some flavonoid phenols have been isolated from Brosimum acutifolium, and it seems possible that one or more of these might exert a MAOI effect, since several other flavonoids (isolated from Artemisia vulgaris) have been shown to act as MAO inhibitors in mice brains (Lee et al. 2000). Eds.
EXTRACTING PLASTICS?
Some months back I was visiting a friend who showed me his DMT extraction efforts. Basing his approach on Nomans DMT for the Masses tek, it was a fairly simple kitchen set-up. I noticed that the plastic mixing containers he was using (which held the powdered root-bark, lye/water solution, and naphtha) appeared to be bulging at the sides. When I pointed this out, he remarked that the containers got thinner with use over time, and that he replaced them every so often when he became worried that the sides were weak enough that they might burst. Not only did this strike me as a potential mess in the making, but I also worried out loud about chemicals leaching out of the plastic containers and ending up in the final product. After hearing my concern, my buddy agreed that his approach could be improved and he switched to using large glass wine jugs. (An added benefit, he later remarked, is that the extracting Mimosa liquid now just looks like an innocuous bottle of red wine sitting on his kitchen counter.) Im not sure what sort of plastic container he had been using, and I know that there are some plastics, specifically used in legitimate chemistry labs, that are supposed to be able to withstand exposure to solvents. Nevertheless, it seems safer to me for kitchen chemists to use glass whenever possible. DMT already has enough of a plasticky vibe to it; consumers dont need to be smoking any actual plastics. Plastinate, CA The widespread use of plastics, particularly with regard to containers used for cooking, freezing, or storing food and beverages, is an issue that has been getting a lot of attention in
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recent years. This attention has included several e-mail hoaxes presenting exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims about assorted dangers (for example, despite what some e-mail might say, freezing water in plastic containers does not release dioxin carcinogens, which arent present in these containers in the first place). Heating plasticssuch as in a microwavewould be more likely to potentially cause them to leach unwanted chemicals; those people concerned about such a possibility should avoid nuking their Tupperware. Plastics are commonly identified by a number contained within a triangle-shaped recycling symbol. Non-chlorinated plastics that use polyethylene (#1, #2, and #4) and polypropylene (#5) are currently thought to be safer, while those that use polyvinyl chloride (#3), polystyrene (#6), and polycarbonate (#7), are thought to be less safe. Generally, the softer the plastic, the more potentially dangerous it is. If it adds any taste or smell to the materials stored within it, then it probably isnt a great choice. Most plastics arent going to just dissolve; if anything, they will grow slightly more rigid or become cloudy or hazy (rather than transparent). The more a plastic gets used, or the more harsh washings it endures, the more it may leachits a cumulative thing. Chemicals used in plastic food packaging such as the estrogen-like compounds N-butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) and bisphenol A (BPA) have been shown in animal studies to alter gene expression. With BPA, levels equivalent to those that cause alterations in animals are far beneath the safe exposure level (50 mg/kg) currently established for humans in the United States (vom Saal & Hughes 2005), and a urine analysis study detected BPA in 95% of the 394 Americans whose piss was tested (Calafat et al. 2005)! This finding suggests that a large number of Americans are regularly (or almost continuously) exposed to BPA, due to the fact that it is completely metabolized within approximately 24 hours. Health concerns related to BPA include the speculation that it may increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer. When one considers the additional environmental impact of the huge quantity of plastic polluting the Pacific Ocean, covering an area twice the size of Texas (Casey 2007), it seems clear that we might want to start thinking about alternatives to plastic. While many people (including folks at the FDA) believe that hard plastics and nonreactives are safe, safer could end up being a better way of describing them; according to a friend at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab, it seems that just as soon as people develop assays for detecting plasticizers, they start finding them leached from plastics (including from the so-called nonreactives).
Particularly when employing solvents other than tepid or cold water, it may be a good idea to avoid using plastic extraction vessels, and one of ERs editors pointedly refused to sample a friends hash, after watching it being produced in a PVC bucket using a paint stirrer on an electric drill to pound the pot (and the inside of the bucket) with ice and water. If one is aware of what it tastes like, the flavor of plastic may be discernible when it is tainting an extract. One can often taste it in hash oil that was extracted with butane using a plastic container. That oil so often tastes strongly of plastic, that we would recommend avoiding it entirely unless one explicitly knows how it was produced. Harsh solvents do tend to weaken some plastics and would cause them to leach into the extraction, as you witnessed with your friends DMT processing. On page 150, author J. Cocktoasten recommends using Nalgene plastic collection jars (rather than glass) during the freezer precipitation phase of the process, for ease of collecting the DMT. Because this part of the process targets a precipitate, and because the naphtha only remains in the plastic collection containers overnight, we are somewhat less concerned about the possibility of trace amounts of plasticizers ending up in the final product if this approach is taken. (It would obviously be more concerning if plastic extraction containers were used in a process where the solvent was simply allowed to evaporate off, in order to collect the extract.) Readers should be made aware that in April of 2008, Nalgene began to phase out production of BPA-containing polycarbonate containers. However, since some Nalgene on the market may still contain BPA, be certain to obtain the newer containers that are manufactured with Eastmans Tritan copolyester. New plastic containers should be washed with a mild detergent solution prior to first use, and plastics showing wear or any change in appearance should be discarded. Although it may be a pain in the ass for some applications, glass is usually a safer choice. Eds.
DEPRENYL & PHENETHYLAMINE

On and off for a number of years I have taken the smart drug Deprenyl, which is easily obtained from overseas mail-order pharmacies. Quite a number of positive actions have been claimed for Deprenyl; along with making ones brain sharper (its used in treating Parkinsons and Alzheimers) and extending ones life-span, some users also find it to enhance sex and/or exert antidepressant effects.
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It has been suggested that healthy people using Deprenyl should take 510 mg, once a week, or every third day, or every other day, or daily, with ones age determining frequency and dose (younger people dont need as much as often). At 510 mg, Deprenyl acts as a selective MAO-B inhibitor, which means that one need not worry about the dietary restrictions required for MAO-A inhibitors or mixed MAO-A/B inhibitors. However, at higher doses (around 60 mg), Deprenyl inhibits both forms of MAO, in which case dietary restrictions should be followed. Although I have heard some people claim that Deprenyl is stimulating for them, this has never been the case for me, even when I have taken 10 mg, which is twice my normal dose. (One of Deprenyls metabolites is l-methamphetamine; although this isomer isnt particularly psychoactive, and would be even less-so in the small amount produced by a dose of Deprenyl, theres definitely enough of this metabolite to show up on a urine test.) About a decade ago, I heard tell of a psychonaut surprised to find himself on a much-extended smoked DMT trip. He later speculated that his expanded voyage was due to his consumption of Deprenyl, which he had taken earlier in the day and forgotten about. Interestingly, animal studies have found that the effects of 5-MeO-DMT are not increased by Deprenyl, indicating that 5-MeO-DMT is metabolized by MAO-A, rather than MAO-B; DMT, on the other hand, is suspected of being a substrate for both forms at lower concentrations, but having a greater affinity for MAO-B at higher concentrations (Squires 1975; Suzuki et al. 1981). I also have a vague recollection of hearing from someone who reported obtaining enhanced effects while on one of the 2C- compounds combined with Deprenyl. Alas, I was told both of these dope tales so long ago that I cant remember them in much detail. Recently during a point of low energy, when I was struck by that I need a new drug feeling, my mind clicked back to these tales of potentiation, and I flashed on a bit of text from PIHKAL. I remembered Sasha had commented that doses of phenethylamine up to 1,600 mg had no effects. But he had also said, Phenethylamine is intrinsically a stimulant, although it doesnt last long
enough to express this property. In other words, it is rapidly and completely destroyed in the human body. Perhaps the combination of phenethylamine and Deprenyl might produce a useful stimulant? Hopping on the Internet, I saw mention of rat studies indicating that Deprenyl did indeed potentiate phenethylamine, producing stimulant effects. Further searching turned up a number of web site forums with people reporting the effects of their bioassays combining these two. One psychonaut opined, Good lord, its meth. Weaker than the real thing, and the rushes are a bit too brief for my taste. Several others compared the effects to MDMA, and most accounts seemed pretty positive. Could a beneficial new drug really be so simple to produce? I still had a bottle of Deprenyl on my shelf, and I easily located a supplement web site offering pure phenethylamine, so I placed an order and it arrived in a couple of days. Based on reading all of the trip reports I could find on-line, I decided to take 10 mg of Deprenyl and 1,000 mg of phenethylamine. This was, perhaps, a bold level to start off at. However, my goal was to avoid the dreaded underdose; I didnt want to be left wondering whether or not I was actually feeling anything. But if I had not read reports of others taking this dose (and higher), I definitely would have started much lower and slowly worked up. The phenethylamine was beautifully crystalline, reminding me of mescaline sulfate in appearance. It tasted horrible, nasty and bitter, so I capped up my dose. At 4:30 pm I took the Deprenyl, and at 5:05 I took the phenethylamine (figuring that by then, the MAO-B inhibition probably would have kicked in). By 5:30 pm I was awash in waves of rushes that felt very strong, but which were not particularly enjoyable in nature. Sort of like if you took the physical feeling of coming on to MDMA, but entirely removed the blissful aspect. I was getting tingles along my scalp, and I wrote STRONG! in my notebook. I was also feeling a mild bit of nausea. I was somewhat surprised that the effects were so pronounced: this from a legal chemical and an easy-to-obtain pharmaceutical? Hard to believe. On the other hand, it wasnt particularly fun. I was concerned that my blood pressure might be spik-
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ing, but I hadnt thought to take my pressure before dosing (and I have no recollection what my normal pressure is), so I didnt bother checking it. Also, by the time I started having concerns about my health, the rushes were already abating. By 5:50 pm, the effects were much less intense. By 6:15 pm, I was left feeling somewhat anxious and off, but was fairly near baseline. A low-level crappy feeling lasted for perhaps another hour. At no point did I feel any positive stimulation like methamphetamine, cocaine, or even caffeine would have given me. The effects didnt lend themselves to getting a manic amount of work accomplished. Its possible that I got to sleep a bit later that night than usual, but it certainly didnt seem as though the materials kept me awake. I dont particularly see ever wanting to take it again. The effects were short-lived and lacking any feeling of euphoria, while producing very mild nausea. Imagine the rush one gets from eating Chinese hot mustard or Japanese wasabi, minus any actual flavor enhancement. Whats the point? I cant recommend that anyone try this combination, although for those inclined to do so anyhow, I would suggest using a lower dose of phenethylamine: maybe 700 mg. Fork, CA
BUY SOME GLOVES!

The following information is excerpted from a December 10, 2008 story on the Discovery Channel titled Fingerprints Can Reveal Drug Use, Medical History (see http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/10/fingerprint -drugs.html). A careless touch could be all police or insurance companies need to determine not only your identity, but also your past drug use, if youve fired a gun or handled explosives, even specific medical conditions. A fingerprint is only good to identify a criminal if you already have their fingerprint on file, said David Russell, a professor at the University of East Anglia, who, along with Pompi Hazarika, helped developed [a new analytical] technique. This will give police new tools to help discover that identity. For decades forensic scientists have dusted fingerprints with magnetic particles to reveal the hidden swirls and curls that differentiate each person on the planet. The iron oxide particles attach themselves to the tiny bits of water, minerals, and oils that accumulate on the fingers as they touch various objects and other parts of the body. The new technique attaches the iron oxide particles to antibodies and suspends them both in a liquid solution, which is then drizzled over a fingerprint. If the chemical that a specific antibody targets is present, the molecules latch onto it and glow. So far the scientists can detect five different drugs: THC (marijuana), cocaine, nicotine, methadone and a derivative of methadone. Other drugs, particularly opium-based drugs like [heroin] or morphine, should also be detectable, since antibodies already exist for them as well. [] Theres more to the article on-line, but no information is provided regarding how long drug traces left in fingerprints remain detectable. Eds.
PEYOTE HARVESTS
Readers may be interested in reviewing results from the first study of peyote regrowth following deliberate conscientious harvesting using good collection techniques. Initial results from what will be a four-year study can be found on-line at www.cactusconservation.org/Regrowth_2008.html.
CALIFORNIA BANS SALVIA SALES TO MINORS

Beginning January 1, 2009, it will be illegal to sell or distribute Salvia divinorum or salvinorin A, or any substance or material containing Salvia divinorum or salvinorin A, to any person under 18 years of age in California. (Quoted from The Salvia divinorum Observer on yahoogroups.com, Dec. 27, 2008.)
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Sources
by Jon Hanna and Will Beifuss
I was surprised to hear from my friend and old coauthor Will Beifuss, shortly before the deadline to turn in the final Sources column, asking whether or not I could use some help in generating content. Being the lazy son-of-a-bitch that I am, I was happy to agree to such a reunionsigning off as the same team that we started out as. Happy, that is, until I started having to pester him to get something written. I need to get to bed, my brain is shutting down, Will bemoaned at only 2:30 am. What a baby! Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading Wills contribution related to organizations involved with ayahuasca tourism. (His list is not comprehensive, since numerous similar organizations have been mentioned in previous columns; hes only covered operations that are new or have escaped mention in past issues.) Thanks, Will, for showing up at the retirement party. J.H. the relationships developed through the use of inebriating plants. Torres work showcases her fierce command of color. She contrasts bright pure colors with equally saturated but muted colors, producing results that are vivid but in no way garish (like some psychedelic art can be). Torres currently teaches botanical illustration at Fairchild Tropical Garden. In addition, through the Indigenous Botanical Illustration Project, she sporadically holds botanical illustration classes for students in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. During August 518, 2009in Florianpolis, BrazilTorres will be presenting a lecture about her work in Chile titled Preserving Indigenous Plant Traditions: Botanical Illustration in the Atacama Desert. She will also be leading an art workshop titled Visualizing Nature: Capturing the Human/Plant Connection in Graphite and Watercolor. The lecture and workshop are part of a gathering titled Psychoactive Substances and Art Through History. Other presenters include Christian Rtsch, Claudia Mller-Ebeling, and Manuel Torres, and the event will be held at the Wasiwaska Research Centre for the Study of Psychointegrator Plants, Visionary Art, and Consciousness. For more information, see www.wasiwaska.org.
DONNA TORRES donnatorres@mac.com www.donnatorres.com

Donna Torres is the brilliant visionary artist whose work is featured on the cover of this issue of ER. Her paintings have appeared on the covers of Jonathan Otts books and within the pages of the new edition of Schultes & Hofmanns classic Plants of the Gods; but until recently, the only web-based collection of her work available was from the 1999 Visions that the Plants Gave Us exhibition at the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery, posted at http:// web.stlawu.edu/gallery/dtorres.htm. Thankfully, more access to her images is now available via her own web site. In contrast to the swirling geometric abstractions that dominate the work of many artists inspired by psychedelics, Torres takes a narrative approach in much of her art. She has traveled the world, extensively studying ancient and contemporary shamanic cultures, and she uses these ethnographic influences as inspiration, allowing her to examine
GARDEN OF EDEN Snu Voogelbreinder achuma@netconnect.com.au http://trout.yage.net/sc/snu.html

Garden of Eden is a long-awaited compendium of psychoactive plants and animals, describing their use in shamanism and other forms of therapy. Author Snu Voogelbreinder discusses hundreds of genera in varying levels of detail, covering ethnobotanical uses, chemical content, taxonomic synonyms, botanical and zoological descriptions, cultivation techniques, methods of collecting, process-
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ing and consuming plant material, and more. Additional information is presented in related areas such as endogenous neurochemistry, and the nature of psychedelic experiences. Numerous black & white illustrations and an extensive bibliography round out this book, which makes a fine complement to other classics of the genre, such as Christian Rtschs Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants, Jonathan Otts Pharmacotheon, and the various Trouts Notes. Garden of Eden is expected to be available in early 2009 (it should be at the printer by the time you are reading this) and will be produced as a hardcover limited edition volume. Unfortunately, the price was not yet determined when this preview was written, but it looks to be a massive tome. Until a dedicated web site has been set up to handle orders, those interested in the book can send an e-mail to the address listed above to be notified of its release date, and more information can also be found at the URL listed.
might make folks seriously consider not sending e-mail to anyone using a Gmail account.) One common concern is all of the data collected when one uses a search engine. The ber cautious web surfer may visit a library or cyber caf to perform their searches (but dont think that someone else hanging out in a public place might not remember your face). Ultimately, it is probably safe to assume that at some point, if they have enough interest, the government will be able to get access to many of the digital fingerprints youve carelessly left around for businesses to collect. Which brings us to Scroogle.org. We only just learned about this web site by seeing it mentioned in Zhahs article on page 132. Created by Google critic Daniel Brandt, Scroogle ponies up the first 100 responses to your search term(s) from Google, while stopping Google from downloading any cookies and blocking them from seeing your IP address. Google can no longer tell that multiple searches were conducted by the same person. As the interface between you and Google, Scroogle parses the file and sends you the results, sans cookies, minus advertisements, and without saving a record of search terms. Hit results are retained for less than an hour, and all of their logs are deleted within 48 hours. According to their site, Every day Scroogle crumbles 200,000 cookies and blocks a million ads. While we applaud the tool (and believe it to be legit), a streak of paranoia did strike us when first reading about the service: What if Daniel Brandt is just a fiction, and this site is actually run by a government agency that cleverly figured out a way to quickly concentrate search engine results on people who felt like they had something to hide? Such a thought might send some people back to those library computers. As a funny side-note, be sure to use the org ending for Scroogle, as Scroogle.com will land yer ass at a soft-core pornography site.
SCROOGLE www.scroogle.org
Many people, readers of The Entheogen Review included, have concerns about retaining their privacy during the increasingly invasive digital age. Cameras attach a myriad of traceable data to each photo taken, iTunes timestamps the last moment you played a song, and cell phone forensic specialists can lock-down your mobile and make it regurgitate information about every call and text it has ever made or received (even if you have trashed the original files). If it isnt already being done, it doesnt seem paranoid to think that ATM check scanners could be configured to record the serial numbers of any cash deposited in them, allowing for the tracking of specific bills. (Where did you say you got this $20 again, Mr. Beifuss?) And dont get us started on RFID. A friend using Gmail occasionally forwards the list of content-targeted advertisements generated by Gmails scanning of our discussion for keywords. Its fucking scary. Mention DMT, and adverts pop up enticing you to purchase Mimosa hostilis. (Which
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SPICE: CHEMISTRY AND BANS

In June 2007 I had the opportunity to try a new commercially available herbal smoking blend called Spice (no relation to the slang term spice used for DMT). The product is sold in a regular strength and a gold variety, supposed to be more potent. It claims to be composed of the herbs baybean, blue lotus, dwarf scullcap, Indian warrior, lions tail, maconha brava, marshmallow, pink lotus, red clover, rose, Siberian motherwort, vanilla, and honey. The effects were said to be Cannabis-like, yet none of the ingredients listed strike me as being very likely to produce such effects. When I smoked some of the gold variety, I found the high to be extremely similar to Cannabis. However, while I consider Cannabis to have many subtle notes to its effects, Spice was predominantly a single-note product. It was not unpleasant at all, but Ive only used it a few times (mainly while introducing others to it, to elicit their opinions on its effects), and the foil sack containing the product remains mostly full. For some years there has been speculation that the laundry list of herbs is a ruse, and the products actual active ingredient is some synthetic cannabinoid that the herbs have been dosed with. This theory was supported by the fact that the product manufacturer created a selfimposed ban prohibiting sales to the United States, where the product might be considered illegal under the controlled substance analogue laws. (However, some retailers of Spice have ignored this ban, selling to folks in the United States.) An Erowid-sponsored analysis of Spice, conducted by Drug Detection Labs, turned up no positive hits for any known controlled substance; nevertheless, any analogue could have slipped past unnoticed. Since Spice obtained rave reviews after entering the market, a few other herb vendors have produced copycat products, basing their blends on Spices listed ingredients. Interestingly, the manufacturer of Spice has repeated the same story to several people, stating that he is not worried about copycat products, because it took him so long to learn how to grow one of the Spice ingredient plants in such a way that it produced high enough amounts of a particular psychoactive chemical. While that could be true, it also could be a disinformation myth explaining why competitors products dont work, with the real reason being
because the competitors arent spiking their Spice with a synthetic cannabinoid. In one case, a disgruntled ex-partner of Spices manufacturer (who said that he had been told by the manufacturer that the product was laced with a synthetic cannabinoid) voiced the idea of marketing his own product that would also be sold using the name Spice, to both exploit and undermine the newly created market for Spice (since his product would not have any synthetic cannabinoid on it), thereby exacting his revenge on the manufacturer. On the one hand, we applaud the makers of Spice for producing the only reasonably effective Cannabis substitute I have ever tried. On the other hand, if the product is mislabled and contains some untested synthetic chemical, then every Spice user has become an unwitting guinea pig. The other huge drawback related to Spice is its cost, as it basically sells for the same price that Cannabis does. Since, for me at least, the effects are somewhat less enjoyable than actual Cannabis, due to the lack of complexity to the high, I am less likely to use this product. However, the fact that it isnt explicitly illegal means that one could travel with it, or even smoke it in public, and have little fear of being arrested. Particularly if one is not able to score any Cannabis, Spice seems like a simple solution. So there are definitely some benefits to Spice. Three recent analyses of Spice identified three different synthetic chemicals, resulting in two countries banning the product and U.S. Customs seizing a shipment. A December 15, 2008 news article states that a German pharmaceutical company identified the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018 in a sample of Spice. Responding to this finding, a December 18 article says that Austria banned Spice. A January 15, 2009 article says that U.S. Customs agents seized more than 100 pounds of Spice, and that the product contained the synthetic chemical HU-210, which is said to be 100 to 800 times more potent than THC. Most recently, a January 21 article titled Germany Bans Cannabis-Like Drug Spice says that analysis found that Spice contains the synthetic cannabinoid CP-47,497, which the article implies is up to four times stronger than THC. It would appear as though the manufacturer
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of Spice has been rotating the use of different synthetic THC-like chemicals in different batches of their product. (No tests so far have shown more than one such chemical in any batch tested.) Links to the above articles and additional info about Spice is now available on Erowid; see www.erowid.org/ spice. Interestingly, the URL found on my package of Spice, www.thepsychedeli.co.uk., no longer connects to the manufacturer.
After a few bum batches, I developed an insurance policy against weak brew. I made sure to always bring my trusty DMT pipe with me, so that if I found myself on a low earth orbit a couple of hours after imbibing, a toke or two would instantly transport me across the universe. It would probably be more prudent to orally ingest the DMT, so as to have a more gradual lift-off. But after sitting around in the dark for a few hours waiting for the floor show to begin, my impatience was understandable. There is no way to be certain that the brew used at any of the following retreats is strong, unless you know someone who has attended one of them and they can vouch for it. As with all things, caveat emptor. Eagles Wing Centre for Contemporary Shamanism shamanism@yahoo.com www.shamanism.co.uk (415) 508-3975 One of their more compelling retreats features the well-known artist Pablo Amaringo, and will take place within the Allpahuayo Mishana Nature reserve in the Amazon. During the days, Pablo will lead a hands-on art workshop where participants can learn Pablos techniques for visionary painting. Every night there will be an ayahuasca ceremony led by Shipibo shamans. Check out the YouTube video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=beOOZqPDcgA. Strangely, on one spot of their web site they say this event will be held July 25August 5, 2009 and at another spot they say it will be held August 112. Those interested in attending should e-mail them to resolve this discrepancy. El Mundo Magico Flat 5, 8 Queens Road, Lexden, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3NP UNITED KINGDOM info@elmundomagico.org www.ayahuasca-shamanism.co.uk Offers ayahuasca ceremonies in the Amazon and San Pedro rituals in the Andes. You can schedule a visit any time you want, to either the Peruvian Andes or the Amazon. Their ceremonies are on-
AYAHUASCA TOURISM
Ah yes, ayahuasca tourism; I have mixed feelings about these endeavors. On the one hand, you are not going to leave a very polite carbon footprint traveling so far to ingest your yag. But these trips are about a lot more than the actual ceremonies, and if you return as a less crass, venal, and materialistic person, then they are certainly worthwhile. Terence McKenna once said to me, Its all about the brew. If it is potent, you are good to go. If it isnt, all you are left with is a weird social experiment. I couldnt agree more. Regardless of how nice a group of participants you may have fallen in with at a retreat, you dont want to find yourself sitting around in a circle at night expecting a Pablo Amaringo painting to materialize in front of your eyes, and getting little more than a woozy feeling and leaky anus, with no visuals from a brew that is heavy on the b-carbolines and light on the DMT. Sadly, this is the case with bad brew; they use plenty of Banisteriopsis caapi and far too little Psychotria viridis. I think some shamans do this in order to make their jobs easier: a room full of gringos loaded on b-carbolines is a pretty sedate, easy-to-babysit bunch. But if the brew has plenty of chacruna in it, things can get dicey as the less experienced voyagers get into deeper psychic water than they are used to swimming in. I have attended ceremonies where the brew was practically devoid of DMT, but packed a soporific punch from plenty of vine. Yet even so, some of the novice participants shared fantastical voyages the next day that would make Fitz Hugh Ludlow proudjust another example of the power of the placebo effect.
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going regularly. One week is the minimum stay, sixteen weeks is the maximum. Cost for the Amazon is $846 per week; check their web site for the cost in the Andes. Heart of the Initiate Bahia, Brazil (702) 966-1260 www.heartoftheinitiate.com/workshops/brazil/ ayahuasca Offers one- and two-week workshops along the coast of Bahia, about 700 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. Each workshop includes three ayahuasca ceremonies. Dates are March 2128 and March 31April 7, 2009. Cost is $2,582 per week, not including airfare. From their web site photos, the accommodations appear to be of a higher quality than those offered by the other retreat centers. Refugio Altiplano Raimondi 171 Iquitos PERU U.S. contact: John Welch john@refugioaltiplano.org www.refugioaltiplano.org This place has ayahuasca front and center in their activities. They have ceremonies five nights a week, and you can participate as often as you like. Accomadations are rustic, but youre not going to the Amazon to stay in a Holiday Inn. On their web site they claim, From extensive experience in participating in ayahuasca ceremonies in areas throughout the Amazon, we believe one cannot find a more consistent and powerful medicine than that produced at the Refugio. You can visit anytime, at a cost of $160 per night, but they ask that you try to make a reservation a couple of months in advance. SpiritQuest otorongo_blanco@terra.com.pe www.biopark.org/peru/ayahuasca-spiritquest.html SpiritQuest offers ten-day retreats at their property on the Rio Momon outside Iquitos, Peru. Their next event will be held June 1424, 2009. Retreats are limited to twelve people.
Book Reviews
Chemical Warfare: Secrets Almost Forgotten by James S. Ketchum. M.D. 2006. (ChemBooks, 2304 Fairbanks Drive, Santa Rosa, CA, 95403, forgottensecrets.net) ISBN 978-1-42430080-8 [8.5" x 11" hardcover $59.95; PDF $24.95], 360 pages with many color photographs.
This is a quirky book. People looking for a continuation or closure of the stories spun in Acid Dreams or Storming Heaven may be disappointed with its honest candor, and its lack of sensationalism or apologies. But for myself, as a longtime fan of psychopharmacology and its history, Chemical Warfare was an eye-opener that steadily corrected a huge number of misconceptions that I had long held about the Edgewood Arsenal and its nonlethal incapacitating weapons program. The picture Ketchum paints is exciting, entertaining, andperhaps most remarkablyvery human. Its a picture that doesnt focus solely on the test subjects; it also introduces the intriguing individuals involved with designing the test programs. For example, Ketchums boss, Van M. Sim, consistently expresses his eager willingness to ingest seemingly every drug or poison they experiment with (including nerve gas), simply to be able to fully understand them and their actions. This curiosity, this need to learn through first-hand experience, shows that Sim possesses the rare character of a great scientist. Perhaps most important as historical correction is the authors insistence that not only were his participants fully informed volunteers, but they actually enjoyed their experiences to such a degree that many of them expressed a desire to participate again in more experiments in the future. Ketchum ex-
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plains that the commonly used phrase unwitting guinea pig in no way applied to the brave soldiers who chose of their own free will to take part in the Armys drug tests; guinea pigs dont have any choice in their situation. Over the years, government experiments on soldiers have frequently all been lumped under the same umbrella by the popular media, who imply an abuse of human rights. Ketchum draws a brightline distinction between the work he was conducting at Edgewood, and the unethical CIA activities involving entirely uninformed subjectsactivities that Ketchum was willing to testify against to the United States Congress. After filling readers in with some details of his personal background, we are treated to an engaging storyillustrated with photos from Ketchums archivesthat colorfully reflects an insiders view of life at Edgewood. Beginning with an intimate history of the site, Ketchum then moves into detailed descriptions of the structure of its research projects: from their inception through their implementation, covering their targeted objectives and the challenges they encountered. Along the way, Ketchum provides fascinating peeks at several important contributors to modern psychopharmacology, such as George Aghajanian, who discovered the mechanism by which LSD produces its psychoptic effects. One noteworthy service of the book is to dispel the mythology that our fear-mongering culture spins around nerve gases. Ketchum points out these are not gases; rather, they are aerosols, which are poorly delivered under field conditions. He is no doubt right that this underlies the infrequency of their actual use. Should you ever be in a nerve gas attack and find yourself alive, Ketchums advice is not to panic. If you arent already dead, you very likely arent going to die. (His recommendation to those who get VX on themselves is to scrape it off promptly and go wash with soap and water. He even offers an amusing suggestion that VX is an ideal antidote to use medicinally for scopolamineinduced delirium, commenting that, The bottom line is that nerve-agent type drugs are effective antidotes for BZ-like drugs, and vice versa!)
A wry sense of humor is peppered throughout. For instance, with regard to Albert Hofmanns first acid trip, Ketchum remarks: Although this event is periodically celebrated by his admirers, prefacing great historic events with the consumption of 250 mcg. of LSD would probably be a bad idea. Ketchum could have taken the easy way out and focused entirely on the data produced by Edgewoods programs: test results; trip reports; activity, pharmacology, toxicity, and duration profiles of the chemicals they studied; their merits as incapacitating agents; potential antidotes; descriptions of experimental designs; performance abilities while inebriated; the structure of their staff support; drug ward design; etc. And while, in reality, he does include all of those things, they are presented within a framework of the human forces and motivations shaping and driving his worldnot simply within Edgewood, but also within the complex larger body of politics surrounding the Vietnam War era. Most notably, this is shown through the manner in which public sentiment and societys negative view of the military interest in chemical warfare played a role that led to the end of Ketchums programs at Edgewood. Despite all that Ketchum covered, I was surprised to discover how intensely this book left me wanting to learn more. Due to the secrecy still surrounding this subject, even with everything left unsaid, I suspect that Chemical Warfare probably contains about as much as most of us will ever be able to learn. Sadly, the whole story will likely never be told. But we are lucky to at least have the glimpse that Ketchum provides us. K. Trout
Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America by Constantino Manuel Torres and David B. Repke. 2006. (The Haworth Press, Inc., part of the Taylor & Francis Group, Ltd., taylorandfrancis.com) ISBN 978-0-78902641-5 (hc), 978-0-7890-2642-2 (pb) [6" x 8.5" hardcover $95.00, paperback $39.95], 256 pages.
Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America by Constantino Manuel Torres and David B. Repke is an exhaustive overview detailing the
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botany, geography, history, mythology, archeology, chemistry, and pharmacology of this widely used entheogen. Although there has been some debate regarding the nature of the effects of bufotenine (the primary constituent in Anadenanthera-based snuffs), as Sasha Shulgin remarks in his foreword, This book neatly summarizes all [the] earlier published data and brings it up to date. The inescapable conclusionbufotenine is indeed a psychoactive alkaloid. Following a taxonomic overview, presenting botanical synonyms and indigenous names for the genus Anadenanthera (which contains two species and two subspecies), Torres and Repke jump into the history of Anadenanthera preparations. They draw from early colonial writings chronicling entheobotanical rituals and/or recording assorted cultures myths related to such use, paraphernalia (snuff tubes and trays, pipes, enema syringes, and vessels still containing snuff powder), and artistic depictions of snuffing implements or of Anadenanthera plants. An appendix provides references related to archeological evidence for 57 indigenous groups who have used Anadenanthera, mostly as a snuff, occasionally smoked, and rarely as an enema or potion. Specifics for numerous groups known or believed to have used Anadenanthera seeds are discussed, relating geographic details where each group resided. (Since my knowledge of geography is lacking, I appreciated the four maps that the authors included.) The book is considerably enhanced by 59 highquality black & white plates, 41 of which contain photographs. Many of the remaining plates are attractive pen-and-ink drawings by Donna Torres. The plates are collected together in the center of the book, and this arrangement (while no doubt practical for printing reasons) provokes my first minor complaint. References to the images were so frequent throughout the text, that I was forever flipping back and forth to view what was being discussed. Nevertheless, the inclusion of so many wonderful images was particularly appreciated during the speculations related to how specific iconography and mythos could have transfered between groups in different geographic areas that may have traded in snuffs or seeds.
One ethnographic tale explained how the Tano (living on the north cost of Hispaniola) were instructed, by taking snuff, on the proper manner in which to carve wooden idols of zems, the supernatural beings central to their spiritual lives. Certainly, when one sees some of the imagery decorating the paraphernalia and sculpture of the cultures who used tryptaminic snuffs, it is easy to suspect that the visionary states they entered impacted the art they produced. Some of the weird little dudes and patterns depicted seem to be straight out of my own DMT visions (or those of the psychedelic artist Keiichi Tanaami). Near the end of the book, a trip report from Christian Rtsch echoes this idea. Regarding his bioassay of a snuff made from Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil, Rtsch remarks:
A rushing tumult of patterns poured across my visual field. Every point was the source of streams and rivers of braided ropes of light. These braided and unbraided themselves in a vast tangle. All this took place at breakneck speed. A panorama of flowing designsthe exact patterns depicted in the nimbus surrounding the head of the Chavn deity! I marveled for minutes at the interlocking tessellation of these geometric shapes. They possessed a multiple interlocking penetrated arrangement which matched the characteristic style of Tiahuanaco artwork. At that moment I was convinced that the Tiahuanaco artists used this snuff to inspire their work.
Some accounts of ethnographic use quaintly reflect the biases of their authors, such as this excerpt from La Condamine, who explored the Amazon in 1743, and described snuff use by the Omagua. Discussing the ground, roasted Anadenanthera seeds, Condamine remarked:
They cause inebriation lasting 24 hours, during which it is pretended that [the Omagua] have strange visions. [The snuffing], followed by a violent inspiration, causes them to make diverse grimaces.
Similarly, I smiled on reading the following words written by the Jesuit priest Pedro Lozano, sometime in the early 1700s, who described the use of cebil by the Lule:
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these powders are so potent, that [they] deprive [the Lule] of their judgment, inebriated they begin to jump and bounce in an open space, screaming and howling, and singing with dissonant voices
The book presents a brief accounting of commercial applications for Anadenanthera (the bark and seed pods contain tannins used for treating leather, and the tree itself is a source of lumber), and then moves into a discussion of the difficulties inherent in chemotaxonomy. The reader is presented with the history of chemical analyses of the plant, the sometimes conflicting findings, and speculations related to the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in plants (and the challenges of precursor loading and radiolabeling techniques in determining routes of biosynthesis). Torres and Repke close out their presentation of this genus with an in-depth look at the pharmacology of bufotenine, starting with animal experiments. I was intrigued to learn that a study of assorted psychedelics on rats and mice showed that bufotenine reduced aggression, while ibogaine increased muricide (rat murder). I was also surprised to learn that bufotenine is one of several compounds produced in the leaves of the mandarin orange that contribute to egglaying behavior in swallowtail butterflies, who feed on this plants leaves. This situation seems to fly in the face of the idea that plants might create bufotenine as an antifeedant, which is one theory as to why plants produce alkaloids in the first place. Many other animal studies related to bufotenine are covered, and the problems of extrapolating data from rat studies to humans are explained, before the authors move on to describe the known human pharmacology of bufotenine. Within a discussion of the evolution of receptor site theory, Torres and Repke caution that the same problem of synonymy encountered in botany can be found with names of receptors. They also remark that, Although receptor-mediated events may be part of the spectrum of the action of these drugs, it is more likely that they precipitate a series of neurochemical events that might be called a neuronal cascade. Then they pony up some evidence supporting such a viewpoint.
Roles that bufotenine may have within mental disease are noted. Although I had previously read about the theory regarding bufotenines possible role in schizophrenia (due to it being excreted in the urine of schizophrenics), I had somehow missed more recent work from 1995, that reported bufotenine being consistently found at higher levels in the urine of autistic patients. Past and recent human bioassays are described, including the ethically dubious experiments conducted on prisoners and mental patients. The authors muse over the impact that such studies, as well as the speculation that bufotenine could be an indigenous psychotoxin, had on the public perception of bufotenine (describing bufotenine as the black sheep of the tryptamine family). In their conclusions, they mention Jonathan Otts bioassays of bufotenine free-base. And a description of the effects that Torres obtained from snuffing 100 mg of this compound confirms, without question, the psychoactive nature of bufotenine. Ill admit that my eyes glazed over a bit while reading that part of the text dealing with receptor site binding. And I suppose that I wouldnt have minded seeing a few photographs of the assorted indigenous people in South America who still employ visionary snuffs, to add some human faces to the groups being discussed. Yet, as I look out my office window at the Anadenanthera tree in my front yardonly five feet tall, thin and bent, struggling to survive in a too-cold climateperhaps the only thing that I really felt was missing in Torres and Repkes otherwise comprehensive book was a map that presented the natural habitat for each of the Anadenanthera species. All in all, this is as solid a reference book as I can possibly imagine, and one which should grace the shelves of every entheophiles library. Jon Hanna
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Farewell and Thanks!

by David Aardvark and Keeper Trout
There are many ways in which to learn about the world. To crib a turn of phrase from Dale Pendell, weve taken the poison path. Gazing out through the window of psychoactive drugs, weve encountered a myriad of disciplinesanthropology, history, botany, chemistry, pharmacology, sociology, public policy, psychology, spirituality, religion, lawand weve ended up with a pretty wellrounded education. Drugs did that. Drugs taught us. Intrigued by their effects on our minds, we became more inspired to use our minds to learn as much as we could. As many times as we may have considered producing The Entheogen Review to be a labor of love over the course of the last decade, now that the end has come, another viewpoint on it comes into sharp focus. Subscribers and contributors to The Entheogen Review have given us an incredible gift. By supporting our work on this project, youve helped to educate us. Ten years in the underground college. (And still no degrees to show for it!) If you are reading this, thank you.
When discussing with Trout what he might want to say in our final remarks, he responded:
Im unclear what to say in a farewell commentary, as most of my thanks would be to you. Not just for making anything I did for ER better, but for constantly improving what I did outside of ER, due to the feedback received on ER projects. Its been a seriously fun ride.
Right back at ya, Trout. I cant count the number of times that Trout saved my bacon on some point that I had gotten entirely wrong, or contributed the facts necessary to flesh out an editorial remark or article, or provided the perfect citation to support the data that we published. Through our collaboration, Trouts love of learning rubbed off on me. But much more valuable than gaining an education, I gained a friend. On reading these comments, Trout assured me that the feeling was mutual.
Over the years, the countless letters and notes of appreciation from subscribers fed our spirits; the trip tales, tried-and-true teks, questions, and answers, filled our pages. We greatly appreciate the myriad experts in the field, who took the time to answer questions when we were lost. Particular thanks are due to a few individuals who went out of their way for the project. We are extremely grateful for the financial support of the late Bob Wallace, who helped bring The Entheogen Review to a larger audience via his company Mind Books, and who donated $5,000 to keep the project afloat during financially lean times. Similar thanks go to John G., for donating $2,000 toward the purchase of some much-needed new office equipment. And to all of the other subscribers, who gave extra when possible, from $5 to $1,000, thank you for your generosity. Those who wrote semi-regular columns or repeatedly contributed articles over the years Will Beifuss, Richard Glen Boire, Gwyllm, Jon Hanna, R. Stuart, and Toadyou had our backs. The late Carla Higdon was a tireless champion of ER; we miss her terribly. Friends and colleagues who offered encouragement and inspiration over the years: Earth and Fire Erowid, Rick Doblin, FunGal, Alex Grey, Tania, Munko, Jonathan Ott, Nick Sand, Sasha and Ann Shulgin, and Sylvia Thyssen. Our copy editor, E.V. Love, whose sharp eyes, good grammar, and topical knowledge improved the publication in countless ways. Special thanks are due to Helen, for mail forwarding, processing, and financial support, and to Melissa Irwin, who David loves best. Finally, a tall glass of kudos to Jim DeKorne, the visionary who started it all. This is far from being an ending for us. Rather, it represents new beginnings. There is so much more literature available on the topic of entheogens today than when ER began in 1992, and there is no shortage of high-quality information posted on the Internet. In many ways, things are looking up. Viva la Entheogenic Reformation!
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Index
Symbols 13th Floor Elevators 110, 111 2C-B 26, 33, 82, 85 2C-B-fly 82, 84 2C-E 26, 27 2C-T-2 26, 27 2C-T-22 83 3-methyleneindolenine 103 3-methylindole 103 4-fluoroamphetamine 62, 63 5-HT 22 5-HT receptors 23 5-MeO-DIPT 27 5-MeO-DMT 58, 59, 73, 74, 76, 77, 87, 93, 95, 104, 146, 147, 148, 149, 159 5-MeO-DMT-N-oxide 104 5-MeO-MIPT 27 A Aardvark, David 27, 70, 113, 125, 134, 135, 170 Abramson, H.A. 119, 170 absinthe 112 Acacia confusa 89 Acacia jarnesiana 107 Acacia piauhyensis 107 Acacia spp. 93 acetone 132, 133, 134, 135, 138 Acid Dreams 165 acid lite 151 Adam (and Eve) 8 Adams, Craig 121 Addis, Paul 14 Adonis 61 Aetherius Society 66 Aghajanian, George 166 agnostic 74, 75 Agurell, S. 109, 114 ain 7 alanine aminotransferase 22 alchemy 50, 51 Alchemy, The Great Secret 50 alcohol 18, 19, 121, 132, 139 alcohol, isopropyl 133, 134 alcoholic/alcoholism 127, 128 alien(s) 73, 75, 81 Aligarh Muslim University 17 Alpha 137, 138, 139, 142 alphabet 49, 51 Amanita muscaria 8, 69, 112 Amaringo, Pablo 164 American Headache Society 123 amitriptyline 119, 120 ammonia 92, 98 amphetamine 54 Amphetamine Syntheses 126, 131 amphetamine-type compounds 22 amrita 7, 8 An Ocelot for a Pillow: Researching Headaches 120
Anadenanthera 147, 148, 149, 167, 168 Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil 167 Anadenanthera peregrina 112, 146 Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America 146, 166 anandamide 130 anesthetic 22, 120 angel, fallen 7 angel of death 2, 6, 7 anhalonium 117 Anhalonium lewinii (= Lophophora williamsii) 125 Anima 115 Anonymous 90, 93, 114, 147, 155, 170 Anthropos 50 anti-depressant 22, 23, 24, 130 anti-histamine 23 anti-serotonergic 23 anxiety 16, 26, 65 aphrodisiac 17, 24 Apocalypse 81 Apollo/Apollonian 8, 13 Archaea 88 Argelles, J. 48, 49, 50, 52, 72 Argyreia nervosa 112, 122, 123, 124 Ark Herb Farm 152 Armatocereus laetus 155 Armatocereus matucanensis 155 Army 9, 166 Arnson, David 111 Aromatico, A. 50, 51, 72 Arriaza, B.T. 146 Artemisia vulgaris 157 Arthur, J.D. 69, 70 aspartate aminotransferase 22 autistic 168 ayahuasca 6, 30, 47, 66, 73, 77, 83, 84, 112, 146, 147, 148, 149, 164, 165 Ayahuasca Analogues: Pangan Entheogens 91 Ayahuasca Forum 104 Ayahuasca Healing Retreat 30, 66 ayahuasca tourism 161, 164 Ayahuasca: Alkaloids, Plants & Analogs 102 ayin 7 az 7 Azazel 7, 8, 9 Azhadaha 7 Azi Dahaka 7, 8 Azrael 2, 6, 7 Aztec(s) 12, 122 Azu 8 Azza 7 B b-carbolines 146, 164 B. Cautious 27 Bacchanalia 13 Backeberg, C. 155, 156, 170 Ball, M. 67, 68, 69 Banisteriopsis caapi 146, 147, 148, 164 barbiturates 127
Barker, Steven 149, 170 Barneby, R.C. 105 Basic Perinatal Matrix 138 Bataille, Georges 13 baybean 163 Beatles, The 76 Beifuss, Will 161, 162, 169 Bender, L. 119, 170 benzene 22, 92 benzodiazepine 62 Beresford, John Spencer (March 28, 1924September 2, 2007) 37 Berg, C.C. 157, 170 Berman, K.J. 112 Besmer, F.E. 2, 38 Beta 138, 141 betel 17 Bey, Hakim 10 Beyer, S. 2, 3, 4, 38 Bickerstaff Syndrome 121 Big Brother 111 Bimin-Kuskusmin 29 Bingen, Hildegard von 16 bisphenol A 158 Black Rock Desert 10, 12, 35, 56 Blair, Linda 100 Blake, William 12, 13, 49 bliss 151 Bock, Michael 112 Bohemian Grove 81 Bohr, Niels 75 Boire, R.G. 169 Boko, N. 153, 154, 170 BOL-148 (2-bromo-LSD) 118 Book of the Dead 43 Book Three 46, 86 Bosch, Hieronymus 49 Botanical Preservation Corps 91 Boyce, M. 7, 38 Brandt, Daniel 162 Brandt, S.D. 93, 114 Braude, S.E. 9, 38 Britton, N. 155, 170 Brosimum acutifolium 157 Brotherhood of Eternal Love 127, 128 Brown, Norman O. 13 Brown, R.E. 91, 114 Brugmansia arborea 120 Bruhn, J.G. 109, 114 Buchanan, M.S. 89, 93, 114 Buckman, J. 119, 171 Buddha 60, 85, 94 Bufo alvarius 74 bufotenine 87, 147, 148, 157, 168 Buhner, S.H. 23, 38 buprenorphine 122 Burning Man 10, 12, 13, 14, 35, 36, 46, 56, 57, 68, 74, 75, 112 butane 158 N-butyl benzyl phthalate 158 BZ-like drugs 166
174
C C.E.F.S. 23, 38 C.S.W.G. 23, 38 cactuhuasca 84 caffeine 41, 42, 160 Cairns, G.F. 77, 78, 114 Calafat, A.M. 158, 170 Caldicott, David 112 Camargo-Ricalde, S.L. 106, 114 Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety (CCOHS) 132, 133, 170 candy acid 151 cannabinoid 130, 131, 163 Cannabis 14, 54, 67, 68, 86, 120, 130, 163 capsaicin 21 carcinogen/carcinogenicity 22, 23, 158 carfentanyl 144 Carlo Rossi 81 Case, J. 147, 151, 170 Casey, S. 158, 170 Castro, M.M. 148, 149, 170 CB-1 agonist 130 cebil 167 cerebrodiene 130 chacruna 164 Chalmers, David 67 Chapel of Sacred Mirrors 30, 112 Charlestown State Prison 18 Chavn 167 Chem Abstracts 44 Chemical Warfare: Secrets Almost Forgotten 165, 166, 171 Chiang, W. 22, 23, 40 chloroform 95 N-chloromethyl-DMT chloride 93 chocolate 12, 24 Chgyam Trungpa 8 Christ 50, 60 Christian/Christianity 69, 73, 74 CIA 9 cigarettes 120 citric acid 102 clairvoyance 9 Clark, Dick 111 Clarke, E.C.G. 149, 170 clover, red 163 Clusterbusters 121 CNS depression 22 CNS excitation 18 CNS stimulants 23 cocaine 54, 129, 130, 160 Cocktoasten, J. 150, 158 coffee 42, 120 Coleman, Joe 32 Coleman, P.A. 153, 170 Coleridge, Samuel Taylor 1 Columbian University 117 Condamine, La 167 Confessions of an English Opium-Eater 69 consciousness 54, 55, 57, 60, 77, 78, 86
Controlled Substances Analogue Enforcement Act 123, 131 Cope, Julian 110 Copernicus 77 Corral, Valerie 66 Council on Spiritual Practices 74, 78 Cowan, M.A. 78, 114 CP-47,497 163 Crankcase, CA 27 Crowley, M. 3, 7, 8, 38 Cumes, David 112 cytochrome P450 21, 103 D Dalai Lama 77 Dangerous Drugs Act 30 DARE 43 Daricha, Deva 112 Darth, C. 91, 114 Darwinism 77 Davies, Paul 76 Davis, B.A. 149, 170 Davis, Deborah 112 Davis, Erik 30, 32, 66, 112 Davis, W. 155 Davis, W.E. 170 Dawkins, Richard 77 DEA 128, 129 death 6, 7, 23, 24, 46, 94 December 21, 2012 48, 53, 81 DeKorne, Jim 113, 114, 117, 118, 125, 169, 170 Delafonze19 88, 89, 92, 101, 102, 114 Delgado, Jorge Luis 112 Delphi 8 Delta 137, 138, 143 demon(s) 4, 99 Deprenyl 158 Der Orientalisch-Indianische Kunst- und Lust-Grtner 16 Desmarchelier, C. 108, 114 Devereaux, Paul 17 Di Leo, F. 138 Diamond Headache Clinic 121 dichloromethane 92, 93 Dick, L. 117, 171 Dick, P.K. 60 diethyl ether 22, 89, 98, 101 Dionysian 13, 35 DIPT 27 Discovery Channel 160 disembodied 55, 60 dizziness 20, 118 Djerassi, C. 155, 171 DMSO 132, 136 DMT 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 25, 26, 43, 56, 68, 75, 77, 78, 81, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 108, 111, 123, 135, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 157, 158, 159, 162, 163, 164, 167
DMT for the Masses (also see Noman Tek) 27, 150, 157 DMT-N-oxide 89, 90, 91, 92, 102, 103, 104 DNA 23 Doblin, R. 138, 169, 171 Doctorcito 115 dog, drug-sniffing 68 DonPeyote 115 Doors of Perception, The 69 Dow Chemical Company 42, 43 Dozuki 115 Dr. Feelodd 137 Dr. Lysergic 127, 128 Dr. Mercury 137 Dream House (ibogaine addiction treatment center) 67 Drexler, Eric 57 Dri Med Zhel Phreng 7 Drug Detection Labs 163 Drummond, Paul 110 Duke, J. 21, 38 Dying (Grey) 6, 9 E e-Bay 132 E.V. Love 169 Eagles Wing Centre for Contemporary Shamanism 164 Ecstatic Body Postures 25 Eddington, Sir Arthur 75 Edgewood Arsenal 165, 166 Efron, D.H. 171 Ehrenreich, Barbara 13 Einstein, Albert 75 El Ka Bong 90 El Mundo Magico 164 El-Seedi, H.R. 109, 114 Elbert, Twix 112 elemicin 20, 21, 23 elf/elves 1, 5, 9, 73, 81 Ellis, Havelock 117, 125, 171 Emboden, W.A. 29, 38, 122, 171 enema 58 Energy Control 136 Enlightenment, the 13 Entheo-Educational Experience 112 entheogen 73 Entheogenesis Australis 112 Entheogenist 88, 100, 115 Entheogens and the Future of Religion 78 Entheon Village 75 entities/entity 4, 5, 9, 25, 54, 137, 145 Entropymancer 87, 105, 115 Ephedra 112 ergine 122 ergot alkaloids 127 ergotamine 121 Erickson, Roky 110, 111 Erowid.org 5, 19, 20, 25, 26, 63, 85, 138, 163, 164 Erowid, Earth 31, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 86, 121, 169
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Erowid Extracts 65 Erowid, Fire 31, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 121, 169 Escher, M.C. 25 Essential Psychedelic Guide, The 56 estragole 21 ethanol 17, 132, 133, 134 ether 92 eugenol 21 euphoria 18, 98, 151 Eve (and Adam) 8 everclear 96 Existentialism 76 eye/eyes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 25 EYE MIND: The Saga of Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators 110, 111 Ezekial 2 F Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, The 111 Fairchild Tropical Garden 161 Fandango, K. 20, 38 Farber, Philip H. 112 FBI 129 FDA 23, 130, 152, 158 fingerprint 160 flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) 24 Forbidden Donut 91, 114 Forest, Ohki Simine 112 Fork, CA 61, 160 Forrest, J.E. 17, 21, 22, 23, 38 Fowler, A. 152, 171 foxy 27 Franklin, Marc 37 Fredon 7 Freitag 121 Frog, Ltd. 35 FS Book Company 131 Fuego 115 FunGal 35, 169 G G., John 169 Gaiman 7 d-galactosamine 22 Gamma 138, 141 Garcia, Carolyn 66 Garcia, Percy 66 Garden of Eden 7, 8, 58 Garden of Eden (Voogelbreinder) 161, 162 Geneva Photography 156 George Washington University 117 German Society of Pharmacologists 125 Ghandi 77 Gibbons, Billy 111 Ginsberg, Allen 10, 11, 111 glutathione S-transferase 23 Gmail 162 Gnosis 138, 171 God 2, 7, 58, 59, 60, 61, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 86, 94, 117
God Delusion, The 77 God Theory, The 77 Google 162 Gore, Belinda 25 Gorey, Edward 36 Gracie (and Zarkov) 25 Graves, Morris 86 Graves, R. 8, 38 Great Society 111 Green Man 10, 12, 13 Gregory, Lady 60 Grey, Alex 6, 9, 30, 78, 112, 169 Griffiths, R.R. 64, 65, 72 Grizzly 155, 156 Grof, S. 78, 138 Gruber, J.W. 133, 171 gtor ma 4 Guahibo 146, 147 guardian 4, 6, 7, 94 Gurdjieff 111 Guzmn, G. 28, 29, 30, 38 Gwyllm 169 gza 2 H hair testing 146, 147, 148, 149 Haisch, Bernard 77 Haley, A. 38 Hall, Tommy 110, 111 Hallstrom, H. 22, 23, 38 hallucinations 18, 19, 21 hallucinogenic 22, 23, 144, 147 Halpern, John 122 (also see TER 15(1): 916, and TER 15(2): 5955) Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 125 Hanh, Thich Nhat 77 Hanna, Jon 9, 33, 36, 37, 38, 67, 75, 114, 152, 161, 168, 169 harmala alkaloids 146, 148 harmine 147 Harpignies, J.P. 30 Harrison, Annie 66 Harrison, Kat 34, 138, 171 Harvard 121, 125 Harvey, Robert 152 hash/hasish 17, 69, 131 hash oil 158 Hasheesh Eater, The 69 Hawaiian baby woodrose 122, 123, 124 Haworth Press, Inc. 166 Hazarika, Pompi 160 Heacock, R.A. 17, 21, 22, 23, 38 headache 62, 63, 117, 120 headache, cluster 73, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 128 Heart of the Initiate 165 Heffter, Arthur 118, 125, 171 Heim, R. 9, 28, 29, 38, 39 Heimia salicifolia 112 Heisenberg, Werner 75 Helen 169 Helicostylis pedunculata 157
Helicostylis tomentosa 157 Helms, Chet 111 henbane 8 hepatocarcinogenicity 23 hepatoprotective 22 hepatotoxic 22 heptane 87, 92, 98, 100, 101 Heraclitus 51 heroin 160 Hesse, H. 111 hexane 104 Heyoka 89, 116 Hicks, Raven 112 Higdon, Carla 169 High Sierra Music Festival 14 Hitler, A. 75 Hobbes, Thomas 11 Hoffmann, Martina 85, 86 Hofmann, A. 17, 40, 75, 122, 161 Hofmann, Albert (January 11, 1906 April 29, 2008) 71 Hofmann, Lisa 143 Holmstedt, B. 146, 171 Holotropic Breathwork 47 Home Depot 155 Homestead Book Company 131 honey 163 Horowitz, M. 171 Houston, TX 21, 39 How to Survive the Apocalypse 112 Howard, M. 7, 39 Hryhorczuk, L.M. 149, 171 HU-210 163 Hughes, C. 158, 173 Hunt, D. 109, 114, 155, 171 Hurricane Katrina 11 Huxley, A. 75, 111 hydrogen peroxide 90 Hylin, J.W. 122, 171 hypotension/hypotensive 18, 22, 23 I Illuminatus! Trilogy 4 Imitrex 123 Indian warrior 163 Indigenous Botanical Illustration Project 161 Ingerman, Sandra 112 Inner Traditions 58 Inscapes: Real-Estate Paintings 85 Insight Outlook 75 Inspired Madness: The Gifts of Burning Man 13, 35, 36 International Cactaceae Systematics Group 109 Ipomoea violacea 122 Irwin, Melissa 169 Ishtahar 7 Island 75 iso-elemicin 21 iso-eugenol 21 iso-LSA 124
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J J.S., OR 88, 108, 114 J.T., CA 55 Jackson, N. 7, 39 Jaff, A. 72 James, W. 9, 39 Jasmine 128 Jeans, Sir James 76 Jeffers, Robinson 14 Jesse, R. 72 Jesus 94 Jim, Kahuna Harry Uhane 112 JLF 108 Johns Hopkins 67, 78 Johnson, M.W. 72 Joplin, Janis 111 Jordon, K. 67 Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics 120 Journal of Clinical Toxicology 23 Journal of Ethnopharmacology 157 Journal of Internal Medicine 23 Journal of Psychopharmacology 64 Jung, C. 50, 51, 72 Jungian 6 jungle spice 87, 88, 89, 93, 94, 97, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 108 jurema 88, 103, 107, 108 jurema branca 107 jurema negra 107 jurema preta 107 JWH-018 163 K Kalbhen, D.A. 15, 21, 23, 39 Kamata, T. 104, 114 Kaplow, L. 117, 120, 171 karyogamy 34 Kent, J. 4, 25, 39 Kernel 34 Kerouac, J. 111 ketamine 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 112 Ketchum, J.S. 165, 166 King, George 66 King, Jr., Martin Luther 77 Kittenis, M. 4, 39 Klarwein, Mati 85 Kloos, P. 157, 171 Knize, Karel 109 Kokavec, Anna 112 kokusaginine 88 koobl tourroum/kougl-tourroum/koull tourroum 28 Korzybski, Alfred 111 Krieg, M.B. 15, 16, 39 Krippner, Stanley 112 Krotona Apartments 66 Kubla Khan 1 Kuma 28, 29 Kurland, A.A. 138
L La Pastora 138 LAE-32 (D-lysergic acid ethylamide) 118 Lamia 8 lamid 151 language 48, 49, 53 laudanum 69 Lawrence Livermore National Lab 158 Leary, Timothy 10, 11, 25, 69, 94 Lee, B.J. 78, 114 Lee, D.Y. 137, 171 Lee, S-J. 171 Lemmiwinks 116 Lenin 13 Lennon, John 76 Leonurus spp. 112 Les Champignons Hallucinognes du Mexique 9 Leviathan 4 Lhamayin 2, 7, 8 Light of the 3rd Millennium 50 Lilly, John 1 limonene 96 Lindgren, J-E. 146, 171 Ling, T.M. 119, 171 Linklater, Richard 60 lions tail 163 lipopolysaccharide 22 lithium 120 Little-Known Bird of the Inner Eye 86 Logan, R.K. 51, 72 Logees Greenhouses 152, 154 logos 51 Loki 8 lotus, blue 96, 163 lotus, pink 163 Love Drugs 126, 131 Lozano, Pedro 167 LSA 117, 122, 123, 124, 125 LSD 5, 9, 18, 21, 54, 75, 76, 110, 111, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 137, 144, 151, 166 LSD (Snow) 121, 126, 127 LSD: My Problem Child 75 lu 2, 3 Lucas, George 53 Lucifer 8 Ludlow, F.H. 69, 164 Luke, D.P. 1, 4, 39 Lule 167, 168 Lux 64, 65 Lycaeum Member 89 lye 27 lysergic acid amide 117, 123 Lyttle, T. 126 Lyttle, Thomas (May 5, 1955September 5, 2008) 113 M Maboud 112 mace 15, 16, 17, 22 Machiguenga 120
maconha brava 163 Madden, Kristin 112 Maharishi 76 Malcolm X 18, 38 Mangini, Mariavittoria 66 Manu National Park 120 MAO (monoamine oxidase) 149 MAO-A inhibitor 159 MAO-A/B inhibitor 159 MAO-B inhibitor 159 MAOI (MAO inhibitor) 22, 97, 105, 108, 146, 157 MAPS Bulletin 107 marijuana 18, 19, 20, 96, 110, 130, 160 Marinol 130 Marquis 20, 39 marshmallow 163 Marsofold 116 Marsofold Tek 100, 101 Mauss, Marcel 13 Mavericks of the Mind 48 May, A. 120, 171 Mayan calendar 48, 75 Mazatec(s) 122, 137 McCann, U.D. 72 McKenna, Dennis 34 McKenna, Terence 1, 8, 34, 39, 48, 49, 50, 69, 72, 81, 90, 94, 95, 164 McLuhan, M. 49, 51, 53, 72 McPherson, Sister Aimee Semple 66 MDA 22, 58 MDMA 45, 62, 63, 76, 80, 84, 85, 86, 130, 131, 159 Me 20, 39 Meckes-Lozoya 108, 114 Medicine Eagle, Chalise Brooke 112 Medusa 8 Meister, Georg 16 Memories, Dreams, Reflections 51 mental illness 128 menthol 133 mescaline 42, 43, 54, 69, 75, 109, 110, 117, 118, 125, 159 methadone 160 methamphetamine 159, 160 l-methamphetamine 159 methanol 89, 104, 105 methoxy-eugenol 21 methoxysafrole 22 methyl-eugenol 21 methyl-isoeugenol 21 methylisopropyllysergamide 151 methylphenidate (Ritalin) 64, 65 methysergide 119, 120, 123 Meyer, P. 4, 39 Michaux, H. 69 migraine 62, 118, 119, 120, 121, 127, 128 Miguez, Joe 112 Milcher, R.D. 37 Miller, M. 103, 115 Mimosa burgonia 107 Mimosa hostilis 92, 97, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 162
177
Mimosa pudica 107, 108 Mimosa root-bark 89, 93 Mimosa scabrella 107 Mimosa tenuiflora (= M. hostilis) 87, 102, 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 150 Mimosa verrucosa 106, 107, 108 mimosine 108 Mind Books 169 Mind of God, The 76 Mind States 31, 34, 41, 79, 152 MindPapers 67 miracle berries 152, 153, 154 Miracle Fruit Man 154 Miracle Fruit USA 154 miraculin 152, 154 MisterGypsy 116 MKULTRA 9 ML-2C-E 26 MMDA 21 Moretti, C. 157 Morgan, F.P. 117, 118, 172 Morita, T. 22, 23, 39 morning glory 122, 123 morphine 160 morphogenetic field 6 Mother Teresa 77 Moving Sidewalks, The 111 moxy 27 Mr. Zoom, Basel 63 Mller-Ebeling, C. 16, 21, 40, 161 Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) 75 mummy 146, 147, 148, 149 Munko 169 Munro, T.A. 137, 138, 172 Mushroom Wisdom 69 mushrooms, psilocybin-containing 5, 18, 25, 65, 112, 119, 120, 123, 144 Myristica fragrans 15 myristicin 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Mysterious Universe, The 76 Mysterium Coniunctionis 50 mystical experience 64, 65, 67, 78 mysticism 73, 74 N Nagano, Ibo 15 nagas 2 Nalgene 150, 158 naphtha 27, 87, 88, 89, 92, 93, 97, 101, 102, 133, 157 Napolean Blownapart 116 Narby, J. 30, 67 National Institute on Drug Abuse 65 nausea 18, 20, 21, 26, 30, 62, 84, 118, 122 Nebesky-Wojkowitz, R. 4, 39 Neitzsche 60 Nelumbo nucifera 112 nerve gas 166 Neurology 122 Nevitt, B. 49, 72 New Cactus Lexicon 155
New York Times, The 152 Nicholas, L.G. 34 Nichols, D. 82 Nichols, Mark 112 nicotine 160 nitrous oxide 58, 59 Noble Lie 11 Noble Savage 11 Noman 27, 88, 89, 115, 116, 150, 157 Noman Tek (also see DMT for the Masses) 100, 101 Nook, the 102 North Atlantic Books 13, 35 nutmeg 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Nyingma yogin 3 Nymphaea caerulea 112 O O.P. SAK 68 OCallaghan, M. 53, 72 Oeric 34 Ogalde, J.P. 146, 147, 148, 149, 172 Ogam, Kerry 34 Ohenoja, E. 148, 172 Ojai Foundation 30 oleamide 130 ololiuhqui 122 Olsen, Frank 8, 9 Omagua 167 One Drop Only 133 One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest 111 opioids 137 opium 54, 69, 131 Organization for Understanding Cluster Headache 123 orgasm, spiritual 95 orgone box 44 Oroc 58, 59, 69, 72, 73 Ortega, A. 137, 172 Ortiz, Ernesto 112 Oss 34 Oswald 22 Ott, Jonathan 32, 39, 75, 91, 107, 108, 115, 132, 133, 134, 136, 144, 146, 157, 161, 162, 168, 169, 172 Otter, who dreams of lightning 37 Ouspensky 111 oven roasting bags 67 Owl 5, 39 Oxford University 132, 172 OXY 126, 131 oxygen 119, 120 P Pachano, Mambo 102, 115 Pachycereus pringlii 84 Pagan Christmas 21 Pahnke, W. 138 pain 118 painkiller(s) 117, 131 Palmer, C. 171
panic 20 Papaver bracteatum 131 Papaver somniferum 131 Paradise 58 paranoia 141 paranormal 56 Parker, Charlie 18 Patient Zero 121 Payne, Tim 112 PCP 129 Peak Experience Profile 138, 139 Peganum harmala 146 Pendell, Dale 10, 30, 35, 36, 169 Pendell, Laura 30 Peopled Darkness 69, 70 pepper, black 20, 21, 22 pepper, cayenne 20, 21 Perrine, D. 118, 172 Perry, J.W. 53 Perseus 8 Pesce, Mark 32 peyote 42, 47, 79, 110, 117, 118, 125 peyote, petrified 109, 110 peyote regrowth 160 Peyote Way Church 75 PF Tek 34 Phalaris grass 93 phenethylamine 158, 159 philosophers stone 51 Philosophical Research Society 66 Physicians Desk Reference 128 Piaroa 146 Pickard, Leonard 37 PIHKAL 26, 43, 44, 45, 75, 83, 159 Pinchbeck, D. 52, 67, 69, 72 pineal gland 78 piperine 21 pishicol 155 Pithecellobium acacioides 107 Pithecellobium diversifolium 107 Pithecellobium dumosum 107 Pithecellobium tortum 107 pizotifen 119 placebo 64, 133 plant spirits 137 plant teachers 75 plastics 150, 157, 158 Plastinate, CA 157 Plato 11 PML-146 (1-methyl-d-lysergic acid propanolamide) 118 Poisons Act 30 police 11, 14 Pollux, Castor 26, 69 polycarbonate 158 polyethylene 158 polypropylene 158 polystyrene 158 polyvinyl chloride 158 Poole, F.J.P. 29, 39 Pope, Jr., Harrison 122 Pope, Just Freeman 35, 36 poppies 131
178
precognition 9 prednisone 120 Prentiss, D.W. 117, 118, 172 Presti, David 30 Price, Donald 119 Prisinzano, T. 137, 172 Process (publisher) 110 Promethean/Prometheus 7, 8 propranolol 119, 120, 121 psi 9, 43 Psilocybe 25, 26, 28, 35 Psilocybe kumnorum 28, 29, 30 Psilocybe semilanceata 148 psilocybin 5, 9, 30, 54, 64, 65, 67, 78, 117, 121, 122, 123, 128, 148 Psilocybin Mushroom Handbook 34 Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Growers Guide 34 Psychedelic Illuminations 25 Psychedelic Index 45, 86 Psychedelic Monographs and Essays 113 Psychedelic Shamanism 125 Psychoactive Sacramentals 78 Psychoactive Substances and Art Through History 161 Psychonaut Channel (YouTube) 67 psychotherapy, neuro-feedback 66 psychotomimetic 126 Psychotria viridis 93, 164 Puca, F. 119, 172 Pup 5, 39 Python 8 Q QuantumBrujo 88 Quepo 109 Quick American 34 Quicksilver 111 Quincey, Thomas de 69 R r6xx.com 154 Radio879 89, 102 Rahu 3, 4, 7, 8 Rama, Swami 73 rats 17 Rtsch, C. 16, 17, 21, 39, 40, 161, 162, 167 Raxworthy, Julian 112 Reality Sandwich 67 Reay, M. 28, 40 reductionist materialism 74, 77, 78 Reed, Kyle 125 Refugio Altiplano 165 REI 68 Reich, Wilhelm 43 Renz, J. 108, 115 Repke, D.B. 146, 166, 167, 168, 173 Republic 11 research chemical 26, 68 Return of Quetzalcoatl, The 52 RFID 68, 162
Rhead, J.C. 138 Ricaurte, George 27 Richard F. Brush Art Gallery 161 Richardella dulcifica 152 Richards, W.A. 72, 138 Ritalin (methylphenidate) 64 Ritter, F. 156, 172 Rivier, L. 146 Rodd, R. 146, 172 Rodriguez, M.A. 1, 9, 40 Rolo, A. 119, 170 rose 163 Rose, J.N. 155, 170 Roth, B.L. 137, 172 Rothman, R. 137, 172 Rousseau, Jean Jacques 11 Rudgley, R. 8, 17, 40 Russell, David 160 Russo, E.B. 120, 125, 172 S safrole 20, 21, 22, 23 Sage Spirit: Salvia Divinorum and the Entheogenic 68 Salmon, W. 17, 40 Salvia 142, 143 Salvia Authors 138, 172 Salvia divinorum 30, 54, 55, 68, 69, 70, 98, 112, 132, 133, 134, 137, 160 Salvia divinorum Extractions Using Chilled Acetone 133, 134 Salvia divinorum Observer, The 160 Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center 69 Salvia Divinorum Salvinorin Extraction 136 Salvia_Antics 116 salvinorin A 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 160 salvinorin B 138 salvinorin B ethoxymethyl ether 137, 138 salvinorin B methoxymethyl ether 137 San Pedro 153, 154, 156, 164 Sand, Nick 169 Sandman, The 7 Sangalli, B.C. 22, 23, 40 Sansert 119, 123 sassafras 23 Sauret, Etienne 47 Sceletium tortuosum 112 Schilling, Nicola 125 Schizandra 63 schizophrenia/schizophrenic 112, 168 Schultes, R.E. 17, 40, 118, 147, 161, 172, 173 scopolamine 166 Scroogle.org 132, 162 scullcap, dwarf 163 Seconal 117 sedative 22 self-transforming machine elves 75, 94
Sensitivae Censitae: A Description of the Genus Mimosa 105 serotonergic 22 serotonin 119 Serrano, C.A. 109, 115 set and setting 25 Seven, Zoe 69 Seventh International Conference on Shamanism 112 Sewell, R. Andrew 117, 122, 124, 172 Shaman Australis 106, 107 Shamanism, Visionary Art, and the Dark Side 30 Shamans Drum 68 Shea, Robert 4 Sheldrake, R. 6, 40 Shelton, Gilbert 111 Shemyaza 7 SheShamans 30 Shiedsak 68 Shipibo 164 Shirota, O. 137, 173 Shpongle 94 Shulgin, A.T. (also see Shulgin, Sasha) 21, 22, 24, 40, 115, 139, 145, 173 Shulgin, Ann 26, 31, 33, 34, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 66, 69, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 139, 169, 173 Shulgin, Sasha 26, 31, 33, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 66, 69, 75, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 109, 167, 169 Siberian motherwort 163 Sicuteri, F. 119, 120, 173 Siebert, D. 69, 134, 135, 136, 137, 144, 173 Sigma 85 Silveira Barbosa, Y-W.M. da 107, 114 Sim, V.M. 165 sitter 83, 84, 85 Sjoholm, A. 23, 40 skatole 102, 103 Slick, Grace 111 Smet, P.A.G.M. de 114, 146, 173 Smith, H. 75 Smith, M. 155 Smith, M.V. 91, 115 Snow, Otto 121, 126, 173 snuff 146, 149, 167 Snyder, Gary 10, 11, 12 Socrates 13 Soedario, M. 108, 115 Solcor-3 147, 148 soma 7, 8 Soto, E.C. 146 Souza, Tina de 112 Spades, The 111 Sphere 132, 133, 134, 136, 173 sphinx 25 Spice (synth. cannabinoid) 163, 164 spice, green (tryptamine) 93 spice, purple (tryptamine) 93 spice, red (tryptamine) 94, 104 Spicemeister 88, 89
179
SpiritQuest 165 Squires, R.F. 159, 173 Stagewerx 112 Stalin 75 Steadman, Ralph 36 Stein, U. 15, 18, 23, 24, 40 steroids, anabolic 122 Stevens, J. 119, 173 Stolaroff, Myron 26 Stoller, Lincoln 66 Storming Heaven 119, 165 Story, Medicine 112 Strassman, R. 6, 40, 67, 78, 115 Stuart, R. 169 sumatriptan 119, 120, 123 Sun, H.J. 173 Superweed, M.J. 91, 115 Suzuki, O. 159, 173 sweat lodge 79, 80 Swierkosz, Tara Andrea 112 Symmetry 137, 138, 139, 140, 143, 144, 145 Synsepalum dulcificum 152, 154 Syrian rue 25, 26, 95 T Tabernanthe iboga 46, 112 Tano 167 Tajuddin 17, 40 takini/takweni/tauni 157 Tanaami, Keiichi 167 Tania 169 Tarahumara 42 Taylor & Francis Group, Ltd. 166 Taylor, W.R. 109, 115 tea 120 Tedlock, Barbara 112 Tedlock, Dennis 112 telepathic/telepathy 9, 80 temporary autonomous zone 10 Tendzin yongd 3 tepescohuite 106 Terry, M. 109, 115, 155 Thanatos to Eros 26 THC 130, 160, 163, 164 THC & Tropacocaine 126, 129, 131 TheAngryGolfer 116 Themeda australis 29 Thomas, Benjamin 28 Thomas, Tommy 152 Thuvander, A. 22, 23, 38 Thyssen, Sylvia 169 Tiahuanaco 167 Tiamat 8 TIHKAL 27, 83 time 59, 60, 141 TMA 21 Toad 169 tobacco 17 toluene 87, 88, 89, 92, 100, 101 Torres, C.M. 146, 147, 148, 161, 166, 167, 168, 173
Torres, Donna 161, 167 Torsten 88, 106, 107, 115, 116 Toward a Science of Consciousness 30 Tramacchi, Des 112 Transformative Vision, The 48, 49, 52 Tree of Knowledge 7 Tree of Life 142 Trichocereus 112 Trichocereus cuzcoensis (= Echinopsis cuzcoensis) 109 Trichocereus pachanoi 155, 156 Trichocereus pachanot 153, 155 Trichocereus peruvianus 109 Trichocereus puquiensis 109 Trichocereus schoenii 109 Trillium (absinthe) 153 trimyristin 20, 21 Trip333 5, 40 Tritan 158 tropacocaine 130 tropane alkaloids 18 Trout, Keeper 102, 108, 115, 146, 153, 156, 166, 169 Trouts Notes 162 TRP (The Resonance Project) 56 Trubshaw, Bob 9 Truitt, Jr., E.B. 22, 24, 40 Trungpa, C. 40 tryptamine 88, 99, 100 tryptamine N-oxides 104 Tryptamine Palace 58, 73 tryptamines 146, 148 Tucker, Jason W.A. 48, 53 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 110 Turbina (= Rivea) corymbosa 122, 123 Turner, D.M. 4, 40, 56, 57, 72 Turner, Muriel 66 U U.S. Pharmacopeia 118, 125 UFO 66 UML-491 (1-methyl-lysergic acid butanolamide) 118 United Nations 131 University of East Anglia 160 University of Tsukubas Gene Research Center 154 V Vajrapani 7, 8 Valhalla 58 Van Gogh 86 vanilla 163 Vedanta Society of Southern California 66 Venosa, Robert 86 Ventura, Mireia 136 Vepslinen 88, 90, 102, 103, 115 verapamil 120 Villoldo, Alberto 112 Visionary Hollywood 66
Visionary Practice: Ritual and Reshaping 30 Visionary State, The 66 Visions that the Plants Gave Us 161 Vitex agnus-castus 107 vom Saal, F. 158, 173 vomiting 84, 122 Voogelbreinder, Snu 161 Vovins boards 100 Voyage Beyond 66 VX 166 W W., Martin 112 Wallace, Bob 169 Wang, Y. 137, 173 War on Drugs 13 Ward, Whitney 32 WarrenSaged 94, 115 Wasiwaska Research Centre 161 Wasson, R.G. 8, 9, 28, 29, 39, 43, 75 Watchful Eye Designs 67, 68 Watling, R. 38 Watson, D.P. 122, 171 Watts, Alan 10, 11, 75, 135 Watusi 80 Weil, A.T. 40 Welch, John 165 Wiedemann, Torsten 112 Wilbur Hot Springs 66 Williamson, Kath 112 Wilson, B. 16, 40 Wilson, Robert Anton 4 wine 112, 154 Wold, Bob 121 Womens Visionary Congress 66 World Psychedelic Forum 67, 74 World War II 18, 75 X xanthydrol 104, 105 xylene 87, 88, 89, 92, 97, 101, 102 Y Y2K 53 Yensen, R. 138 yoga 25 YouTube 142 yuremamine 87, 88, 90, 103, 104, 105 Z Za 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 Zahhak 7 zain/zayin 7 Zarkov (and Gracie) 25 zems 167 zero-point field 74, 77 Zhah 132, 162 Zinfandel 41, 81 Zu 8 ZZ Top 111
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Unauthorized Research on Cluster Headache

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What is Cluster Headache?

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Concentration of Total Alkaloids in Seeds

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Seeds ground with mortar and pestle in lemon juice.

Seeds weighed, measured, and counted.

and placed in a teabag to make lysergic acid tea.

Lysergic acid and other alkaloids absorbed orally and sublingually.

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Kyle Reed, authorized researcher.

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Otto Snow Speaks

What sparked your interest in drug chemistry?

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