The following entry was included in a book called "recreationsal drugs."
"When psilocybin mushrooms are in short supply, and users are willing
to settle for a milder but similar mind excursion, they sometimes turn
to the coleus plant, particularly the species coleus blumei and coleus
pumila. the mazatec indians of southern mexico have been tripping on this
psychedelic mint for years.
It takes about fifty to severnty large, colorful leaves of the coleus
plant to get someone going. They can be chewed thoroughly and swallowed.
If one prefers, the leaves can also be smoked and steeped in lukewarm water for
for about an hour, after which the liquid is strained and drunk.
No one is exactly sure what gives coleus its psychoactive kick, but we do
know that only fresh leaves will work. Dried leaves have virtually no
effect.
While the drug has no really unpleasant or dangerous side effects, some
people do feel a degree of nausea about a half hour after getting it down
But the nausea goes away quickly and is soon replaced by a trippy,
psilocybin-like state, colorful visual hallucinations and patterns, and
telepathic and clairvoyant insights. The entire trip lasts for about
two hours.
Coleus plants can be purchased legally at most garden centers. Thos with
green thumbs, who aren't too stoned to exercise them, might purchase
some seeds to grow their own."
