GhostlyOne17. ive eaten charas several times. ive found eating a gram or 2 of Manali finger hash(it comes as finger shaped bars) to be a lot like 5-10 e's, maybe less energising but as cerebral. imported Charas tends to be cured for some time, also it is made by gently rubbing the living plant, usually in the morning, then collecting/ rubbing whats on the fingers onto an apron to be scraped off later. there is very little plant material in it and it doesnt smell or taste strong.
friends of mine regularly travel to N india to buy the best. they also help make it.
it was they who told me of the practice of spitting on the hands to help remove the resin. it was also them who warned me to cook it as all types of hepatitis are common in N india. im not sure how long Hep lives outside the body but i believe hep B is viable for at least 3 months. so supposing it has been cured for 1 month, takes a couple of weeks to get to you and you chomp it, there is just a chance of getting a swolen liver.
apart from that heating(cooking or smoking) converts cannibolic acid to THC increasing its strengh by a factor of around 4, making it more efficient and cooking it in fat or oil makes it a lot easier to absorb.
i normally crumble mine and put it in a tablespoon with a little cooking oil, heat it till it dissolves, then drop it into a pot of yoghurt(toffee hides the taste a bit) and viola! your a mess!
ps it just feels like its laced with opium. sometimes an older bit will have white mold growing in or on it (from the spit? or the fact its made in the early morning and has dew in it). it doesnt really spoil it but i think thats where the opium story came from. its possible the odd piece has opium in it but i doubt it.
ive eaten opium. thats a different story