Recommendations for Psychoactive Plants.

[Black_Parasol]

So I know that I want to try kratom, but I've also considered other mild psychoactives such as kanna, kava kava, and blue lotus (or sacred lotus, blue lily).

I wondered what some of you would recommend for someone who is fairly inexperienced with psychoactives and psychedelics, but bear in mind that I'm not looking for anything too "heavy" or anything that is difficult to cultivate/extract (example: extracting mescaline from san pedro - having little chemistry experience leads me to believe that I would be unable to perform the extraction properly).

I also welcome opinions on the psychoactives I have already mentioned. Thanks in advance!

 

[Affirmatory]

The only one I know about is blue lilly. It can be a bit expensive but it's good. More tranquil than marijuana but less intense. I don't think it's easy to grow though. Wikipedia says that it can increase amphetamine toxicity. I haven't tried smoking the flowers/soaking them in wine so I don't know anything about that, I bought an extract and smoked/vaporised it.

Going to try a kanna extract one day. I'm pretty sure the other two you mentioned are illegal here.

I would also like to hear what people here have to say about blue lotus/lilly as I don't hear much said about it.

Oh and by the way it's closer to opium than marijuana, one could easily become addicted.

 

[darkwolfunseen]

Okay well most of these experiences are way back when, but for the most part, these entheogens are pretty harmless (and also pretty weak effects) which I guess would make them good starters. Consider this solely my opinion:

Kratom - Way too expensive for what you get. If you buy just the leaf, not the extract, and spoon it into your meals, maybe worth it. Honestly though, it's a big hassle for what's basically a vicodin. If anything I would take poppy seed tea over kratom, even then I'm not that big on opiates. That being said, if you grow your own kratom, is a much better way to maintain a supply of cheap legal opiates. I'd rate it 1.5-2 stars depending on potency (out of 5).

Kanna - A natural SSRI (pretty much agreed upon). In my experience extracts are relatively cheap and pretty effective for slight mood alterations (we're talking happy-go-lucky day, not the walls melting). Also pretty good for treating mild depression and anxiety. Word of Warning: DO NOT MIX WITH MAOI's such as syrian rue, st. john's wart or kava kava. 2.5 stars.

Blue Lotus - Okay results. Don't expect much. Have drank the wine (and felt the wine), and smoked extracts. Extract was okay, take enough and you get this slight glow around objects, almost cartoonish. Okay starter entheogen, but better if you use along with Kanna extract for more potentiation. 2 stars.

Kava Kava - Definitely a good place to start. In pill form typically very easy to find, same goes for the roots. A kind of a twist on alcohol, and also in high doses and with long-term use may cause liver damage. That being said, a good place to start with something that gives decent effects. 3 stars.

Marijuana - A fantastic entheogen with excellent results, causing very few ill effects, and presenting a terrific myriad of positives for the starting psychonaut. Also leads goes great with any of the above, or all by itself. If you ever get bored, a whole catalogue of different strains can give you different effects. 4.2 stars.

Honestly, most anything that websites can sell to you is typically not worth money. The few exceptions being salvia, mescaline producing cacti and LSA. Last one I can think of off the top of my head is Amanita Muscaria's but I don't really have any experience with those. Hope that helps, and the nifty stars metric does not take into account any strong psychedelics.... lol throw shrooms in there and everything but pot get's a .5 tops...

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Kanna - A natural SSRI (pretty much agreed upon). In my experience extracts are relatively cheap and pretty effective for slight mood alterations (we're talking happy-go-lucky day, not the walls melting). Also pretty good for treating mild depression and anxiety. Word of Warning: DO NOT MIX WITH MAOI's such as syrian rue, st. john's wart or kava kava. 2.5 stars.

How do you ingest it? I've done it once, vaporizing it and then making a tea out of the spent herb. I had a really nice afternoon.

 

[darkwolfunseen]

Well sceletium (kanna) comes in capsule form, but I prefer just smoking extracts. Like you mentioned, the tea would be another method.

 

[Black_Parasol]

Okay well most of these experiences are way back when, but for the most part, these entheogens are pretty harmless (and also pretty weak effects) which I guess would make them good starters. Consider this solely my opinion:

Kratom - Way too expensive for what you get. If you buy just the leaf, not the extract, and spoon it into your meals, maybe worth it. Honestly though, it's a big hassle for what's basically a vicodin. If anything I would take poppy seed tea over kratom, even then I'm not that big on opiates. That being said, if you grow your own kratom, is a much better way to maintain a supply of cheap legal opiates. I'd rate it 1.5-2 stars depending on potency (out of 5).

Kanna - A natural SSRI (pretty much agreed upon). In my experience extracts are relatively cheap and pretty effective for slight mood alterations (we're talking happy-go-lucky day, not the walls melting). Also pretty good for treating mild depression and anxiety. Word of Warning: DO NOT MIX WITH MAOI's such as syrian rue, st. john's wart or kava kava. 2.5 stars.

Blue Lotus - Okay results. Don't expect much. Have drank the wine (and felt the wine), and smoked extracts. Extract was okay, take enough and you get this slight glow around objects, almost cartoonish. Okay starter entheogen, but better if you use along with Kanna extract for more potentiation. 2 stars.

Kava Kava - Definitely a good place to start. In pill form typically very easy to find, same goes for the roots. A kind of a twist on alcohol, and also in high doses and with long-term use may cause liver damage. That being said, a good place to start with something that gives decent effects. 3 stars.

Marijuana - A fantastic entheogen with excellent results, causing very few ill effects, and presenting a terrific myriad of positives for the starting psychonaut. Also leads goes great with any of the above, or all by itself. If you ever get bored, a whole catalogue of different strains can give you different effects. 4.2 stars.

Honestly, most anything that websites can sell to you is typically not worth money. The few exceptions being salvia, mescaline producing cacti and LSA. Last one I can think of off the top of my head is Amanita Muscaria's but I don't really have any experience with those. Hope that helps, and the nifty stars metric does not take into account any strong psychedelics.... lol throw shrooms in there and everything but pot get's a .5 tops...

Thanks for all the info, it really helped! Unfortunately, marijuana is illegal in my country, and I'm not looking to do anything illegal, otherwise I definitely would try it. Blue lotus and kanna sound like a pretty good mix to me, I might give it a go after I finally get my hands on some kratom.

I don't have any experience with Amanita Muscaria either - is it a psychedelic? Stimulant? Depressant? I've only heard of it a few times but know nothing about it. More recommendations are welcome.

 

[Ganesha]

I'm not looking to do anything illegal

Drug laws are probably the worst laws around. They don't make sense, have a background in racism and prejudice, don't work and put innocent people in jail. Laws should be focused on harm reduction, to protect genpop from its own stupidity.

 

[darkwolfunseen]

Totally spaced... try artemesia absinthium (wormwood) to make some absinthe. Wormwood as far as I know is legal in the states and should be available in nursery herb sections or online. Also, you could try smoking dried leaves, but that's usually more a miss then the absinthe.

 

[afer]

"Mild psychoactives" are boring as hell. Try a nice dose of morning glories, I'd say. :wink:

 

[st.bot.32]

I would personally recommend a low dose of San Pedro.. (mescaline containing cactus). Low doses of mescaline are about the most gentle psychedelic experience you can have, I think. You can find the powder usually for next to nothing on the internet. Getting the goop down is a bit challenging, also the comeup can be momentarily unconfortable (but really not that bad, and quite temporary, maybe half an hour of body discomfort and minor nausea).

The actual experience feels like coming home from a three-week cathartic vacation. I couldn't even imagine having a bad experience on it.

 

[Black_Parasol]

I'm not looking to do anything illegal

Drug laws are probably the worst laws around. They don't make sense, have a background in racism and prejudice, don't work and put innocent people in jail. Laws should be focused on harm reduction, to protect genpop from its own stupidity.

I couldn't agree more, they're utterly pointless. All should not be blamed for one person being irresponsible while under the influence of psychoactives. It's like accusing humans in their entirety for one person's murderous behavior.

 

[Black_Parasol]

Totally spaced... try artemesia absinthium (wormwood) to make some absinthe. Wormwood as far as I know is legal in the states and should be available in nursery herb sections or online. Also, you could try smoking dried leaves, but that's usually more a miss then the absinthe.

I have absolutely no clue how to make absinthe, haha. But I have heard some good things about wormwood.

 

[restin]

I don't have any experience with Amanita Muscaria either - is it a psychedelic? Stimulant? Depressant? I've only heard of it a few times but know nothing about it. More recommendations are welcome.

Amanitas should be used by experienced psychonauts. I heard that this experience was more "special" resp. different from common psychoactive.

I understand your doubts about illicit drugs but from my experience, legal "alternatives" can barely hold up the niveau of the ""real"" things, that's why they are alternative. I strongly agree with darkwolfunseen meantioning weed. Still my favourite. Clear thoughts, creative ideas, mostly pleasurable body effect and no need to fear health issues (for example OD etc.). The different methods of intake (vaporizing, smoking, oral) also provide a broad horizon of possible experiences, so there are many things to discover.

 

[Affirmatory]

Leonotis leonurus, or 'Dagga': anyone tried this? Might be worth adding to the list of interesting herbs that aren't as good as marijuana but are legal. I have some. Not sure what to think of it yet.

 

[afer]

I did. There was no effect

 

[dreamybunz]

About Kanna... it has a remarkable power to potentiate other herbs, especially a common green herb, and can really reduce the amount of money spent (good Kanna is active from about 50mg when smoked). The trouble with Kanna is that our receptors don't seem to pick it up at first, it takes a few days of use to really work properly. People who overdo it before they become sensitive usually just end up feeling a but nervy and dismiss Kanna as a waste of time and money. This is great, because it means that Kanna is unlikely to ever get banned anywhere! Don't laugh, in my country they banned St. John's Wort and Ginkgo Biloba - stranger things can happen!

In the US? Check out Acorus Calamus - you want the 'Cree' variety, you need to check it carefully first, as the wrong material will make you very sick, but the right material is wonderful - it doesn't contain any actives, but it does contain alpha-asarone, which is converted by the body into TMA-2, which is worth a looksee on Google. The Cree tribe used to chew Calamus root for stamina when hunting... its taste is certainly novel!

 

[Black_Parasol]

About Kanna... it has a remarkable power to potentiate other herbs, especially a common green herb, and can really reduce the amount of money spent (good Kanna is active from about 50mg when smoked). The trouble with Kanna is that our receptors don't seem to pick it up at first, it takes a few days of use to really work properly. People who overdo it before they become sensitive usually just end up feeling a but nervy and dismiss Kanna as a waste of time and money. This is great, because it means that Kanna is unlikely to ever get banned anywhere! Don't laugh, in my country they banned St. John's Wort and Ginkgo Biloba - stranger things can happen!

In the US? Check out Acorus Calamus - you want the 'Cree' variety, you need to check it carefully first, as the wrong material will make you very sick, but the right material is wonderful - it doesn't contain any actives, but it does contain alpha-asarone, which is converted by the body into TMA-2, which is worth a looksee on Google. The Cree tribe used to chew Calamus root for stamina when hunting... its taste is certainly novel!

I've never heard of it before, I'll definitely check it out! Thanks!

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Don't laugh, in my country they banned St. John's Wort and Ginkgo Biloba - stranger things can happen!

Why Ginkgo Biloba?! I can imagine why they regulated St. John's Wort or Kava, but Ginkgo...? It just improves blood circulation in your brain, fingertips and toes, and protects the cells of your body against free radicals. Why would anyone wish to ban such a thing?

I first heard about Calamus in an Ayurvedic context. I was surprised to later find out it has some (weak) psychoactive effects.

 

[Affirmatory]

Ginkgo Biloba illegal in Ireland? what. the. fuck.

How on earth do things like this happen? I mean, I know its all money and pharmaceutical companies.. but really.. that marijuana is illegal is strange enough, but they can actually, today, get away with banning a PLANT MEDICINE with NO MIND ALTERING EFFECTS!!! The people who allowed this are either retarded or satan's bitches or both.

Sorry that got me fired up.

Back on topic: Damiana, turnera diffusa: I am vaporizing some now and it tastes wonderful. Don't know if it's getting me 'high' though.

 

[Affirmatory]

Did some research, first thing that came up in google was my post Those herbs are not illegal in Ireland. There are labeling laws which stop them being sold as 'cures'.

http://www.fitnessireland.ie/healthnote ... 7-20_1.cfm

Just clearing up in case anyone's interested.