hallucinogens and dissociative agents naturally growing in the united states psychoactive botanical...

Hallucinogens and Dissociative Agents Naturally Growing in

the United States

Psychoactive Botanical Products Workshop

September 9, 2003

John H. Halpern, M.D.Associate Director, Substance Abuse Research

Biological Psychiatry Laboratory

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center

McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA

Harvard Medical School NIDA K23-DA00494

From the forest to the front lawn?

• This lecture reviews basic information on most of the hallucinogen and dissociative intoxicants growing throughout the U.S.

• Psychoactive composition, geographic distribution, and brief overview on preparation and/or intoxication will be reviewed

Ephedra – Caffeine-like Stimulant

The Ephedra Equation

• Most “dietary supplements” marketed as psychoactive intoxicants contain ephedrine and/or caffeine from a variety of botanical sources.

• In China, Ma Huang is used directly as a tea or compounded with other herbs.

• Historically in the U.S., it was used as a stimulant tea: Mormon Tea, Brigham Tea, and other names.

• Contains: ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine, nor-ephedrine, methyl-ephedrine, tannins, saponin, and flavone

Ephedra grows in the deserts of the Southwest

Ephedra of the USE. trifurca, E. viridis, E. torreyana, E. nevadensis and E.

californica

• 100 gm dried ephedra could contain anywhere from 0 to 2.6 gm of ephedrine

• Herbalists do offer pure extract preparations

Psilcybe Mushrooms – Potent Hallucinogen

Psilocybe Mushrooms

• Psilocybin: 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-DMT

• Psilocin: 4-hydroxy-N,N-DMT

• Psilocybe cubensis typically contains 1.6 mg psilocybin per gram of dried mushroom

• 40 mcg/kg intoxicates

• 3 to 4 hour duration

Psilocybe Mushrooms

• Small brown mushrooms that stain blue to the touch

• Illicit cultivation but also foraged from temperate climates

Psilocybe Mushrooms:Religious Use

Religious use continues in Oaxaca, Mexico

Psilocybin content

Dimethyltryptamine – Potent Hallucinogen

DMT• N,N-Dimethyltryptamine• 10 to 20 mg smoked : 15 minute intoxication• Approximately 100mg oral ingestion in

presence of an MAOI: 3-4 hour intoxication• Many sources• Religious use of ayahuasca continues in Brazil;

indigenous and “modern” religions: Santo Daime and Uniao do Vegetal. Both seek permission to use in the U.S.

DMT…it’s as common as crabgrass…

• “Canary” grass; Phalaris aquatica, P. arundinacea, P. canariensis, P. tuberosa

• Desmanthus illinoensis; Prairie Bundleflower

• Many other sources; mostly S. America.

DMT content

• Alkaloids reported as mg/100g raw dried plant +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

• P. tuberosa: DMT 100 mg+; 5-Me-DMT 22 mg+; 5-OH-DMT 5 mg

• P. arundinacea DMT 60+ mg• Desmanthus illinoesis (root bark) DMT 340

mg• Psychotria viridis: DMT 200 mg

Phalaris spp.

Desmanthus illinoesis

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

Sedative-hypnotic properties and possibly hallucinogenic/dissociative properties

Sources: Peganum harmala, Passiflora spp.,

USED TO MAKE DMT ORALLY ACTIVE

Peganum harmala

Peganum harmala

• Commonly called Syrian rue

• Contains reversible MAOIs that may also be psychoactive (2 to 4% beta-carboline content).

• Ayahuasca’s MAOI source only has 0.5% beta-carboline content.

• Passiflora: approx. 1%

Passiflora incarnata

• Passion flower; fruit used in drinks; some herbal preparations as a “sedative”

Peyote – Potent Hallucinogen

Contains mescaline

Lophophoria williamsii

Natural Range of Peyote

Harvesting Peyote

Peyote

• Lophophoria williamsii contains 1.5% mescaline (-3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine)

• 3mg/kg potent intoxication• Up to 8 to 10 hour duration• Continued religious use in

North America• Other cacti used in South

America and also…

Trichocereus spp.

• Most popular source of non-sacramental mescaline in the U.S. isn’t peyote…

• These ornamental cacti can be found almost everywhere

The Peyote Ceremony

Stewart OC. Stewart OC. Peyote ReligionPeyote Religion. Norman, OK: . Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987.University of Oklahoma Press, 1987.

Aberle DF. Aberle DF. The Peyote Religion Among the NavahoThe Peyote Religion Among the Navaho. . Chicago, IL: Aldine Publishing Co., 1966.Chicago, IL: Aldine Publishing Co., 1966.

The Peyote Ceremony

• Reasons for a meeting• The Road Chief and…• Tobacco prayers• Ingestion of Peyote• Power of song• Water ceremony• The morning after

LSD?

Lysergic Acid Amide

Ipomoea spp. (esp. I. purpurea)

Morning Glory

5-10 grams of seeds

Aztec: Oliliuqui

Argyria nervosa

Hawaiian Baby Woodrose

4-8 seeds ingested

Salvia divinorum potent hallucinogen

• Many other Salvia spp. may also contain psychoactive diterpenes. “Salvinorin A”

• Related to Sage plants/Mint family• Does not grow in the United States

naturally, but can readily be cultivated. Mexican origin

• First reported in 1962 but popularity increased via Internet…

Salvia divinorum

Coleus?

Datura – Potent Dissociative

Datura stramonium

Datura

• Leaves typically cut and smoked

• Contains atropine, scopalomine, and…

• Ancient ceremonial use in the U.S.

• Occasional report of death by ingestion of root

• Many other sources for atropine and scopalomine…mandrake, henbane…

Amanita muscariaFound throughout the U.S.

Muscimol is the primary psychoactive alkaloid

Dissociative

Bufo Frogs…

• Contains bufontinin but intoxication primarily from 5-Meo-DMT

• The toad is NOT licked but glands are milked for poison

Botanical intoxicants…future mayhem?

• None of these plants are addictive, other than cultivation of the opium poppy in the U.S., which is not common. Illicit cultivation of Cannabis spp., of course, continues.

• Eradication of the illicit drug market of hallucinogens may drive the “resourceful” to these botanicals more than today.

• It is not feasible to eradicate these botanicals from U.S. territory

• The Internet will drive an ever wider dissemination of information on these botanicals to those seeking this information

Further information or for reprints:

• E-mail: john_halpern@hms.harvard.edu

• Office: 1 (617) 855-3703