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