By Hippie3 (Hippie3) on Monday, June 04, 2001 - 03:01 am: Edit

Peganum harmala
An Indo-European Plant Teacher
. . . a note from underground
by Gracie and Zarkov

Number 10


INTRODUCTION

Encounters with entities who teach or guide are a characteristic feature of hallucinogenic ayahuasca trances. For discussion purposes, we have granted ontological status to these entities without regard for the epistemological or metaphysical implications of that status.

We have been interested in these phenomena for several years, but the South American vine, Banisteriopsis caapi, which is the basis for ayahuasca, is not readily available in North America. The DMT-containing admixture plants, Psychotria viridis, and Diplopteris cabrarana, which produce the vivid hallucinations, are even harder to obtain. Therefore, we have been investigating combinations of synthetic DMT with various beta-carboline containing plants, not only B. caapi, but also Passiflora incarnata and Peganum harmala.

PEGANUM HARMALA

P. harmala, or Syrian Rue, is the plant from which harmine was first isolated, as well as a source of harmaline and tetrahydroharmine. Total beta-Carboline content runs almost 4% by weight in the seeds of Syrian Rue. These alkaloids occur in roughly the same proportions as in B. caapi. Ten grams of Syrian Rue seeds provide about 400mg of total beta-Carbolines, about that amount in a typical dose of ayahuasca.

Syrian Rue grows in semi-arid conditions. It originated in Central Asia, and is held in high esteem throughout Asia Minor as a medicinal, aphrodisiac and dye plant. There is no solid historical evidence of ritual or religious use. It is sometimes known as "ruin weed" since it often grows on the tells covering the ruins of ancient cities in the Near East. It now grows wild in Eurasia and has recently been spread to Texas, Nevada, New Mexico and Southern California. Dye quality seeds are available from several West Coast seed services for about $50.00 per pound.

PREPARATION

We prepared our hallucinogenic brew in a manner similar to that used to prepare ayahuasca. Fifty grams of seeds were finely ground in a spice mill. The powdered seeds were added to 4 quarts of water and boiled in a slow cooker overnight. The resulting liquid was poured off and saved, and 4 quarts of fresh water were added to the residue. This second wash was also boiled for 12 hours. Both washes had a noticeable yellow color, indicating the possible presence of harmine. Both washes were strained while hot though a cloth coffee filter and then reduced to a final volume of 500ml. Synthetic N,N-DMT-HCl was boiled in during the final reduction (not boiling in the DMT adversely affects the brew's potency).

THE HIGH

We drank the brew on empty stomachs. First effects were noticed in about five minutes. Physical side effects include tingling extremities, slight tremor, lassitude and very slight nausea. The mental effects of the come-on are similar to the initial effects of smoked DMT but are milder and in slow motion. The anti-depressant effects of the beta-Carbolines are quite striking; a strange calm elation is felt.

The DMT-like effects peak in about 25-30 minutes with strong visual disturbances. We were in a darkened room and the closed-eye geometric patterns were very vivid. We felt a "presence" in these patterns which we could bring into direct contact by a combination of repeated nonsense babbling (which turned into glossolalia) and direct address to the "entity," e.g. "Who are you?" "Show yourself!" "Do you want to talk?" etc.

THE PLANT TEACHER

On both occasions, we contacted a "teacher" who identified himself with the Syrian Rue plant. During our discussions with him (which were out loud; subvocalizing was ineffective) the teacher showed us visions, answered questions and provided specific health, emotional and psychological advice. The "voice in the head" phenomenon was not as strongly constituted as on high dose mushrooms. However, the vividness, clarity and understandability of the visionary illustrations which often accompanied the conversations were striking. Intense feelings (which shifted with the visions), changes in tone of voice and manner of speaking, including glossolalia (as recorded on tape) and strong contact highs were additional phenomena noted. The plant teacher had a definite personality which was strongly male, very friendly, humorous, with an interest in story-telling bordering on the garrulous.

We have independent confirmation of contact phenomena by an associate who tried the same combination.

THE VISIONS

Representative visions and raps included:


Plant diagrams and information on watering, plant diseases and placement of the Syrian Rue plant in our garden.
A diagram of a human heart, showing the auricular node and the neurology of the heartbeat.
Art and artifacts from the Old European civilization C. 10,000 BC, e.g., Catal Huyuk; including pottery and statuary.
A vision of the Goddess, holding the plant teacher and the human contactee intertwined in Her hands.
An amazingly vivid and intense "movie" of the last scene from Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, showing the destruction of an insect planet by human warriors.
The ruins of Persepolis, then, upon request, Persepolis in its original polychrome, sunlit splendor.
A vision of the plant teacher as a Mongol warlord, in golden armor, astride an armored and caparisoned woolly mammoth.
A vision of Gracie's mother at Gracie's age, from the inside, that is, Gracie experienced her mother from her mother's point of view.
Various pieces of psychological and relationship advice, including insights into both our childhoods.
The visions faded about three hours after ingestion with the presence slowly fading in the fourth hour. The total trip lasts about 6 hours.
DOSAGE

This brew can be very intense and we could not recommend it to anyone who has not had significant experience with similar visionary states such as high dose mushrooms (5gm+, smoked DMT (40mg+) or mescaline (500mg+). Individual sensitivity to the beta-Carboline/DMT combination varies greatly, so we recommend that one "sneak-up" on the effects. While our nominal dose would be 10 grams of seeds with 40 mg of DMT, 30 mg of DMT will definitely allow for contact. Five grams of seeds with 20 mg of DMT seems to be the threshold dose. The intensity of the visual effects seems most dependent upon the dosage of DMT. The length of the effects and the depth of the contact seem most dependent upon the dose of Syrian Rue. Our personal preference is 7 grams of seeds with 30 mg of DMT, with a booster dose of 5 grams Rue and 20 mg DMT after one hour.

WARNING

The interaction of certain foods and drugs with the MAO inhibition brought on by beta-carbolines can be fatal!! The following substances must not be ingested within 48 hours before and after taking the brew: [A more complete list is available here]


All amphetamines or related compounds, such as MDA, MDMA, phenylpropanolamine, ephedrine, etc. [add "smart drugs" to this category.]

Any foods containing tyramine, or where enzymatic processes have been used: e.g., yoghurt, sour cream, aged cheeses, wines, especially port or Chianti, beer, fermented sausages (pepperoni), soy sauce, etc.
Certain other foods, including: shellfish, bananas, liver, avocados, broad beans, chocolate, coffee and others.
This list is not all-inclusive. Please do further research before attempting to experiment! The dangerous interaction usually precipitates a hypertensive crisis and certain people are especially sensitive to the effects, particularly those with heart abnormalities or high blood pressure. We ourselves have had a few close calls while investigating the beta-Carbolines.
Good physical health and the advice of a "hip" physician are helpful, nevertheless, exercise caution if you become interested in these combinations.

COMPARISON WITH AYAHUASCA

While our direct experience with B. caapi and DMT admixtures is very limited, we have these preliminary comments. The Syrian Rue experience is less heavy, and the entity more casual, garrulous and intimate. The caapi entity seems more formal, more experienced with human contact, especially in health and psychology, and seems to be a more powerful teacher.

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS

The chemical analysis of ayahuasca can be found in Stafford, Psychedelics Encyclopedia, and Schultes and Hofmann, The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens. A more detailed analysis of the brew is in McKenna, et. al., Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 10 (1984), 195-223.

CONCLUSION

A full account of our various experiments with beta-Carbolines and DMT will be in our forthcoming book: Notes from Underground: Psychedelic Perspectives for the Next Millennium, which will be published by High Frontiers Press sometime early in 1992.

We'd like to acknowledge the information and moral support provided by Dennis, Terence and Kat McKenna, which made it possible for us to structure the experiments so as to make contact on our first attempt.

Finally, the plant teacher said that it would like to communicate with any human willing to take the brew.

Stay High and Stay Free!

Gracie and Zarkov

Copyright © 1986 by Gracie and Zarkov productions. We believe that in a truly free society the price of packaged information would be driven down to the cost of reproduction and transmission. We, therefore, give blanket permission and encourage photocopy, quotation, reprint or entry into a database of all or part of our articles provided that the copier or quoter does not take credit for our statements!

Watch for the book in 1992.

By Hippie3 (Hippie3) on Monday, June 04, 2001 - 03:10 am: Edit

From: [email protected] (Gary Bense)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,alt.psychoactives
Subject: P.harmala+P.cubensis
Message-ID:
Date: 1 Apr 94 16:13:11 GMT


I just saw this article in an old issue of the Entheogen Review and
thought some would find it interesting...

Combing P. harmala with P. Cubensis

You asked me to tell you when I knew the results of my proposed
experiments with P. harmala and P. cubensis. I have since found that one
gram of harmala extract more than doubled the effects of two grams of
cubensis. That is, subjectively, the experience was at least as strong
as previous five gram doses - a true example of "less is more!" The
experience was qualitively different also - colors seemed not quite as
vived, though more patterns were pronounced; I was physically almost
unable to move for two or three hours (making shamanistic work all but
impossible), and the trip lasted at least two hours longer than expected,
with a long slow decline after the peak. Be careful, though - I
unthinkingly drank a cup of coffee the next day and quickly developed a
splitting headache. This was possibly the effect of MAO inhibition,
since I practically never get headaches of any kind. Best luck with The
Entheogen Review.
-J.G. CA

By Hippie3 (Hippie3) on Monday, June 04, 2001 - 03:12 am: Edit

By Hippie3 (Hippie3) on Monday, June 04, 2001 - 03:14 am: Edit

O.K., for all the poor souls who had to ingest those horrible
seeds, here is an extraction than I think anyone on this newsgroup can
do in their kitchen without blowing themselves up.

From "The Alkaloids" Vol. II by Manske (p393). Printed without
permission.

ISOLATION OF HARMINE AND HARMALINE

"The crushed seeds of Peganum Harmala are covered with three times
their weight of water containing 30 g of acetic acid per liter of
water [white vinegar is about 50g / l or 5 %]. The seeds swell as they
absorb the liquid and form a thick dough which is pressed after 2-3
days. The pressed seeds are once more treated as above with twice
their weight of dilute acetic acid and, after maceration, the liquid is
again pressed out. To the combined liquors, sodium chloride [that's
table salt, man] (100g. / liter of liquid) is added to transform the
acetates of harmine and harmaline into the hydrochlorides which are
insoluble in cold sodium chloride solutions and are precipitated
during cooling. The supernatant liquid is siphoned off, the
crystalline residue filtered with suction and redissolved in hot
water. Addition of sodium chloride to the filtered solution causes the
precipitation of the hydrochlorides as a crystalline mush and this
process is repeated until the hydrochlorides have acquired a yellow
color (for the purposes of this newsgroup, once is enough). The final
product is then recovered by filtration."

The paper then goes on to describe the separation of harmine from
harmaline, but this procedure is slightly more complicated and not
necessary for most purposes.


Pierre St Hilaire
MIT Media Lab

P.S. While this procedure is legal in the U.S. (where harmine and
harmaline are currently unscheduled), it is illegal in Canada where
harmine and harmaline are Schedule I.

These are extremely potent alkaloids. Misuse of them can result in
serious, even fatal, consequences. Read the FAQ about MAO inhibitors.

By Hippie3 (Hippie3) on Monday, June 04, 2001 - 03:25 am: Edit

In case anyone still has any doubts over the effectiveness of Syrian Rue when combined with mushies, you may put them to rest (at least I have).

Had a great opportunity to trip last night with my girlfriend. Problem was I only had 3.0g dry and 7.0g wet giving me a grand calculated total dosage per person of merely 1.85g Hardly what I would have considered a good amount (I average 3g+). After a little research and consultation with Hip, I went ahead and dosed 1.0g of Syrian Rue extract (very clean) which I enclosed in a couple of gel caps.

Now maybe it was the shrooms (gotta clone these then) or the Rue, or the fact that I hadnt tripped in quite some time, but we TOTALLY lost it. Im talking beyond open eye visuals, beyond anything else I have experienced in my numerous other times. Words really cant explain it except for a complete detachment from reality. With no way of distinguishing the real, from the trip (eyes wide open).

Headfirst dive into the brainblender. My girlfriend swears she met the spirit of Nostradamus and conversed with him at length.

Good stuff...Thanks for the tip Hip!

ShroomScience