Hawaiian baby woodrose
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ?Hawaiian Baby Woodrose | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argyreia nervosa flowers (enlarge)
|
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
| Argyreia nervosa (Burm.f.) Bojer |
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
Argyreia speciosa (L.f.)Sweet |
Hawaiian Baby Woodrose (Argyreia nervosa), not to be confused with the Hawaiian Woodrose (Merremia tuberosa), is a perennial climbing vine, also known as Elephant Creeper and Woolly Morning Glory. Native to the Indian subcontinent and introduced to numerous areas worldwide, including Hawaii, Africa and the Caribbean, it can be invasive, although is often prized for its aesthetic value. The seeds of the plant are sometimes used as a legally obtainable psychedelic, though the legality in consuming the seeds are ambiguous .
Contents |
[edit] History
The plant is a rare example of an herb the hallucinogenic properties of which have only recently been discovered. While its cousins in the Convolvulaceae family, such as the Rivea corymbosa (Ololiuhqui) and Ipomoea violacea (Tlitliltzin) were used in shamanic rituals of Latin America for centuries, the Hawaiian baby woodrose was not traditionally recognised as a hallucinogen. Its properties were first brought to attention in the 1960s, despite the fact that the chemical composition of its seeds is near identical to those of the two species mentioned above, and in fact contain the highest concentration of psychoactive compounds in the entire family.
Traditional use of the plant in India usually employed the leaves and roots of the plants, which are not psychoactive, as antiseptic and anti-inflammatory drugs.
The psychedelic properties of the seeds became known mainly through their use in Hawaii, Haiti and Puerto Rico, where impoverished members of the population would consume the seeds, seeking a "cheap buzz" as an alternative to alcohol. A sample made its way to Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD, who confirmed the effects and analysed its chemical composition.
[edit] Psychotropic use
The effects of oral ingestion of the seeds are comparable to LSD, although significantly less potent. The experience is usually reported psychedelic usually depending on the dose and the cultural background of the user. Visual, with some open-eye disturbances and closed-eye patterns. The most notable induced changes are cognitive, with changes in auditory perception also often reported.Time and space perception is seriously altered causing the typical tripping feeling of "5 minutes seemed like an hour and an hour seemed like 5 minutes". During the experience it is known for a user to feel tired. Short-term memory is diminished, leading to "Mind Clarity". A low dose of the seeds produces a light ecstasy and a mood lift.
The street name for Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seed is the "brown pill" or "tropical pebbles".
The common dose is about 7 or 8 seeds, which are ground or chewed and eaten. The experience duration can range from 4 to 12 hours with mild effects occasionally lasting about a day and is usually accompanied with gastric discomfort, including severe nausea and flatulence. The removal of the outer coating of the seeds is often recommended to reduce such effects, although vomiting is said not to affect the experience quantitatively. A simple water extraction of the seeds has also been reported to be effective. A Lemon Juice extraction has been reported as effective as well.
Note that the seeds, as LSD does, can cause uterine contractions, which may lead to miscarriage if the seeds are consumed while pregnant.
[edit] Chemistry
The seeds of the plant contain numerous lysergic acid amides, including ergine, ergonovine and isoergine, a chemical group from which derives the well known psychedelic, LSD. Psychedelic effects experienced after consumption of the seeds are usually attributed to ergine (also known as d-Lysergic acid amide, or Lyserg Sauer Amide), although the validity of this claim is disputed. For more information, refer to ergine.
While ergine is listed as a DEA Schedule III substance in the United States, Hawaiian baby woodrose is not controlled. Thus, while possession of any part of the plant is legal, an ergine extraction is prosecutable by US law, however no such prosecutions have occurred. The plant is not monitored as a major controlled substance precursor, since a synthesis of LSD from ergine, while possible, is impractical.
The seeds also contain glycosides. These compounds may cause some of the reported side-effects from eating the crushed seeds. Many people believe the fuzzy coating of the seed causes the nausea, but this "fur" is inert; the nauseating factor is contained in the seed itself.
[edit] External links
- Society of Studies about Ethnobotany and the Modified States of Consciousness
- PLANTS database entry
- H.B. Woodrose Seeds on LegalHighsWiki
- Erowid entry on H.B. Woodrose
- A collection of articles on H.B. Woodrose
- Growing Hawaiian Baby Woodrose (Plot55.com)
| Ergolines edit | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lysergic acid derivatives | ||
|
Bromocriptine, Cabergoline, Ergine, Ergonovine, Ergotamine, Lysergic acid, Lysergol, d-Lysergic acid hydroxyethylamide, Lisuride, Methergine, Methysergide, Pergolide |
||
| Hallucinogenic lysergamides | ||
|
AL-LAD, ALD-52, BU-LAD, CYP-LAD, DAL, DAM-57, Ergonovine, ETH-LAD, LAE-32, LSD, LPD-824, LSM-775, Methylergonovine, MLD-41, PARGY-LAD, PRO-LAD |
||
| Other ergolines | ||
| Natural sources | ||
|
Argyreia nervosa, Claviceps spp., Ipomoea tricolor, Ipomoea violacea, Rivea corymbosa |
||
