# Presentation: 846094

## Hallucinogens and Dissociative Agents Naturally Growing in the United States

**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 USE. 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

**Notes:**
This medium-sized shrub grows up to 4 feet high and appears to have no leaves. It looks like a thicket of numerous green, jointed, leafless branches with conspicuous nodes.
It actually does have small, scale-like leaves and tiny flowers of male and female cones which bloom February through April. The fruit is a seed surrounded by 2 or 3 large scales.
Preparation: The twigs are gathered, and may be used fresh, or dried for use later. Best gathered in the spring, when green, and before plant blooms.The twigs are boiled for a few minutes. in a 1:6 or 8 ratio of herb to water, allowed to steep for 5 or more minutes, then strained. The flavor and odor is agreeable and could substitute for commercial tea. Also available in capsules from Health Food Suppliers; follow the package recommendations. 

## 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. *****Peyote Religion*****. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987.**

**Aberle DF. *****The Peyote Religion Among the Navaho*****. 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

**Notes:**
Argyria

## 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* – 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 muscaria

- Found 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