I've looked into this plant before, but no dried herb is available commercially. Was the buzz pleasurable, and what would you compare it to? Plain anxiolytics rarely make me feel high, maybe relaxed and drowsy. I'd like to hear more on your evaluation of it's effects.
Here are the abstracts I came across awhile back: Anxiolytic and anticonvulsant activity of methanol extract of leaves of Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) Kuntze (Amaranthaceae) in laboratory animals.
Barua CC1, Begum SA, Barua AG, Borah RS, Lahkar M.
AbstractAnxiety related disorders are the most common mental illnesses and major cause of disability in man. Anxiolytic activity of methanol extract of leaves of A. brasiliana (L.) Kuntze (MEAB) was evaluated using hole board (HB), open field (OF), elevated plus maze (EPM) and light/dark exploration test (LDE) in mice. Its locomotor activity was studied using actophotometer and anticonvulsant effect was studied using maximal electroshock-induced seizures and pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in mice. Single oral administration of MEAB at different doses (100, 300 and 600 mg/kg, ip) significantly increased the number and duration of head poking in the HB test; rearing, assisted rearing and number of square traveled in the OF test; entries and time spent in open arm in the EPM test; time spent in lighted box, and numbers of crossings and transfer latency time in the LDE test. There was significant reduction in the time spent in close arm in the EPM test and time spent in dark box in LDE test. In the actophotometer, the activity count was reduced in MEAB and diazepam treated group than control group. All the three doses of the extract significantly reduced the duration of seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole (chemoshock convulsion). However, the extract did not show any appreciable effect in electroshock convulsion model. The results of the present study suggest promising anxiolytic and anticonvulsant activity of MEAB which might be accredited to different phytoconstituents like alkaloids, steroids and triterpenes present in the methanol extract of A. brasiliana . PMID:23926693
Pharm Biol. 2012 Nov;50(11):1442-7. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2012.688058. Epub 2012 Sep 15. Evaluation of the pharmacological activity of the Alternanthera brasiliana aqueous extract.
Formagio EL1, Mendel MT, Fracasso R, Knobloch JG, Teixeira PW, Kehl L, Maluf RW, Picoli SU, Ardenghi P, Suyenaga ES. Abstract CONTEXT: Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) Kuntze (Amarantaceae) is widely used in Brazilian traditional medicine as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anxiolytic, and locomotor effect of the infusions in preclinical models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by a carrageenan-induced pleurisy test in Wistar rats (200 and 400 mg/kg, n = 6-7). Analgesic activity was evaluated by the number of abdominal contractions induced by 0.6% acetic acid administered to Swiss mice (25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, n = 10). Effects on the central nervous system (CNS) were evaluated in Wistar rats (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, n = 10) using open field and plus maze models. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Possible anti-inflammatory activity was indicated by the significant reduction of 19.8% for 200 mg/kg (p < 0.05) and 23.9% for 400 mg/kg (p < 0.05) of polymorphonuclear cells in pleural exudate. Analgesic activity was suggested by the significant reduction (p < 0.01) of number of abdominal contractions for all doses under study. No anxiolytic effect was noted, but there was an increase in the number of rearings in the group of rats treated with 100 mg/kg dose (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the aqueous extract of the leaves of A. brasiliana has a potential pharmacological effect on inflammation and pain.
