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sandalwood

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About sandalwood

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    Psychonaut

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    northwest US
  1. Hello,

    I am trying to round up tabernaemontana samples.

    I have been growing two tabernaemontana africana/holstii plants myself for 5 years.

    I have found a few sources of tabernaemontana divaricata ,

    and am hoping to research tabernaemontana acutangula material that is supposedly forthcoming.

    would be interested in hearing your personal thoughts on Aus....

  2. Yes its a must have. My copy came after about 9 days, quick actually, considering it came the day after x-mas. Its the most money I have spent on a single book, around 150 usd. So far my favorite part is his obscure info that is discussed by region, but there is also tidbits everywhere. The author managed to create a real great book, that seems a bit underground at the same time polished. My copy had one double page,which is fine by me, I havnt noticed any other errors. There seems to be a good amount of anecdotal reports and the authors own experience as well. A lot of interesting info, and I was very stoked to read about a good amount of opiophile related data,including a VERY interesting thebaine derivative that has LSD'like effects. I also have noted the author has some knowledge of ayurvedic and TCM medicinals. Worth the money if one can afford it these days, I got lucky and was able to forgo getting my wife a x-mas present and spent the funds on the book instead. I doubt many used copies of this book will show up any time soon .
  3. has not set their status

  4. sandalwood

    Lagochilus update

    I am convinced that the major active component of lagochilus is not the purported lagochilin material that has been sold for a few years. the reason being...bioassay of lagochilus inebrians has always produced a light sedative effect when taken orally... but lagochilin insuffilated, held sublingual, taken orally, and vaporized barely did anything for me..if anything, slight sedative activity... the whole plant material seemed stronger to me...even in doses relatively small...around a few grams. I took almost 400 milligrams of lagochilin and noticed very little. one of the plants sold to me as lagochilus inebrians in the beginning, according to siebert, most likely cephelaria gigantea, produced a hard waxy extract that was more interesting to me than the lagochilus material that became avialable soon after.
  5. sandalwood

    Underwater Entheogens?

    I wouldnt call it quite an entheogen.... but bacopa...or brahmi...is an underwater plant that I see commonly sold at aquarium shops. I take it on a weekly basis...blends nicely for some that are using opiates/opioids... its a common herb in India. there is a type of algae that contains aphinorphine...which is a stimulant like kappa opioid agonist I believe....this is sold as a dietary supplement and is also listed by some sources as containing neuro toxins. for my purposes I like taking the algae when I need to not eat much, but have high energy. I used to take it when snowboarding...in the morning...with a banana, bran muffin, and coffee, I would be fine all day till dinner with eating no lunch...just an algae muffin breakfast, and that clean feeling of having high energy on an empty stomach. I started having problems when taking this algae everyday though...insomnia and stress soon set in....so its not something that I take regularly.
  6. sandalwood

    indigenous opioid bark

    the ayurvedic data that I have found is pretty diverse. and there is other data besides that....which mentions oral, topical, insuffilation consumption of nearly every part of this plant... seeds, fruit, bark, are already ayurvedic products that are used both topically and oral. one source claimed 3-18 grams of the bark was good taken orally... some sources talk about insuffilating for headache. the pharmacy I dealt with sells seeds in whole form, and the fruit, the seed, and the bark in powdered form. as well, there are quite a few multi herb blends, including common medicines for children, that use small doses of the barringtonia species in modern indian herbal pharmaceuticals. I had more of a problem finding a source for the single herb......it seems to me that many shops just carried products that contained the plant parts..rather than carrying the single plant parts. months of looking...and paying for the material in advance paid off. I spent around 80$ to get a pound of different material....most of that was the money wire, as I couldnt find a place that sold the plant that had a website with a shopping cart. it also took almost 1 1/2 months to finally get shipped to me. to tell you the truth....I dont expect alot from the bark material....as I have read statements that claim there is no real negative effects from the bark at stated dosages....the material is claimed to be benign enough for regular use as a tonic, and for children. I know fish poison sounds like something to be cautious of...and any new herb/plant material that one tries should be done cautiously...bordering on the ridiculous sometimes. anyway, fish poisons like balche root, kava kava, jamaican dogwood....all struck me as quite mild in effects....not to mention low toxicity... I did test a small amount orally of the bark powder....with no problems. I am more worried about saponigen content causing bowel problems than anything.... the commercial/scientific interest in this plant is intruiging........but the common use in ayurveda, and india as a folk medicine, and much of the data has me worried a bit that the plant is going to be another low potency opioid at best, with minimal effects either way. I havnt seen any sources claiming poisonous or dangerous narcotic action with this barringtonia species......nor have I seen any mention that the plant is psychoactive, or debilitating or intoxicating. after all, menthol is a kappa opioid agonist...and besides slight stimulant, anti tussive, and topical pain relieving effects, I would hardly call menthol interesting as a psychoactive, maybe more as a odiferous agent...... I have tried at least 10 novel opioid plants that generally are not avialable commercially much...except maybe in africa...or at least werent when I had tried them for the first time....like dalea purpurea, picralima nitida, tabernaemontana pachysiphon, just off the top of my head... and for the most part...nothing has excited me much....it takes alot of leads to find just a few "more than interesting" plant materials. a few of those plants had negative, antagonist like effects rather than anything comforting still, I cant stop looking...its a driving interest. I would say that 1 out of 40 active natural opioids sourced from plants are interesting from a hedonistic perspective...with nigella sativa and kratom topping my list... picralima nitida very interesting as a stimulant....same thing with myrrh..excellent opioid stimulant.. ALL of the natural opioids are interesting to me from a medicinal herbal perspective..and combinations of such I think hold alot of potential for beneficial uses for humans and animals.
  7. I just received a message about this book. too bad its an expensive printing......I really want to check this author out....but I dont think I will be able to afford a hundred dollar + volume until about a year from now...I can afford to put around 10$ away a month.... I just hope all the copies are not sold by the time I finally have saved enough cash. I also want Jonathan Ott's latest book.....I consider myself a general book collector...though I am not concerned with collectability as I am with just having a well rounded offering. I have been waiting for Ott to product a copy of his latest book that a vegetarian would want to buy....but I dont think any were printed that dont utilize leather. I am also hoping that a cheaper version would be forthcoming. I was lucky enough to find a somewhat cheap copy of Ratsch's psychoactive encyclopedia..... few things irritate me more than having to wait months or years to have access to certian information. personally I would rather just be able to buy a photocopied version of a book, created by the author of course, at a reduced price than deal with fancy trimmings. that is why the entheogen review was such a great deal. cheap access to important information....the last thing I want to encourage is financial elitism in the entheogen scene. anyone actually recieved this book yet?
  8. I have seen some patents for using essential oils as a carrier agent for opioid medications...apparently even when used orally some oils increase bioavailability of medicinal compounds. I think it would be similiar with topical application. probably will take more of any substance to notice...but maybe not much more! I personally am VERY interested in the oil/seeds of nigella sativa...purported opioid activity. in my experience...nigella is right after kratom in opioid like potency.
  9. sandalwood

    indigenous opioid bark

    well, after almost a year of searching for sources I have finally sourced some decent barringtonia material. around 6 months ago I recieved some small ill kept seeds from a company in India that specializes in seeds. I bought rudraksha seeds and barringtonia acutangula seeds from them. the B. acutangula seeds were not viable...and barely viable as a source for bioassay...the seeds actually looked rotten, and I think that they were. a few days ago I finally recieved some bark powder, and large, hard, healthy seeds. the company that I sourced them from took a few months to supply the materials....and they have no website...so I had to wire them money from my bank...which cost me almost as much to wire the money as the initial small order I placed! after a few months of waiting though, I was not let down. the bark powder is well ground..... and the seeds are VERY hard, and fresh looking. apparently the reason my order took so long, is because this material is relatively rarely produced as a single herb ingredient...most supply goes to patent/combination ayurvedic medicines...in which barringtonia is just a minor ingredient. so the pharmacy had a fresh amount processed, prompted in part by my order, and because the material that was onhand was old. I have planted 6 seeds....they will probably take awhile to germinate, if they germinate at all...being sent through customs I never know if my seeds are going to get irradiated to death. the different sources I have found online, and other places, in communications, suggests that the bark and seed and leaf material are all used medicinally....seeds are powdered and used as a snuff for headache....bark is used for diarrhea and cough...the whole plant seems to be used for various pain complaints...fever treatment, and from one source, an explanation that the main modern use at least in their area, is using the seed powder aqueous extract as an ear infection/ache treatment...to be dripped into the ear. also the seeds are used as fish poisons. I havnt bioassayed anything yet. one source I found online suggests that a dose is anywhere from 3 grams to 18 grams as an oral decoction. one use that interests me is the bark aqueous extract being used as a general tonic. I have found no specific pharmakinetics research, that discusses specific activity in regards to a specific compound... various compounds are explained as the active material....but I am confused as to what exactly is causing the pain relief....I have noticed no discussion of mu, kappa, delta, or sigma stimulation. the company that sent me the material also claims to have access to 16:1 potency extracts of some of the different parts of the plant. the material doesnt sound too potent as far as dosage is concerned...I am really hoping that less is more with this material...because as usual, the taste doesnt seem to be something that is going to be nice. well, its been a long year of waiting for this one. now I have plenty of material to pass some on to a chemist, and for my personal bioassay research. and I REALLY hope I get some live seeds out of this shipment!
  10. sandalwood

    indigenous opioid bark

    Bummer?!?!?!?!? I thought that was what this whole thread was about? I just recieved some Barringtonia acutangula seeds from India. I am attempting to grow half of them. I am confused as to whether the seeds are something to approach, or just the bark. I know the seeds are reported toxic. it would be nice if I got some germination... but for over a year, I have had very low germination to 0% germination rates from seeds I have recieved from overseas. I contacted many suppliers of ayurvedic plants in India, looking for a supplier of bark of this plant, and only had a few responses. I am very dissapointed.... I see more than a few types of medicinal blends that contain small amounts of the substance...but I find no one that offers the whole, single herb. there has got to be a supplier out there somewhere. one of the only people offering to help me find the herb, is a person involved with siddha medicinal system, and wanted me to take his correspondence course. I told him I could not afford such....and he claimed that maybe the institute he works with will sometimes overlook charging someone, if they are truly interested in integral medicinals, and crossing cultural boundaries... but then, I have heard nothing from him for months.
  11. sandalwood

    any plants with the action of naloxone?

    I tried low dose naltrexone... it actually worked for a few days....but the side effects became too much. a ringing in the ears, and nausea. it felt after a few days that the potentiation was too much....I became bed ridden for a day when I decided I had enough of the experiment. the solution I prepared might have been a problem, as I know that getting particles of the pill small enough might not have been achieved as well as it could have. I did a naltrexone treatment around 12 years ago. I was on 50 milligrams a day. I ended up getting high on naltrexone, during a relapse. it took about 3-4 times my normal relapse dose... once I found out that naltrexone does not seem to fully block a heroin high, at least for me, I quit taking it. I suffered as much weight loss in naltrexone almost as I did on heroin. I had no appetite, sexual libido was low, and I could not sleep longer than 3-4 hours at a time. and also, I craved nicotine constantly. a freind of mine who heard I got high on naltrexone, decided to try and use while he was on naltrexone treatment, and he ended up dying in a corner of a room, as his freinds thought he had just passed out. he was basically ignored to death. I was lucky my relapse while on naltrexone didnt kill me. I think the low dose naltrexone opiate tolerance augmentation hypothesis is a good one...but it might be hard for a person like me, to get accurately metered doses, even with a pill dropped into a litre of water, and then applied with an eye dropper to figure approx. dosage. I have tried several extracts of picralima nitida, and also tried the raw seeds. I was one of the first people to import into the USA..... all times, with all the different extracts, and the raw seeds, I felt mostly stimulant effects. no perceivable potentiation, and picralima nitida does not replace opiates either I dont think..... but it might help on a regimine of daily use, alongside opiates, to help treat some side effects of opiate tolerance.... the antagonist potentiation/tolerance augmentation hypothesis is very interesting..especially since there are numerous natural, plant based antagonists or partial antagonists out there. probably the most interesting medicinal that might have tolerance control use so far I have read about, and sampled...is mesaconitine...from a medicinal aconite species used in chinese and other asian medicinal systems. I checked for toxicity, by preparing the correctly handled aconite root elixir....basically boiling prepared root slices for a little over an hour and straining. I didnt feel much with the standard dose reccomendation...but importantly, I didnt notice any toxic or negative effects. anyway, mesaconitine is a kappa agonist, and is reported to help reduce tolerance to morphine, even if a person is habituated before the experiment. the compound is also used for pain relief....both topically, and internally. I have thought for a few years, that it might be one of the more active ingredients in HEANTOS...????...maybe, maybe not... but the plant is obviously one with alot of potential. the only problem is handling the herb, and probably toxicity at some level of use with so many natural opioid agonists and antagonists out there, and undoubtedly more such compounds waiting to be discovered...so many different structural varieties of active opioids...that I think many new discoverys, and overlooked common botanicals will have potential for those willing to push the envelope.
  12. sandalwood

    Ethnobotanical Cough Drops

    all of these items ARE LEGAL. and all are FDA approved in their natural form too I believe. menthol is a common ingredient in mint. its a good product, and a flavoring in food and pharmaceuticals. actually menthol is already used in most cough drops! its just the amount of menthol that they generally use is only 5-10 milligrams of menthol per lozenge. the data suggesting that menthol is similiar in potency to codeine might mean that doses of menthol might become more of an internal anti tussive with the doses similiar to those of codeine for cough. maybe 25-50 milligrams per lozenge might allow for a greater internal anti tussive effect. the menthol also works directly on areas that it comes in contact generally, especially mucous membranes. the nigella oil could only be used in a liquid form or in gel caps. unless there is a way to concentrate the oil into a semi solid. yellow horned poppy is a common anti tussive in europe. where pure glaucine is used for standardization in pill and powder form. so all these ingredients should be legal in all of the western world, and probably in many places in europe and the middle east. nigella sativa is sacred to islam in the sense that Mohammed espoused the virtues of the plant for all sorts of ailments/treatments. he said it would become a medicine used in the future. kappa opioid and other opioid agonist properties are known in a few fda approved herbs. chaste tree..., black cohosh....red clover.... while those herbs are not generally used for colds and coughs...I know that at least chaste tree is used in one otc the immune defense formula. the point I am trying to make is that kappa opioid and even mu opioid agonist properties are found in our diets and herbal dietary supplements...milk, wheat, and spinach contain compounds that turn into opioid peptides. so I wouldnt worry too much when your favorite dietary supplement is found to have activity comparable to some illegal or prescription substances. st johns wort is an herb that seems to have the potential of have a multitude of effects at various receptors types in the brains of mammals. menthol is probably the obvious ingredient to include in cough medicines.
  13. sandalwood

    Ethnobotanical Cough Drops

    some glaucine or yellow horned poppy which contains such compound would be nice. also, the peppermints/mints contain menthol which is reported to have kappa opioid agonist activity. topically, and internally. apparently, high doses of menthol...say a 100 milligrams, are described as being about as potent of an anti tussive as codeine. I think I have seen doses above a gram not reccomended. some plants containing menthol are listed as psychoactives. ..so not only does menthol help in the lungs....but also as an oral anti tussive, and a topical pain reliever as well. perhaps the menthol "effect" is why some people prefer menthol cigarettes...maybe there is a reinforcing activity of menthol combined with nicotine that is more than just taste. nigella sativa oil...a mild opioid mu agonist or at least purported to be, is another substance highly regarded for its anti tussive qualitys. I know enough of this oil to say watch large doses..over a tablespoon or even at that dosage can make one dizzy. and if other opioids/opiates are in your system, and you ingest nigella oil...it can make for a stronger, sometimes nauseating experience. I think many people could probably only need a teaspoon of nigella oil..with a crystal suspension of say 50 milligrams menthol....and 25-50 milligrams of glaucine in a juice or sugar water to wash the oil down. consuming nuts or oily substances right after the oil, and then drinking water help to get the oil out of the mouth quick. it has a somewhat spicy and bitter quality that is not unpleasant. I think a good balsamic could balance the nigella oil taste out...with some good cheese one wouldnt probably notice it too much. it might produce a slightly pain relieving salad...and help quiet the cough. mulllien oil on water, brought to steaming...and then inhaled with a towel over your head...is one of the best treatments that seems to have side effects on my lung health. it is an expectorant. one might do this expectoration period...and it really helps to soothe and stimulate one to get the large amounts of mucus free. also a bit of Eucalyptus oil in there works well with the mullien. I would put at least a half a millilitre of oil in a big pan. after this expectoration treatment...I would take some opioids to calm my coughs. the expectoration 2-3 times a day, followed with some night time opioids helped to calm my bronchitis infection. and after that went away, I was able to get over a concurrent strep infection. I also quit eating red meat at that period of my life. I had the strep and bronchitis for almost 3 months. I had to move from a cabin in the north shore Tahoe and move back home to Idaho and split up with my girlfreind because I was so sick. I moved in with a naturalpath and a clinical nurse. she helped me heal myself with herbs, and treatments. she also was scripted out of the yang being a nurse so she had plenty of cough medicines for me. but she insisted that the expectoration was going to get me better...the opioids taken alone might only help to perpetuate the bronchial infection. after the immune system was compramised the strep took hold. I was slowly damaging my heart, and building up scar tissue in my throat with these strep infections that I was getting every year...and also getting the bronchitis from I think sharing water pipes with large amounts of other people. in the late 90's I remember seeing a few Dr's talking about conventions where Dr's were noticing that strong bronchial infections seemed to stem from unsanitary water pipe water. anyways, Dr told me that if I kept getting strep like I was everyear...that it would probably lead to death by a heartattack. I pretty much took penicillin every year for strep and bronchitis by this time. and it was the naturalpath that told me to forgoe them for a time to see if I could kick it on my own with herbs to help. I did kick it in 2 weeks of her treatments. this gunge that had been perpetuation for almost over 3 months. after that experience...I never needed anti-biotics for strep or bronchitis again. I have taken them for some other infections....but not for strep. because I havnt had strep or bronchitis for over 11 years now after kicking the sichness with my own immune system helping. perhaps I built the antibodies needed. or perhaps it was something else, and I only perceived this to be so. so good expectorants and good anti tussives can be a good regimine together. DXM works...but some kids end up getting a bit reinforced on the stuff. I have seen teenagers end up using larger doses....just from initially using it as an anti tussive. I would rather give the kid a strong menthol tea.
  14. sandalwood

    tibetan snuff taking

    I tried some cecropia smoked once. that plant material definitely felt active. put me to sleep quickly late at night. and I had some very strange and intense dreams. when I woke... a package was delivered early in the morning. in the package as a bunch of tagetes. the smell for some reason made me feel dizzy...and I attributed that to the strange effect of the cecropia leaf. anyone else have experience with cecropia? that is an interesting account of a snuff production.!
  15. sandalwood

    Rupert's Magic Medicine

    well that bottle was most likely an old patent medicine bottle that in all likelyhood probably contained at least morphine/opium and probably a good possibility some coca/cocaine as well. and if it was a "nice" bottle....he could probably sell it online for around a 100$....sometimes more. medical antiques have a good resale.....Dr's have lots of money usually...and a good portion of the people that collect such stuff are probably Dr's or at least in the health profession. I know of an old antique store...that has a box behind and under the counter that is full of old medicines. not just the hardware...but the actual drugs themselves. I did find one box that has a bunch of "bindle" wax paper envelopes..printed with the name of a vegetable painkiller company. and of course, as with patent medicines...no ingredients listed. each little bindle has a small amount of powder...say, 100 milligrams or a little more. its a very interesting find....probably costs a decent amount of money...and there is a good possibility that there is morphine in those bindles. it was real interesting to see that package...and then compare to the wax paper bindles that are sold generally on the east coast of the USA. not alot changed in all those years! finding an old morphine bottle is a dream of mine. I did find a nice little tiny blue glass vicks vapor rub bottle...about 2 inches long...it even had a working lid with the aquamarine top. it was buried in the ground...but for some reason the lid still had some paint intact. but, someone probably stole it from me.
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