Alchemica

Thanks for the links and concepts to ponder, much appreciated. Agree on Buddhism and science meeting nicely, good for a mental retreat when one wants to take a step back from the intellectualising. Quite like the "Quantum Buddha" take on it all (nice and simple ways of thinking). Source: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53251137925

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=N46DxR...;q=&f=false should answer the question. N2O sources: http://www.epa.gov/nitrousoxide/sources.html

Hmmm. Shops sell party gas drug PETROL stations, newsagents and convenience stores are selling nitrous oxide - commonly known as "happy gas" - to customers who inhale them for the high. The state's peak health bodies have expressed shock that the potentially lethal gas is being sold over the counter. The 10ml canisters - which come in a 10-pack that sells for $7 - are popular with the weekend party crowd. The cylinders - which are legal - are designed to be inserted inside whipped-cream dispensers. But a staff member at one store said they did a roaring trade on Friday and Saturday nights. "Not just kids, everybody buys them," he said. When asked why people bought the cylinders, he said: "They sniff it, you know, to get high". The Sunday Mail sent a 14-year-old into a store to buy the gas, which he was handed without question. Australian Medical Association SA president Dr Andrew Lavender said people had suffered brain damage and even died from inhaling nitrous oxide in uncontrolled environments and enclosed spaces. He said he was concerned the gas - once used by doctors as an anaesthetic - was so readily available. "It is of concern that any substance that has potential for abuse would be readily available and seemingly in circumstances that would be targeting a market of young people on their night out," he said. "Any inhaling of gases is very, very dangerous. "As well as the effect of the gas itself, by inhaling that you may not be receiving enough oxygen." Drug and Alcohol Services SA executive director Keith Evans was also concerned. "Our preference would be that it is not positioned in such an obvious manner," he said. "It's not illegal to sell them here but it is illegal to knowingly sell to someone you know is likely to be using them for sniffing purposes. "We recognise they have a legitimate use but, given the circumstances, it's clear in this case the individual knows it is going to be used as a drug." He said the canisters were often sold at petrol stations, hardware stores, stationery suppliers, newsagents and supermarkets. Nitrous oxide inhalation can cause euphoria, numbness, giddiness, light-headedness, distorted perceptions and anxiety. Breathing in the gas also causes displacement of oxygen from the lungs, which can lead to unconsciousness and even death. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0...22-2682,00.html

The Alkaloid Alstonine: A Review of Its Pharmacological Properties Indole compounds, related to the metabolism of tryptophan, constitutean extensive family, and are found in bacteria, plants and animals.Indolic compounds possess significant and complex physiologicalroles, and especially indole alkaloids have historically constituteda class of major importance in the development of new plantderived drugs. The indole alkaloid alstonine has been identifiedas the major component of a plant-based remedy, used in Nigeriato treat mental illnesses by traditional psychiatrists. Althoughit is certainly difficult to compare the very concept of mentaldisorders in different cultures, the traditional use of alstonineis remarkably compatible with its profile in experimental animals.Even though alstonine in mice models shows a psychopharmacologicalprofile closer to the newer atypical antipsychotic agents, italso shows important differences and what seems to be an exclusivemechanism of action, not entirely clarified at this point. Consideringthe seemingly unique mode of action of alstonine and that itstraditional use can be viewed as indicative of bioavailabilityand safety, this review focuses on the effects of alstoninein the central nervous system, particularly on its unique profileas an antipsychotic agent. We suggest that a thorough understandingof traditional medical concepts of health and disease in generaland traditional medical practices in particular, can lead totrue innovation in paradigms of drug action and development.Overall, the study of this unique indole alkaloid may be consideredas another example of the richness of medicinal plants and traditionalmedical systems in the discovery of new prototypic drugs. Keywords: alstonine – indole alkaloids – traditional psychiatry – antipsychotic – ethnopharmacology http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/3/1/39 The putative antipsychotic alstonine reverses social interaction withdrawal in mice http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2008.04.013 Wondering if anyone here has ever used it as an antipsychotic/mood stabiliser etc? Is Alstonia boonei plant material available within Australia [as research material only] (seems like Alstonia constricta isn't a viable alternative going by alkaloid profile, want to avoid anything too much like reserpine)? http://www.ispub.com/journal/the_internet_...uinea_pigs.html is another one to be careful of.

Been having a play around with this myself in the past, then found there was a paper on it which looks interesting. Porphyrins, chlorins, telomeres, DNA/RNA, aromatics, fullerenes etc are all very interesting but I'm keen to see other takes on it all. Don't have access to the particular journal - would it be possible to get a copy if anyone has access? Would be much appreciated. Molecules as Mandalas: Modern chemistry and the quest for the self Alden Josey Psychological Perspectives: A Quarterly Journal of Jungian Thought, 1556-3030, Volume 28, Issue 1, 1993, Pages 84 – 101 http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/ftinterfa...&format=pdf http://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=joap.040.0491a

An interesting link keeping it all nice and simple: http://metatranspiration.wordpress.com/200...-life-revealed/ Edit: Scientists create the first synthetic nanoscale fractal molecule http://www.physorg.com/news66581187.html

Thanks for the input , agree it was a bit of a strange question, just making the most of my gloomy, over-intellectualising and darker opinions as they consume me lately. Personally, I see the genetic enrichment as potentially hazardous: Aldous Huxley, 1959 With the fairly recent development of nonpeptide oxytocin agonists ("Drugs of the Future"), Huxley might not be far off... Probably right with the emotional/mental baggage disagreement being the blockage and our own will not to be liberated from them leading to the negative emotions. As for better, safer entactogen/empathogens, plenty of dreamers dream about it. Not enough researchers get funding for it. Everyone seems to have differing opinions on "substitutes". The Conversation Between Soul and Spirit seems like an interesting approach to look at the whole empathy/emotion/heart thing, http://integral-options.blogspot.com/2007/...and-spirit.html just freeing up my mind to get it happening in action rather than words is the quest, it seems.

Would go for the two being connected to give one 'self' and that soul interacts with spirit, spirit interacts with soul... just a personal opinion Edit: "True self is non-self, the awareness that the self is made only of non-self elements. There’s no separation between self and other, and everything is interconnected. Once you are aware of that you are no longer caught in the idea that you are a separate entity." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh seems like a simple way of going about it.

Thanks for the input G*P. Had similar experiences with "the system" but still chained to it unfortunately... will see if I can find someone on the NLP front and give it a go. On the degrees of seperation, tst, I agree but as more is understood about the receptors/enzymes, the binding etc. we can hope for novel organic small-molecule/protein based solutions that will be perfect "keys", perfect half-life etc even if they are merely adaptations of nature by a small degree... but then that becomes patentable. Keys to "better" options, probably not. Keys to more rapid, destructive or specific treatments, maybe? Push "evolution" and hope it goes ok, or stick with what we are given and know? My experience with "super-synthetics" hasn't been great so I know the trend I prefer... just the allure of the new and novel never seems to go away. Anyway, must stop changing the thread direction.

Sorry to go a bit off direction a bit but have been holding off posting while digesting the question... Would it be reasonable to see the soul as a karmic imprint of the past, a timeless landscape and a culmination of consciousness (and its implications), morals and goals? Almost a multilayered "journal" of life, historical, genetic and societal experiences interconnected to the self? Spirit being the medium which links all into the alive cosmos to give oneness with all things, each other and the very source of existence?

^Thanks for the links!

Ginger might be gentler on the stomach but still good? Boswellia serrata (which doesn't inhibit COX, potentially causing gastrointestinal problems, instead inhibits 5-LOX) should be friendlier? http://www.ethnoleaflets.com/leaflets/boswell.htm Few more options below: http://www.hchs.edu/files/HerbalCox_2_HSR.pdf http://www.smartbomb.com/readingroom-herba...inhibition.html http://www.newchapter.com/public/pdf/artic...lthy_living.pdf Can't speak from experience, so hopefully others will have some better opinions. Don't forget the Omega-3's as options, too.

On the different approaches to shamanism, I'm keen to hear some opinions... I'd like to know how western medicine can implement shamanic approaches to healing and harmonise as one, preferably without feeding a drug company/organisation/individual? Say if a group develops their roots in traditional western science/medicine but overlays the shamanic experience (or "neo-shamanic experience") how can the outcome be kept as a synergy of the two, not a conflict? Personally, I see plants as great teachers on their own but also potential leads for new ways of thinking. Is it "anti-shamanic" to hope for a future that uses the lessons of nature and spiritual models of healing as building blocks, in combination with the technology that science brings forward to merge the shamanic experience into a new treatment paradigm for a larger population target? Agree that nature is often the best medicine (and that moving away from it has done harm in some areas) but do people here see drug design and medicine changing for the better in the future, or just exploiting plants? Has our understanding gained through science, in particular molecular biology, improved on "what the plants told the shamans" or just added complexity and more paths for problems to arise?

Ethanol and water were both used in a paper (with ethanol being the better solvent) so tinctures should be OK. Pentane was used in another, so any non-polar solvent like that, even liquified butane should pull the volatile oil fraction. Still, have no idea if there is any point aiming for an extract - the more manipulation you do could possibly greater the chance that you'll lose some of the volatiles. The crocins are water soluble, the crotetin and safranal oil-soluble. The volatile oil is apparently full of lots of different constituents (150+) which might have different actions. Just as the other SAB bioassays have been saying, it seems that the full effects require absorption through the mouth lining as the actives are damaged in the digestive tract. Would be interesting to see how a CO2 extract of saffron compared - http://www.victorie-inc.us/saffron.html Crocus sativus L. in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depression: A Double-blind, Randomized and Placebo-controlled Trial "The stigma's extract was prepared as follows: 120 g of dried and milled stigmas was extracted with 1800 mL ethanol (80%) by percolation procedure in three steps then the ethanol extract was dried by evaporation at a temperature of 35°–40 °C. Each capsule contained dried extract of saffron (15 mg)" Dose 30mg/day crocus.pdf

Interesting article for saffron, anyway: Quality and functionality of saffron: quality control, species assortment and affinity of extract and isolated saffron compounds to NMDA and sigma1 (sigma-1) receptors. http://www.nextbio.com/b/search/article.nb...l&t0=author (goes with the more common "crocin may act via the uptake inhibition of dopamine and norepinephrine, and safranal via serotonin (+ GABA-A agonism?) and orally administered crocins are rapidly hydrolyzed to crocetin on swallowing" conclusion).

A review on Antianxiety Plants: (most are commonly known, but seems to be a good short summary) http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/12345...)%20476-483.pdf is worth a read.

^ Agreed. Having no idea about socialisation (never have), facebook has sort of been a way for me to try and experiment with getting into mainstream society and seeing what I'm missing out on. Then you end up seeing all these happy people in photos and moving ahead in their lives while you yourself are trapped in a virtual world that holds no personal meaning. Not sure about others but verbal communication is the thing that I need to develop but instead I end up programming myself in the wrong way ultimately and just reinforce more anxiety in social situations. Then there's all the neurosis, non-mindfullness and ADD like crap that online interactions feed. How messed is generation Z going to end up? Ahh well, you don't need psychologists to over analyse every single flaw in your life just to find yourself miserable and wanting out of it all - these days the internet is perfect. Just seems that the quick reward hit that online interactions seems to have is very addictive.

Nice topic, thanks for the link. As for the question: http://www.mdvu.org/library/disease/rls/rls_mpath.asp "a clear understanding of any defect in the metabolism or signaling in the dopamine system remains elusive..." I'll try and put in my (basic) understanding, but don't quote me on this: Have to consider that there are quite a few different dopamine pathways. Psychotic symptoms are generally attributed to the mesolimbic pathway - Blocking postsynaptic D2 receptors by a D2 antagonist acting in the mesolimbic dopamine pathway is one method that antipsychotics might act. The activity in the mesocortical dopamine pathway is attributed to negative symptoms etc. When D2 receptors are blocked (or not functioning as they should) in the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway, it can produce disorders of movement - the link above suggests that the "diencephalospinal A11" pathway is possibly a disturbed pathway at night in RLS. Then the other neurotransmitters also come into play - also having effects on dopamine signalling pathways. Dopamine suppresses acetylcholine activity, Serotonin inhibits dopamine release (via 5-HT2a) etc. The newer RLS treatments seem to be targeting D3 over D2 (still, both can have some wacky side effects).

If you're open to mythological/metaphysical suggestions, Wedjat is an Egyptian goddess, Lady of Flame, associated with a cobra. Wadjet-Bast was often depicted with a lioness head... The new moon is in Leo at the moment... Could be similar god? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadjet

Thanks for pointing that out - remember buying the stuff in 50g bags from Happy High Herbs (Medicine Garden brand) that definitely had "Erythroxylum catuaba" written on the package about a year or so ago - another deceptive marketing ploy I guess... ( http://users.cyberone.com.au/bwalters/rare...lum_catuaba.htm seems to be a good confusion remover if anyone else is like me)

http://www.medicinegarden.com.au/searchres...riteria=catuaba $96/kg

Merely bouncing off ideas - improvements/input welcome: Everything IS Everything. http://www.tree.org/b1d.htm Art and Science of the Alchemist Eric N. Peterson "The material of the alchemist lies beyond his/her personality, looks, feelings, and thoughts. This deeper part of his/herself he/she might call "the essential self." http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1473062 http://members.tripod.com/Zero-Point/index.html Whoever reflects on four things: that which is above, that which is below, that which is before, and that which is after possibly? might not find everything... maybe there's something in more in 7... or 12...? Them? zero-point.tripod.com/synqbl/synarachy.html Ego Dramas? http://www.brothermichael.org.uk/resources/soul.htm The Problem of the SuperEgo http://www.ch-freudien-be.org/Papers/Txt/Hoornaert-fc7.pdf Freudian Defence Mechanisms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_mechanism Alchemy without too much other stuff to complicate it http://www.rexresearch.com/alchemy5/regardie.pdf Jung on the chakras http://www.lightmind.com/jung/seminar/chakras.html "The Diamond Body" Hour glass Nebula (Hubble) "The Sun is the father and the Moon it's mother" "As above, so below" The Tree of Life (celtic) SOURCE: evolvefish.com http://members.tripod.com/Zero-Point/index.html Spiral of life? Solve et Coagula - "dissolve and coagulate" The blue "sun" was said in alchemy to occur after a certain step, the blackness being replaced with new colours... Sort of looks like the diamond body if you think about it. Source: nasa.gov -blackening (-putrefaction): corruption, dissolution, individuation, -albedo, whitening: purification, burnout of impurity; the moon, "female" -citrinitas, yellowing: spiritualisation, enlightenment; the sun, "male" -rubedo, reddening: unification of man with God (can see God as the source of all energy, the non-ego, keep it spiritual), unification of the limited with the unlimited. http://zero-point.tripod.com/diamondbody/d...l#visualization (as provided by t st) "All that is physical is energetic. All that is metaphysical is synergetic." (Fuller, 1976 - Mr Buckyballs) It starts with One? thing. Love is the Law, Love under Will.

A few more links worth taking into consideration (probably above all the other links). Found that I came to extremely similar outcomes (just with more airheaded nonsense and ego dramas) without consulting them, anyway. Try not to get stuck in reverse and waste your time like I have been for far too long: Jung and Alchemy http://members.core.com/~ascensus/docs/jung3.html Archetypal Alchemy: The Transformation of the Psyche-Matter Continuum http://www.alchemyconference.com/downloads...hemy-Marlin.pdf A Glossary of Jungian Terms The alchemists thought that the opus demanded not only laboratory work (why not entheogenic), the reading of books, meditation, and patience, but also love. - The Practice of Psychotherapy http://www.terrapsych.com/jungdefs.html

Sorry to hear. Purely a suggestion but what about a macrogonus? like this: I wonder if it could do with a name... wouldn't be surprised if more of it could get around. Does some interesting colours, IMO anyway.

Neat, thanks for sharing nabraxas.