Auxin Posted June 5, 2007 Recently I plucked a dead leaf off of a Silene undulata and immediatly noted it felt soapy, that stuck in my mind and so I extracted a bit of the leaf in water- lo and behold it tested positive for saponins. Problem is that in none of the ethnobotanical literature I've found on the plant do they mention internal use of leaf extracts of that species, no way of knowing if the leaf contains toxins Given that it takes a long time to get root mass to harvestable levels it sure would be convenient if leaf could be used too. Does traditional use of Silene undulata/capensis leaf saponins ring any bells with anyone? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted June 6, 2007 no record of the leaf being used that I am aware of. I did notice the saponins too and thought the same when we were harvesting, but kinda figured it was like the kava thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomer Corymbosa Posted June 13, 2007 the leaf is active - the flower also. 1 flower is enough for tea - 10 minuets.,take it after midnight - the most potent hour for this plant. 4 leaves are enough for tea. and good to see you guys. long time no see... by the way i'm now living in the desert and near my house a lot of Peganum Harmala growing in their nature place. the seeds are rich in alkaloids . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auxin Posted June 13, 2007 Good to see you Tomer Did you note any side effects from the flower or leaf? Like purgative, emetic, 'hangover' effects, etc? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evil Genius Posted June 13, 2007 (edited) I´ve just germinated some Silene Regia seeds. I have no Idea about any contained alkaloids or If it contains some at all. I´ll run some tests with this species if they survive the winter. bye Eg Edited June 13, 2007 by Evil Genius Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted June 14, 2007 hey Tomer, good to hear from you. I would be curious about the use of Peganum ROOTS instead of seeds as MAO inhibitor. Are you up for some testing? as for Silene, please tell us more. I'd be interested in side effects etc too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomer Corymbosa Posted June 26, 2007 Hi there !!! i'm using the internet only once in 2 weeks so... Desert ok in my experience i woke up many times and i could not understand if this real or not....very confusing.but it was fun and for the peganum root...if the roots are better tasting than the seeds i will try the roots...never tryed em before... i guess 2 g' for begining?? bye for now!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auxin Posted January 28, 2008 (edited) Now and then I keep stumbling upon vague or at least un-referenced indications of the leaves being smoked. Such as in sacred succulents Silene undulata (=Silene capensis)Caryophyllaceae. A low growing perennial with succulent roots and unusual white tubular flowers. Native to South Africa. The downy leaves are smoked as a tobacco and the Xhosa have made use of the plant to induce "dreaming." A nice addition to the rock garden or borders. Surface sow the seed. Easy to grow, drought tolerant. Cold hardy below 20° F. and herbalistics is just suggestive: Silene undulata (syn. Silene capensis) is a rosette forming perennial herb from the African continent. Also called Wild Tobacco. Family Caryophyllaceae. Granted someone might call a plant 'wild tobacco' because eating it makes you vomit but the sacred succulents statement is pretty direct. Anyone know what source references to smoked leaves may originate from? Edited January 28, 2008 by Auxin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
