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John_Barleycorn

Fiji ethno advice

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OK, I'm heading there shortly, and just wanted to check that I didn't miss any ethno must-dos. If you don't want to divulge sources/places publicly, then please PM me.

Kava is on the agenda obviously. How hard is it find fresh root?

Lily - wild or commercial?

Shrooms? (I realise it is dry season, but one lives in hope)

Acacia Simplex/Simplicifolia - check the sand-dunes?

What about Chinese or Indian herbalists for marginal stuff like maybe kratom or ephedra? Is the legislation much different there?

Any must-see botanic gardens of the lesser-known variety?

Ta in advance.

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>Acacia Simplex/Simplicifolia

Interested if you could see if you could find out any information about this tree in particular...especially seeding times and habitat in these islands (including fiji!)

I have drawings of what this tree looks like, if you would like I can send them to you.

Have a good trip!

Julian.

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Betel chewing i imagine is big given the large Indian population

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kava root is around everywhere,

more further away from the big centres, it is sold a bit cheaper and often is of even better quality! only buy waka grade and hand pounded root. it's simple allways buy the more expensive kava powder. often the superior kawa is sold as slices or pieces, so that the buyer can see, that it is the top grade stuff. if you travell to the country side, or even there where most tourists don't go, "carry heaps of kava as a present"!

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An update on the Fijian Kava situation ... For some reason, I had the idea that the root had significant water content, like a root vegetable, and consequently was a lot fresher. In fact, the powder is simply pulverised root. 5 yo root goes for $Aus16/kilo in the markets, with 7 yo going for a bit more, and powder going for more still.

The spidery end-roots are the most highly valued, and I have been told that the powder sometimes has the upper root sections added to bulk it out. My experience is kind of the opposite. A brew made from grated root is relatively sweet, whereas the powder results in a more bitter, and more potent, brew. This could simply be due to more efficient extraction, or possibly due to the fact that I can't grate the very ends. I have been adding a bit of lecithin to try and get the most out.

It has been suggested around here that Fijian brews could be stronger due to a partial ferment taking place, resulting in alcohol production. I haven't seen any tell-tale effervesence. For fun, I may try adding some yeast and sugar to some root left-overs.

The locals sure drink it weak. Not that I am about to tell them that :)

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More kava musings. After a bit of experimenting, I have concluded that kava is actually a fermentation inhibitor. It may very well contain some natural fungicide.

The Fijians use about 4T, or 25g, of powder per L. They deliberately pace themselves such that they will scull a bowl every 15 mins or so. I retract my slur on their drinking capacity, as a bit more experimenting has also suggested that drinking it weak has certain advantages. In the past, I have used double that concentration of Vanuatuan powder, and have tended to chuck down a couple of strong ones in a rapid fashion. However, reaching serious numbness nirvana seems to require a 2 to 3 hour session, and going at it too fast can actually be counter-productive. It could be that there is some bio-availability issue operating here, such that the gut requires prolonged exposure for best absorption.

The coarseness of the strainer also seems to be quite important. The connoisseurs definitely chase that fine slurry that settles out, and that slurry is presumably continuing to extract for up to an hour in the tanoa bowl, after the initial rapid kneading of the powder.

You can most definitely give yourself a hangover on this stuff. It's a combination of being dopey into the next afternoon and an upset stomache. It can make you constipated as well, but this actually has the advantage of counter-acting traveller's diarrhoea! I have also had a couple of quite euphoric experiences (on both Vanuatuan and Fijian brew), but it seems to be one of those things that is elusive to replicate. One under-appreciated effect of Kava is that it seems to be an excellent MJ amplifier.

We've had a bit of chat here before about the cancer connection, and the consensus seemed to be that this was due to unscrupulous suppliers blending in the toxic aerial parts of the plant. The literature doesn't have much to say about that aspect, but does suggest a few other reasons which are food for thought. One proposal is that alcoholic or acetone extracts may be bad news - either by pulling out more toxic substances, or by preventing some beneficial effects of hydration. So that lecithin trick of mine may possibly not be such a good idea after all. Another idea is that those lacking the CYP2D6 liver enzyme (including moi) should watch themselves.

The word seems to be that kava is good for up to 8 months if stored airtight (not in your standard plastic bag). Numbness of the mouth roughly correlates with strength. However, I also was told that boiling up a kava tea increased strength. It doesn't - it reduces it.

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There is an eco park near Korotogo which had a section on traditional medicine plants. Unfortunately, with the exception of kava, very few of them seemed to be centrally active. It was mainly anti-inflammatories, anti-diarrhoeals, and that sort of stuff. However, one plant did look vaguely interesting, going by the name of "Via Via". This is some sort of tuber which is reputedly an aprodisiac, amongst other things. Every time I mentioned it to any woman, I was met with giggles. It is propogated by rhizomes, so I passed on trying to bring any back. I haven't been able to find anything at all on this plant on the Web. Anyone got more info?

The Betel over there didn't do too much for me at all. It was surprising to see that they add some red solid which gives it a lot of its colour, along with the nuts, lime and spices.

I may have found some A. Simplex. Piccies and discussion are at: http://ethnobotany-australia.net/forum/vie...p?p=19144#19144

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That acacia looks very much like simplex. Simplex contains beta carbolines in the bark, so you should expect to see some UV activity. But its real payload is in the leaves. This won't be UV detectable, but rather you can dry a leaf and then light the tip with a lighter. Let extinguish and smell the smouldering smoke from about a meter a way. If it contains tryptamines it will be quite distinctive.

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wow nice find

interesting to see the segmented pods

was wondering exactly how theyd look

youll have to befriend a reliable local to get regular shipments :)

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reville:

youll have to befriend a reliable local to get regular shipments   :)  

One of the domestics in my accommodation saw me collecting pods and offered her services as a guerilla exporter! She couldn't understand why I was more interested in acacias than frangipanis, cuttings of which she has apparently sent to Britain of all places previously. In retrospect, I should have paid her to do the seed pod shelling. Even better, I wonder how she might come at an alcohol extraction of the leaf litter? :)

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Are you clear on the requiremnets for AQIS?

pretty simple really

you dont need a permit as Acacia simplex/simplicifolia is permitted

these are the two bits you must show your partner

5. Seed must be free of soil, live insects, plant material (e.g. fruit pulp, straw, leaf or stem material), animal material (e.g. faeces, feathers and animal remains) and contamination with any other extraneous material of quarantine concern.

(itll be importnat that only good clean seed is packed, no insect damaged seed, not only becausae its useless but obviosly it freaks out any inspector)

6. Each shipment must be packed in clean, new packaging, clearly labelled with the botanical name.

(zip lock bags are great, best to have the name printed and ensure the spelling is correct, o/wise id track down an accessible local packing altrernative to show your partner)

also make sure that they fill out the customs form clearly and truthfully when posting

and keep batches under 100g to avoid customs claiming its a commercial consignment

If they do try splitting shipments to different addresses

Avoids paperwork

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John_Barleycorn:

 I wonder how she might come at an alcohol extraction of the leaf litter?     :)    

Perhaps she might get extra income shipping just powdered leaf for the incense trade :)

Its got to be worth as much as the conventional sources if not more. That is assuming its got the goods and it might not

If you pulverise a leaf sample it will not need the same rigorous treatment as whole leaf and might make it through to be analysed

If this person is into collecting stuff already can you ask them what they know about the Northwest region

Im interested in some seed of Santalum yasi, a prized fijian species of sandalwood

heres a bit on the ecosystem

http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/pro...c0201_full.html

Theres also a myristica species there. dont know much about it

Im quite keen on the sandalwood anyway. Its good money and not as slow to mature as most people make out. Its germination can be enhaced with GA, and volunteer seedlings arent that hard to relocate when young

There are many species distributed across the asia Pacific region many endangered, though needlessly so.

http://www.ffp.csiro.au/tigr/atscmain/what...rig/97visit.htm

"The Forestry Department is in the process of conducting a comprehensive survey of the sandalwood resources in Vanuatu. Santalum austrocaledonicum is quite rare on Tanna, but in some areas, such as Lowkatai, villagers have started planting the species, mainly transplanting and tending of wildings in garden areas. Excellent growth was observed in trees planted as boundary plantings around garden plots, and the species has high potential for growth in appropriately designed agroforestry systems. At one site a villager was receiving payment of about $US2,000 for ten sandalwood trees which had been planted about 15 years ago."

12-20 years seems standard for most species. not so long if you start now and they like dry forest

according to the link apparently the narrow leaf S yasi form has better heartwood.

[ 21. September 2004, 23:16: Message edited by: reville ]

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reville:

If this person is into collecting stuff already can you ask them what they know about the Northwest region

Im interested in some seed of Santalum yasi, a prized fijian species of sandalwood

This person is unfortunately no botanist. There were seed pods from what looked like a jacaranda or a cedar everywhere, and I had to stop her from adding them to my acacia bag!

People with more training can be found at that eco park in Korotogo that I mentioned. I don't have a Lonely Planet guide with me at the moment to give more precise co-ordinates. They are effectivelly the national botanic gardens, even though that is nominally located in Suva's university grounds.

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