fyzygy

Four types of Calamus are used in herbal medicine: type I—Acorus calamus L. var. americanus, a diploid American var.; type II—var. vulgaris L. (var. calamus), a European triploid; type III and type IV—var. augustatus Bess. and var. versus L., subtropical tetraploids. Beta-asarone is carcinogenic in animals. Volatile oil of types II, III and IV—major constituent is usually beta-asarone (isoasarone), up to 96%. Indian calamus oil contains asarone up to 82% and its beta-isomer. In type I, beta-asarone and other phenylpropanoids are absent. It is superior in spasmolytic activity to the other types. Indian practitioners mostly use A. calamus externally. Shveta Vachaa (Haimavati, equated with Acorus gramineus Scoland. Ex Ait., a diploid, is used internally. Unani physicians use Paris polyphylla Sim. as Khuraasaani Bach. The essential oil-free alcoholic extract of A. calamus possesses sedative and analgesic properties. Alpha-asarone potentiates pentobarbital, accounts for some, but not all, neurodepressive activity. Beta-asarone is reportedly hallucinogenic. (Francis Brinker.) The ethanolic extract of rhizomes show significant antisecretory and antiulcerogenic activity; also, protective effect against cytodestructive agents, experimentally. Source: Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary (Springer, 2007)

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"It may be that a particular bodily chemistry is required to react to the plant." Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants (print ed.) p. 182.

Looking to acquire a copy of an article published in 1995 (4) by Torres and Torres.

Indigenous knowledge?

https://news.google.com/search?q=psilocybin depression melbourne&hl=en-AU&gl=AU&ceid=AU%3Aen Millions of dollars being thrown at this nowadays.

I've scattered seed for about 5 years, something always germinates, some even appear to thrive. But so far I've never seen so much as a single flower.

Thanks for the info. That "allelopathic" property of the plant is good to know about (mine is often in pots with other plants; not any more). Pity the poor cattle graziers and rabbitohs, eh? Edit. So Peganum harmala seeds (and other parts of the plant) are being investigated for their potential as organic herbicide. Apparently harmaline is one of the compounds being researched for this purpose.

This nursery just notified me that they have damiana plants back in stock. If you're willing and able to trade for cash. https://www.allrareherbs.com.au/product/damiana-plant/ (I've no experience dealing with this business)

A while ago I pounced on an eBay sale, mature TBM plants for around $50 BIN, delivered. The plant arrived, but as soon as I divided and replanted, the segments began to wither and wrinkle, as pictured. After a month or so in fresh pots they showed no signs of recovery. I became concerned that these plants might have been exposed to a poison (prior to being listed on eBay), and so am reluctant to put them to use in my medicine garden. Any thoughts?

I was in Bunnings Coburg today, PC pachanoi clones $52 each, around 20cm tall. Sheesh! If you're a Coburg local, Vasilli's Garden (a block or two from Bunnings) has much better-value offerings -- or did have, last time I was there. Plenty of mature San Pedro types hanging around the walls (pach and maybe scop). And a bunch of beautiful fat TBMs that were going for a song, nicely potted up in terracotta with a quartz top-dressing. I definitely shoulda grabbed more than just one!

In a pinch, grab some cinnamon (or cassia, the more common 'false cinnamon' found in home kitchens). Either powdered or in aqueous solution, has been shown to work as fungicide. But surgery may be required in extreme cases.

Thanks, that's good to know. I think B. coagulans must be added to conventional kombucha/SCOBY, rather than being one of its typical components. https://mojobeverages.com.au/pages/activated-kombucha (Why would it be added? To reinforce drink manufacturer's otherwise spurious claims of probiotic benefit? Or to trump potential home-brewers consuming the stuff without paying?) In one of the studies I read, LABs may occasionally be found in addition to AABs, but not as a matter of course in kombucha fermentation. I doubt that home-brewers would find much B. coagulans in their beverage, other than by accident (use of an improperly washed milk bottle, for example). Studies of kombucha don't usually examine boutique commercial offerings. But that would make for a good study, too.

Recently started brewing my own, mainly for fun and the light fizz. I was surprised, given the marketing hype surrounding commercial kombucha offerings, that there is actually zero scientific evidence -- i.e., in human trials -- of any therapeutic benefit. Granted, there are promising animal laboratory studies, as well as a 2200-year tradition of consumption in China. There are risks of adverse outcomes. Two of the most exciting things I discovered were (1) SCOBYs can be dried and eaten, and (2) kombucha could be the basis of a new textiles industry: seamless clothing. I know people who guzzle this stuff by the gallon, sometimes as an alcohol substitute in social contexts. And it is refreshing -- but also sugary, fizzy, liable to contamination and leaching from storage vessels. Any tips from master brewers out there?

Intrigued, I had to look this up. https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/nsw/ --- search "Shulgin" to find: Regina v McEwen; Regina v Simpson; Regina v Simpson; Regina v Marcovich Matter Nos 60535/96 [1998] NSWSC 1005 (12 March 1998)

Sometimes a Trichocereus will drop ribs, add ribs, or -- as pictured -- drop and then resume growing a rib. Is this simply a genetic trait, or do environmental factors play a role? I'm not sure what the pictured variety is -- a "Super Pedro" type, for sure -- but it often melts like this for me, once it reaches a certain size. That said, I've seen clones of this variety which, in sunnier positions, did not exhibit this tendency. The only other plant I have that exhibits a similar growth habit is T. peruvianus var. "sausage" -- a close relative perhaps?

Potassium shock can induce melt? I'm skeptical only because the claim appeared in an eBay listing that's mostly hype.

Doesn't look like corking or sunburn to me. The photo's file size is too large for this site, try reducing.

I sun-dried a few SCOBYs, they turn into this extremely tough, skin- or leather-like substance, which is actually moderately sweet to the taste. But teeth won't cut it -- it's strong, like animal hide. In the mouth it rehydrates with the saliva, texture like that of a really tough mushroom. I think one would need to shred it somehow prior to ingesting. And I'm guessing nobody knows how good (or not) it might be to eat.

You seem to know more than I do about fermentation. So thanks for chipping in.

I had some unrooted Tricho tips standing in a pot. One of them fell over in the middle of this crazy heatwave, and in a matter of hours was completely cooked. It will probably survive, but with significant scarring from sunburn. In the vertical position, this cutting was adapted to full-sun conditions (and all of its peers, remaining vertical, suffered no damage at all). Lesson learned.

I have heard, most commonly, to take some soil from the vicinity of an established Acacia. I doubt that the exact variety would matter all that much. However, I find it easier to water my Acacia seedlings with the liquid drained off from sprouting lentils. Sometimes I throw a few sprouting lentils in too, for good measure. Last time I repotted an Acacia seedling, the roots were clustered with small round things that looked a lot like ... lentils! (Not my reason for trying this; just a coincidence). My rationale is twofold: (1) Acacias and lentils are both legumes, (2) water ex sprouting is supposed to be good for plants. I water all of my plants this way, but especially Acacias. I dare say that in any case, as with Tricho species, the synergistic microbes will appear naturally, as a matter of course. (Wherever there is food, there shall be mouths to consume it, to paraphrase Darwin/Malthus.) Somebody might like to conduct some A/B testing to see if there's anything to this sprout-water method. I don't do any of this during the Acacia germination phase, only after the seedlings have legs to stand on, so to speak.

Kombucha produces AAB, not LAB, by default -- though LAB may be present in kombucha, more or less accidentally. (That's acording to review study quoted from in my previous post). There are a large number of variables, such as fermentation period, involved in the brewing of kombucha, none of which has been decisively studied.

Recently, this tea-based fermented beverage has become increasingly popular in western cultures, mainly in the functional food movement for its alleged health benefits. Kombucha tea is thought to reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure; increase weight-loss; improve liver, glandular, immune, and gastric functions; reduce kidney calcification; increase vitality; combat acne; eliminate wrinkles; purify the gall bladder; improve constipation; alleviate arthritis pain; inhibit cancer proliferation; cure AIDS; and many others. Most of these health benefits are unsubstantiated and based on personal observations and testimonies, but there are some indications that kombucha tea consumption may indeed aid health prophylaxis and recovery through detoxification, antioxidation, energizing, and immune-stimulating effects. However, despite the lack of evidence from clinical trials to substantiate benefits to human health, kombucha is one of the fastest-growing beverages today within the functional food category, demonstrating a +49% dollar growth over the period of July 2017 to July 2018. •. "Kombucha Tea Fermentation: A Review" Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, 2020. "Health prophylaxis" strikes me as an interesting concept -- enhanced health (familiar to eastern traditions and complementary medicine) differs greatly from the western model of health as (mere) absence of disease. So perhaps "therapeutic" is not the right word ...

Not sure I follow. Kombucha is everywhere these days -- from bottle shops to supermarkets -- and yet there's no supportive clinical data on either safety or therapeutic efficacy in humans? Anecdotally, there is evidence both for and against kombucha as a therapeutic foodstuff. We need to know more, especially if manufacturers are trading on a widespread consumer "intuition" that fermented foods = healthy (according to biochemists, kombucha is of negligible probiotic value). All of the animal studies I've seen point out the need for further research with human subjects. If not by now, at what point will we have reached sufficient "clinical rationale"?