Alchemica

Ahh plant meets... always a fine excuse for abandoning mum on mother's day. I'll try and make an appearance, all going well (if it looks like there will be others in attendance).

Thanks for sharing! I'm in a similar situation being diagnosed with pretty much everything (DSM's: collect 'em all) before an Autism Spectrum Disorder was confirmed. I'm somewhat odd in that I strongly oppose classification into Asperger's vs. other Autism Spectrum Disorders (apart from use in diagnostics and treatment), partly because the "clan of Aspies" has in my opinion lost the essence that there are essential (primarily social and behavioural inflexibility) deficits that can impose prolonged difficulties and trauma for individuals trying to belong and feel accepted in society. Congratulations on finding a partner, as far as I'm concerned, that is quite a feat. I hope you and your partner can continue to raise your son with the understanding that he may be unique but also has unique challenges facing him as he grows up. Consider early behavioural therapy and speech therapy in social pragmatics if possible and encourage emotional reciprocity; it is much more effective during the early years. Hopefully you will find increased acceptance of any of your quirks once a diagnosis has been confirmed. That said, remember that it is often our quirks that truly make us. Don't be ashamed of some odd talent/passion.... it needn't define you but it does sculpt you into a true individual with a worthy contribution to this world. You are always welcome to get in contact via PM if you'd like to chat about anything and everything (but don't know where conversation is welcome). Have I come to terms with the diagnosis myself? Not really. Everything odd about me has always turned into a mission to "fix it", to the point of trying to establish a point where I'm comfortable. Earlier experimentation with things like MDMA proved to me that feeling loved, included and enjoying life were neurochemically possible, so that remains as a glimmer of optimism. Please do. I think sharing things like that offer a unique mirror into yourself that can easily be missed if it is not expressed. It's also something that is refreshingly unique to outsiders. All the best, I hope you find some comfort and encouragement in understanding yourself and your son in a new light.

Not sure how safe or reliable this is to use but it's a potentially interesting idea: Marijuana strains identified using artificial intelligence Wednesday, 27 April 2011 Story Source Ever wonder what type of marijuana you have? There's an app for that, and it's called StrainBrain-the newest creation from the Medical Cannabis Network (MCN). At StrainBrain.com, medical marijuana patients can upload pictures of their cannabis, and the web application will use a proprietary software system (similar to facial recognition technology) to automatically identify the strain and its medical uses, show locations where the strain can be purchased legally, and provide strain suggestions for similar strains. This is the first time in history that facial recognition technology has been applied to the cannabis industry, making StrainBrain the most sophisticated marijuana reviews site ever created. "StrainBrain is breaking new ground for the medical marijuana industry. It combines the latest technology to give patients a new level of visibility into their medicine, letting them know exactly what strain they have, and helping them find a legal source to purchase it from," said Jason Draizin, CEO of MCN. "This is especially valuable for patients who receive their medicine from dispensaries or caregivers that don't provide detailed product information. And for patients who unfortunately are still resorting to the black market-which I would imagine provides little to no information about the product." StrainBrain uses a unique algorithm and proprietary image recognition technology to calculate the cannabinoid profile of each strain to determine possible matches in StrainBrain's comprehensive cannabis catalog. It then supplies detailed information about that specific strain, including medical uses and real laboratory data identifying its chemical composition. Not only can it identify the exact type of green goodness in each uploaded picture, it will also launch a strain suggestion tool to identify other strains that users may like. The app considers pricing, medical uses and other people's preferences when providing strain suggestions. Additionally, StrainBrain is fully integrated with MCN's recently acquired PotLocator.com dispensary directory. This will allow real-time, location-based dispensary menu data to be displayed for each strain, giving users the power to compare prices and choose the best place to go to legally purchase medical marijuana. StrainBrain is a web based application, but soon to follow is a mobile-based app which will be available at the iTunes store later in 2011. Learn more at www.StrainBrain.com.

I'm not overly happy keeping threads like that open in the pharmacology and chemistry forum but I'm happy to have diligent posts added. Stating total alkaloid % without reference to any scheduled substance sounds reasonable to me, who knows if it is tyramine, non-scheduled alkaloids or something similar? That said, links to scientific literature are much more welcome (for the same reasons stated above). Before posting, I'd ask: 1. Realise this forum is linked to a business and indirectly has the ability to affect others. Current moves towards extreme legislation have essentially threatened many Aus. ethnobotanical stores. Do not add fuel to that fire. 2. By posting such details, you are essentially incriminating yourself (unless it is an article). SWIM/My friend/gnome etc isn't really any protection. Note that you are not only putting yourself at risk but also the whole forum. 3. Are there better avenues to contribute the data to? Other forums (non-Australian) might be under less scrutiny and thus offer a better outlet. If people are looking for information, they should search. It needn't be all in one place. 4. Check with T/PD etc. if you can. Hopefully I've said something along the lines of what other's are thinking - speak up if that's not the case.

"What a dopey idea" Our treasured floral emblems may join marijuana on blacklist THE national and SA floral emblems will join marijuana as banned plants under a Federal law proposal. The Sturt Desert Pea and several species of wattle - the national floral emblem - and many other popular plants such as wisteria and ornamental cacti would also be included on the List of Controlled Plants because they contain traces of naturally occurring drugs, according to a document released by the Attorney-General's Department. Law experts and the nursery industry say the proposed changes will make it illegal to sell these plants. The Law Society of SA said while possession of these plants would not be illegal, nurseries selling them would face the same penalties - up to life in jail - as those caught trafficking large quantities of marijuana. "In reality, what they are doing is those people in nurseries could be prosecuted exactly the same as those trafficking in cannabis," society president Ralph Bonig said. The proposed changes are detailed in a discussion paper titled Implementation of Model Schedules for Commonwealth Serious Drug Offences, which was released by the Attorney-General's Department. In a submission to the discussion paper last week, Nursery and Gardening Industry Australia said the proposal would "have huge repercussions on the Australian nursery industry and the wider gardening public". The CEO of the SA branch of the industry body, Geoffrey Fuller, urged the Government to use "common sense" and review its proposal or jobs could be lost and small businesses could go to the wall. "The Government has not thought this through - some bureaucrat has made an arbitrary list of plants but a more scientific approach must be taken," he said. Mr Fuller said the levels of drugs in these plants were sometimes so low that tonnes of plant material would be needed to produce any consumable quantity of the drug. "It beggars belief that someone would go into a person's garden to steal these plants and turn them into drugs for consumption," he said. The Government's discussion paper acknowledges the proposals could have "adverse impacts on industry". The Minister responsible for Drug Strategy, Brendan O'Connor, said "some ingredients used for manufacturing illegal drugs are contained in commonly occurring plants". "However, the Commonwealth's drug laws target people who are involved in the illicit drug trade and that will continue to be the case." With the consultation period ending on Friday, the Minister said he will now "consider the views presented and determine appropriate action". Detective Superintendent Scott Duval, Officer in Charge, SA Drug Investigation Branch, said "there is little evidence of criminality associated with these plants as cannabis is by far the predominant controlled plant sold, supplied and trafficked". HERE is the list of plants proposed to be banned for sale under new Federal legislation: * Any plant containing mescaline, includes the ornamental Beavertail cactus and tree-like cactus Tunillo. * Any plant containing dimethyltryptamine, includes the Sturt's desert pea, several wattles such as Maiden's wattle tree, common reed and reed canary grass. * Kratom - South-East Asian tree. * Khat - African shrub. * Diviner's Sage - Mexican mint. * Any species of ephedra - includes European joint pine and green joint-fir. * Any species of brugmansia/datura - includes angel's trumpets. Source: Attorney-General's Department and Nursery & Garden Industry Australia --- To clarify current state legislation see pg 23 here

There are a few simulations going around at the moment based on presumptive meltdown/explosion and current jet stream modelling (and Cs/I radioisotope detections).... I have no idea if they show a likely outcome but they are interesting anyway... Time for some of the US to start on some potassium iodide supplementation? One news story

Here's one line of thought that has a few followers... it's food for thought but not intended to go any further than that. Sun activity ramped up around the 22nd Feb (Christchurch) - one major event February 15 - Sun's surface erupted in an X-class solar flare (+ Earth geomagnetic disturbances ~18th Feb) Recently multiple CME's, high speed solar stream Earth directed, multiple M and a X-class flare: water.bmp Effect on water column height (and presumably applicable to plate tectonics) More at http://solarimg.org/artis/ Whether solar flares can trigger earthquakes? We present the study of 682 earthquakes of ¡Ý4.0 magnitude observed during January 1991 to January 2007 in the light of solar flares observed by GOES and SOXS missions in order to explore the possibility of any association between solar flares and earthquakes. Our investigation preliminarily shows that each earthquake under study was preceded by a solar flare of GOES importance B to X class by 10-100 hrs. However, each flare was not found followed by earthquake of magnitude ¡Ý4.0. We classified the earthquake events with respect to their magnitude and further attempted to look for their correlation with GOES importance class and delay time. We found that with the increasing importance of flares the delay in the onset of earthquake reduces. The critical X-ray intensity of the flare to be associated with earthquake is found to be ~10-6 Watts/m2. On the other hand no clear evidence could be established that higher importance flares precede high magnitude earthquakes. Our detailed study of 50 earthquakes associated with solar flares observed by SOXS mission and other wavebands revealed many interesting results such as the location of the flare on the Sun and the delay time in the earthquake and its magnitude. We propose a model explaining the charged particles accelerated during the solar flare and released in the space that undergone further acceleration by interplanetary shocks and produce the ring current in the earth's magnetosphere, which may enhance the process of tectonics plates motion abruptly at fault zones. It is further proposed that such sudden enhancement in the process of tectonic motion of plates in fault zones may increase abruptly the heat gradients on spatial (dT/dx) and temporal (dT/dt) scales responsible for earthquakes. Geomagnetic Storms and their Influence on the Human Brain Functional State The biological and systems ecological are significantly exposed to the influence of solar and geomagnetic activities; they play very important role in our daily life. One of the main targets of negative influence of the geomagnetic storms on health state is the human nervous system. The results of the detailed studies, show that during the periods of strong geomagnetic disturbances, the number of hospitalized patients with nervous diseases notably increases, the cases of myocardial infarcts and cerebral insults, different paroxysmal conditions, nervous disturbance disorders and suicidal attempts become more frequent, the psycho-neurological diseases become aggravated and so on. At the same time, some reports show comparatively positive influences of heliogeophysical conditions on the human health state. For the persons, suffering from epilepsy, a reduction of frequency of epileptic attacks and improvement of general health state were detected during increases in the level of geomagnetic field disturbances. Researches, conducted simultaneously at different geographical regions of the globe, revealed that during geomagnetic storms some monotype changes in the health state of mentally ill patients take place. It is curious that with an increase of disturbance of geomagnetic field, the number of epileptic attacks decreases. During high solar activity periods, the predominance of maniacal phases in patients suffering from manic-depressive psychosis is of frequent and short-duration nature. When there is stabilization in the geomagnetic conditions, the maniacal phase is replaced by the depressive stage. Effects of geomagnetic activity and atmospheric power variations on quantitative measures of brain activity: Replication of the Azerbaijani studies Schumann Resonances, a plausible biophysical mechanism for the human health effects of Solar/Geomagnetic Activity etc.

One last addition from me, hope all is going well. Herbal Medicine and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Applications and Challenges (2011) Use of herbal medicine in the treatment of liver cancer has a long tradition. The compounds derived from the herb and herbal composites are of considerable interest among oncologists. In the past, certain herbal compounds and herbal composite formulas have been studied through in vitro and in vivo as an anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) agent, enhancing our knowledge about their biologic functions and targets. However there is a significant distinction between the herbal medicine and the herbal production even though both are the plant-based remedies used in the practice. In this article, for the sake of clarity, the effective herbal compounds and herbal composite formulas against HCC are discussed, with emphasizing the basic conceptions of herbal medicine in order to have a better understanding of the prevention and treatment of HCC by herbal active compounds and herbal composite formulas. http://www.hindawi.c...011/541209.html

Someone else might have got in before Monsanto... Chewing Gum Formula for Enhancing Psycho-Spirituality The present invention relates to a chewing gum formulation which serves as a means for awakening human consciousness and mindfulness to the sensorial subtleties, which in turn strengthens sovereignty such that overall psycho-spirituality is enhanced. More particularly, this invention relates to a dietary supplement consisting of the botanical plant Salvia divinorum as the source substance, including Salvinorin Alpha (A) as its primary active constituent, which is precisely extracted from S. divinorum to achieve a consistent dosing regimen predetermined for standardized efficacies. 2/17/2011, USPTO Patent Application 20110038915 The stuff people patent

EDIT: All done for now. Thanks.

Semi-monstrose bridgesii clone 2 - 36cm - $30 if it's still available. PM'd

Good luck wandjina, stay strong and positive and I hope everything starts to go your way. I have no idea about interactions with chemo (if tumour markers are declining at a good rate with chemo alone, I'd be hesitant to play around with too many other things at the same time) but here are a few things that caught my attention. I'll keep an eye out and let you know if I find anything else. The CAM Summaries are peer-reviewed and up-to-date summaries of the existing scientific information on CAM in the prevention, treatment and palliative care of cancer. They provide documentation with regards to efficacy/effectiveness and safety issues, as well as information on the CAM background, promoter claims, description of treatment methods, and biologic mechanisms. They provide clear statements to health professionals. http://www.cam-cancer.org/CAM-Summaries/ In vitro screening for the tumoricidal properties of international medicinal herbs. There is growing use of anticancer complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) worldwide. The purpose of the current study is to assess a sizeable variety of natural and plant sources of diverse origin, to ascertain prospective research directives for cancer treatment and potential new chemotherapy drug sources. In this study, 374 natural extracts (10 microg/mL-5 mg/mL) were evaluated for dose-dependent tumoricidal effects using immortal neuroblastoma of spontaneous malignant origin. The findings indicate no pattern of tumoricidal effects by diverse plants with similar families/genus under the classes Pinopsida, Equisetopsida, Lycopodiosida, Filicosida, Liliopsida Monocotyledons or Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons. The results indicate that many of the most commonly used CAMs exhibited relatively weak tumoricidal effects including cats claw, astragalus, ginseng, echinacea, mistletoe, milk thistle, slippery elm, cayenne, chamomile, don quai, meadowsweet, motherwort and shepherd's purse. The data demonstrate that the most potent plant extracts were randomly dispersed within the plantae kingdom (LC(50) = 31-490 microg/mL) in order of the lowest LC(50) Dioscorea villosa (Dioscoreaceae) > Sanguinaria canadensis (Papaveraceae) > Dipsacus asper (Dipsacaceae) > Populus balsamifera (Salicaceae) > Boswellia carteri (Burseraceae) > Cyamopsis psoralioides (Fabaceae) > Rhamnus cathartica (Rhamnaceae) > Larrea tridentate (Zygophyllaceae) > Dichroa febrifuga (Hydrangeaceae) > Batschia canescens (Boraginaceae) > Kochia scoparia (Chenopodiaceae) > Solanum xanthocarpum (Solanaceae) > Opoponax chironium (Umbelliferae) > Caulophyllum thalictroides (Berberidaceae) > Dryopteris crassirhizoma (Dryopteridaceae) > Garcinia cambogia (Clusiaceae) > Vitex agnus-castus (Verbenaceae) > Calamus draco (Arecaceae). These findings show tumoricidal effect by extracts of wild yam root, bloodroot, teasel root, bakuchi seed, dichroa root, kanta kari, garcinia fruit, mace, dragons blood and the biblically referenced herbs: balm of gilead bud, frankincense and myrrh gum. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ptr.2636 Some medicinal plants as natural anticancer agents India is the largest producer of medicinal plants and is rightly called the "Botanical garden of the World". The medicinal plants, besides having natural therapeutic values against various diseases, also provide high quality of food and raw materials for livelihood. Considerable works have been done on these plants to treat cancer, and some plant products have been marketed as anticancer drugs, based on the traditional uses and scientific reports. These plants may promote host resistance against infection by re-stabilizing body equilibrium and conditioning the body tissues. Several reports describe that the anticancer activity of medicinal plants is due to the presence of antioxidants in them. In fact, the medicinal plants are easily available, cheaper and possess no toxicity as compared to the modern (allopathic) drugs. Hence, this review article contains 66 medicinal plants, which are the natural sources of anticancer agents http://www.phcogrev....59_59525_t1.jpg http://www.phcogrev....59_59525_t2.jpg Article: http://www.phcogrev....3;aulast=Pandey Niuchangchih (Antrodia camphorata) and its potential in treating liver diseases Niuchangchih (Antrodia camphorata (M. Zang & C.H. Su) Sheng H. Wu, Ryvarden & T.T. Chang) is a basidiomycete endemic to Taiwan. It is well known as a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and Taiwanese aborigines used this species to treat liver diseases and food and drug intoxication. The compounds identified in Niuchangchih are predominantly polysaccharides, triterpenoids, steroids, benzenoids and maleic/succinic acid derivatives. Recent research has revealed that Niuchangchih possesses extensive biological activity, such as hepatoprotective, antihypertensive, anti-hyperlipidemic, immuno-modulatory, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The fruiting bodies and fermented products of Niuchangchih have been reported to exhibit activity when treating liver diseases, such as preventing ethanol-, CCl4- and cytokine-induced liver injury, inhibiting the hepatitis B virus, ameliorating fatty liver and liver fibrosis, and inhibiting liver cancer cells. This review will address the protective effects of Niuchangchih on the pathological development of liver diseases, and the underlying mechanisms of action are also discussed. http://www.nutrimaxo...verDiseases.pdf Anti-tumor and immunoregulatory activities of Ganoderma lucidum and its possible mechanisms Ganoderma lucidum (G lucidum) is a medicinal fungus with a variety of biological activities. It has long been used as a folk remedy for promotion of health and longevity in China and other oriental countries. The most attractive character of this kind of medicinal fungus is its immunomodulatory and anti-tumor activities. Large numbers of studies have shown that G lucidum modulate many components of the immune system such as the antigen-presenting cells, NK cells, T and B lymphocytes. The water extract and the polysaccharides fraction of G lucidum exhibited significant anti-tumor effect in several tumor-bearing animals mainly through its immunoenhancing activity. Recent studies also showed that the alcohol extract or the triterpene fraction of G lucidum possessed antitumor effect, which seemed to be related to the cytotoxic activity against tumor cells directly. Preliminary study indicated that antiangiogenic effect may be involved antitumor activity of G lucidum. http://www.chinaphar...083/25/1387.pdf Anti-invasion effects of 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol, two active components in ginger, on human hepatocarcinoma cells. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20521273 Hylandia dockrillii http://www.courierma...f-1225826874057 Induction of apoptosis in human hepatocarcinoma SMMC-7721 cells in vitro by flavonoids from Astragalus complanatus http://www.beyotime....c1116-ref22.pdf Traditional Chinese medicine Astragalus reverses predominance of Th2 cytokines and their up-stream transcript factors in lung cancer patients. Th2 cytokine is predominant in tumor patients and was found to be associated with tumor progression. Reversing of Th2 dominant status is thought to be a promising strategy. In the present study, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) of 37 lung cancer patients and 19 healthy subjects were prepared and used for examination of cytokine secretion and gene expression. The positive percentage of mRNA transcripts of Th1 cytokines (8.1% for IFNgamma and 13.5% for IL-2) in patients' PBMNC were lower than those of Th2 cytokines (70.3% for IL-4, 64.9% for IL-6 and 83.8% for IL-10). The gene expression capacity (measured as relative intensity to ratio of beta-actin) of patients for Th1 cytokines was low, but constitutively relatively high for Th2 cytokines. Both positive percentage and relative intensity were lower in transcript factor for Th1 cytokine, T-bet (40.5% and 0.139, respectively) than those for Th2 cytokine, GATA3 (89.2% and 0.364, respectively). Traditional Chinese medicine, Astragalus (AG) was observed to reverse Th2 status of lung cancer. AG enhanced culture supernatant and gene expression levels of Th1 cytokine (IFNgamma and IL-2) and its transcript factor (T-bet), and reduced those of Th2 cytokines in cultured PBMNC of lung cancer patients. These results demonstrated that traditional Chinese medicine AG might reverse the Th2 predominant status in lung cancer patients, which is a probable alternative therapeutic regime in future. http://view.ncbi.nlm...pubmed/12883732 Phytochemicals: Oleanolic acid - http://en.wikipedia..../Oleanolic_acid Betulinic acid - http://en.wikipedia..../Betulinic_acid Boswellic acid - http://en.wikipedia..../Boswellic_acid Ursolic acid - http://en.wikipedia....ki/Ursolic_acid Withaferin-A (WA) is a bioactive compound derived from Withania somnifera, which inhibits Notch-1 signaling and downregulates prosurvival pathways, such as Akt/NF-κB/Bcl-2, in three colon cancer cell lines (HCT-116, SW-480, and SW-620) - http://en.wikipedia....iki/Ashwaghanda As with synchromesh, LDN and R-alpha lipoic acid look interesting.

If the one I mention in the following thread is the one, send me a PM http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=21979

If I could turn back time knowing what I know now, I certainly wouldn't have had the Monday morning weed sessions before physics lessons or the wacky Saturday nights during my last years of high school. It didn't do harm back then (other than having to endure an often anxiety provoking and pointless high) but I can't say that it didn't add to problems I ran into later down the track. I should have been focused on activities that definitely promote strong and resilient neural pathways for the future like making friends, falling in love and all that stuff instead... Just to add to the info above, this paper is an interesting one to have a flick through: Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Schizophrenia?A Balanced Neurochemical Framework for Both Adverse and Therapeutic Effects of Cannabis Use Schizophrenia Research and Treatment Volume 2011, Article ID 501726, 9 pages doi:10.1155/2011/501726 Recent studies have found that cannabinoids may improve neuropsychological performance, ameliorate negative symptoms, and have antipsychotic properties for a subgroup of the schizophrenia population. These findings are in contrast to the longstanding history of adverse consequences of cannabis use, predominantly on the positive symptoms, and a balanced neurochemical basis for these opposing views is lacking. This paper details a review of the neurobiological substrates of schizophrenia and the neurochemical effects of cannabis use in the normal population, in both cortical (in particular prefrontal) and subcortical brain regions. The aim of this paper is to provide a holistic neurochemical framework in which to understand how cannabinoids may impair, or indeed, serve to ameliorate the positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive impairment. Directions in which future research can proceed to resolve the discrepancies are briefly discussed. http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/sprt/2011/501726.pdf

Slightly different aspect but here is a review of the drugs associated with reports of violence towards others... Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0015337 The Top 10. 10. Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) – An antidepressant that affects serotonin and noradrenaline. The drug is 7.9 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs. 9. Venlafaxine (Effexor) – An antidepressant that treats anxiety disorders. The drug is 8.3 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs. 8. Fluvoxamine (Luvox) – A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drug that is 8.4 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs. 7. Triazolam (Halcion) – A benzodiazepine drug for insomnia that is 8.7 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs. 6. Atomoxetine (Strattera) – An ADHD drug that is 9 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs. 5. Mefoquine (Lariam) – A malaria drug that is 9.5 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs. 4. Amphetamines – This general class of ADHD drug is 9.6 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs. 3. Paroxetine (Paxil) – An SSRI antidepressant drug that is 10.3 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs. It is also linked to severe withdrawal symptoms and birth defects. 2. Fluoxetine (Prozac) – A popular SSRI antidepressant drug that is 10.9 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs. 1. Varenicline (Chantix) – An anti-smoking drug that is a shocking 18 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs.

So what will happen to current laws in South Australia (which have been virtually the same as what is being proposed on a federal level for several years, from my understanding) if a big fuss is made now? Also, it seems you can log in, vote (x3), log out, log in, vote (x3) to reach a maximum of 10 votes... I didn't take note if the vote count actually increased but it seemed to work. Has anyone else been able to do that and noticed if it is increasing the vote count?

Synthetic chemist David Nichols describes how his research on psychedelic compounds has been abused - with fatal consequences. This is the start of the international year of chemistry, intended to celebrate the contribution of my field to mankind's well-being. Yet, during the previous year it has become disturbingly clear to me that some of my scientific contributions may not be aiding people's well-being at all. In fact, they could be causing real harm. A few weeks ago, a colleague sent me a link to an article in the Wall Street Journal. It described a "laboratory-adept European entrepreneur" and his chief chemist, who were mining the scientific literature to find ideas for new designer drugs dubbed legal highs. I was particularly disturbed to see my name in the article, and that I had "been especially valuable" to their cause. I subsequently received e-mails saying I should stop my research, and that I was an embarrassment to my university. I have never considered my research to be dangerous, and in fact hoped one day to develop medicines to help people. I have worked for nearly four decades synthesizing and studying drugs that might improve the human condition. One type is designed to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and it works superbly in monkey models of the disease. That same research seeks drugs to improve memory and cognition in patients who have schizophrenia, one of the most devastating human conditions. The other substances I work on are psychedelic agents such as LSD and mescaline. It's in that latter area of research that I have published papers about numerous molecules that probably have psychoactive properties in humans. It seems that many of these are now being manufactured and sold as 'legal highs'. I first became aware that unknown amateur chemists were watching my papers more than a decade ago. My laboratory was doing research on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy), a project we had started in 1982, before most people had even heard of the drug. We wanted to discover how MDMA worked in the brain because we thought drugs like it might help in psychotherapy. In the process, we studied many molecules that had structures similar to MDMA. One was 4-methylthioamphetamine, or MTA, which could inhibit the enzyme that breaks down serotonin in the body. Between 1992 and 1997, we published three papers on the effects of MTA in rats, including a study showing that MTA might have potential in the treatment of depression, and could possibly be superior to currently marketed drugs. "I was stunned. I had punished information that ultimately led to human death." Without my knowledge, MTA was synthesized by others and made into tablets called, appropriately enough, 'flatliners'. Some people who took them died. Now, any knowledgeable person who had carefully read our papers might have realized the danger of ingesting MTA. It not only caused the release of serotonin from neurons, but also prevented the breakdown of this neurotransmitter, potentially leading to a dangerous serotonin syndrome that can sometimes prove fatal. My laboratory had shown that rats perceived the effects of MTA as being like those of ecstasy. It seemed that that was the sole motivation for its illicit production and distribution to humans. I was stunned by this revelation, and it left me with a hollow and depressed feeling for some time. By 2002, six deaths had been associated with the use of MTA. It did not help that I knew some of these fatalities were associated with the use of multiple drugs, or had involved very large doses of MTA. I had published information that ultimately led to human death. There really is no way to change the way we publish things, although in one case we did decide not to study or publish on a molecule we knew to be very toxic. I guess you could call that self-censure. Although some of my results have been, shall we say, abused, one cannot know where research ultimately will lead. I strive to find positive things, and when my research is used for negative ends it upsets me. Over the past year or so, I have begun to get more e-mails asking questions about the human effects of other materials that my laboratory had studied. Forensic laboratories began to send me requests for samples of drugs that they suspected were appearing on the black market, but which were so new that there are no analytical standards. Thankfully, most of the other molecules we have published on could not kill, at least not at reasonable dosages. But at very high doses, or mixed with other substances, they could become part of a lethal mix. We never test the safety of the molecules we study, because that is not a concern for us. So it really disturbs me that 'laboratory-adept European entrepreneurs' and their ilk appear to have so little regard for human safety and human life that the scant information we publish is used by them to push ahead and market a product designed for human consumption. Although the testing procedure for 'safety' that these people use apparently determines only whether the substance will immediately kill them, there are many different types of toxicity, not all of which are readily detectable. For example, what if a substance that seems innocuous is marketed and becomes wildly popular on the dance scene, but then millions of users develop an unusual type of kidney damage that proves irreversible and difficult to treat, or even life-threatening or fatal? That would be a disaster of immense proportions. This question, which was never part of my research focus, now haunts me. David Nichols is the Robert C. and Charlotte P. Anderson Distinguished Chair of Pharmacology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. e-mail: [email protected] Source: http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110105/full/469007a.html See also - Scientist haunted by misuse of drugs he invented: http://www.physorg.c...suse-drugs.html

I'm sure many others who haven't posted here can relate to your post Zendog... I certainly can. If it is a situation where change is needed and momentum is lacking, I think it is quite likely that substances will help. The only problem is that it may require a "spiritual crisis" before you get the momentum required. Then there is the problem of whether or not you have the time to dedicate to exploring your darkest thoughts, the will to change, whether the unconscious manifests neurotically/psychotically or in (as per society's demands) a constructive fashion and most importantly, whether or not you will make it through to a better, more wholly integrated place, or worse. That is, there is a risk of dropping out of society at a faster, and much more "spectacular" rate than you might if you continue to emotionally scar yourself without assistance - which is better, I have no idea. http://spiritualemergency.blogspot.com/ http://jungcircle.com/index.html http://www.jungianschizophrenia.blogspot.com/ (don't let the name discourage you) I find Jungian schools of thought to be nourishing, you may want to look into them. If you listen to such music, emotional/vocal trance can take you to interesting places. You may find low doses of tryps will open you to a space where your thoughts become lucid and accessible but resist the temptation to go deep (and too frequently) unless you have the supports around you to guide and provide non-judgmental company, sound off crazy ideas, and give you space when needed. When I was in a bad space, I thought all my solutions lay in a winchester of ether, little did I know how far down the abyss that could go. I'd encourage you to exhaust psychosocial rehabilitation, mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy and medication (under the supervision of a professional where needed, just make sure you are well informed and in agreement prior to taking to any medication) first. Keep a diary of 10 good things you did today, what negative thoughts you felt in certain situations and how you can challenge them, break down plans into small pieces, dedicate time to sitting in a room and just being present: "the past has already been, the future is not yet here, what is here now is all that is in my mind" etc. Exercise is a great idea, too. Just play around and find what works. For me, documenting my thoughts in an abstract fashion and then rephrasing/challenging them in a positive manner at a later time has been helpful. Social networks are as far as I'm concerned the most important aspect. Find people you can relate to, be yourself and try to avoid the temptation to deal with everything yourself. Even if it is just getting it off your mind and onto paper/music etc and then talking about it when you feel comfortable, that's a start. Feel free to PM me if you ever need a chat, otherwise I'd encourage you to use SAB to get some different opinions and enrich you environment with anything creative/philosophy/venting/science. Get in the garden or go fishing. I'm by no means a "healthy mental specimen" so take my words with caution. I sincerely hope you find yourself where you want to be in the near future. All the best.

I haven't listened to it yet but this audio recording might be of interest to others here: Describing the Drug Experience Most medicinal drugs can be tested in the lab or on animals, and their effects measured and observed. But drugs that alter consciousness can only be fully described by human subjects - often reporting wildly different experiences. Can science make sense of these subjective experiences, or are they better conveyed by artists or writers? Speakers Susan Blackmore, Visiting Professor at the School of Psychology, University of Plymouth Geoff Dyer, novelist, essayist and art critic Mike Jay, author and historian of drugs and science, curator of the 'High Society' exhibition http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/events/describing-the-drug-experience.aspx (sorry for forgetting the link!) Wishing all SAB'ers a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year - I've enjoyed learning from everyone here.

Reminds me of a recent paper - making use of intensive meditation for enhanced telomerase activity and positive psychological changes. I'm definitely not an advocate for dramatic attempts at life-extension and would prefer to see the emphasis put on enhancing global quality of life. At least the meditation training seems to be more along those lines. I couldn't stand prolonging my life too long unless there were drastic changes to my psyche and and that of society's... I guess if steps can be taken to prevent one from dying lonely in a nursing home whilst incontinent and being tube-fed, or from suffering progressive cognitive decline, that would be a great improvement for those on the home straight. Positive Well-Being to Higher Telomerase: Psychological Changes from Meditation Training Linked to Cellular Health http://www.scienceda...01103171642.htm Now, how to get positivity and meditation into a once daily pill with no side-effects?

If one was to import an plant extract that does not contain scheduled/controlled substances, eg things along the lines of Nymphaea caerulea 100:1 or Erythrina extract 90% alkaloids, would these items be in violation of Quarantine or Customs legislature, particularly on the basis of being "plant material" of potential risk? Is it also important to ensure that the goods are marked "Not for consumption" and that no therapeutic claims are made? Also, just out of curiosity, if the vendor was also selling items that are prohibited in Australia but legal in the country of origin (saliva, kratom), would it be likely that the products someone was ordering were opened, analysed and never allowed into the country even if they were legally OK to import? Will simply ordering from a shop that also offers scheduled substances for sale cause problems for the individual in the future? Slightly different angle: I've heard - if I haven't got the wrong idea about things - that items that are generally considered Schedule 4 seem to be legally obtainable when the "not for consumption" label is added. For example - melatonin, L-DOPA etc. How far does this extend? Can piracetam, huperzine A (not sure if this is S4) etc be labeled "not for consumption" and imported? The main thing I would like to clear up with this is if pure oxytocin as a peptide reagent (eg obtained from a lab supplier) is no longer Schedule 4 like Syntocinon? I've never managed to understand laws very well and couldn't find anything here that seemed to answer the question... Forgive me if I've missed something obvious. Any input is much appreciated.

Thanks Torsten. If you don't mind answering a couple more questions in your own time... I've done a bit of looking around at ICON - from what I've read, it seems that I can just get them to declare the powder/resin extracts as either "Dried herbs, personal use" or for more refined extracts "Organic chemicals and substances - Highly refined", while any of the items with dosages stated or that are encapsulated will have to be "Dietary supplements and natural medicines containing ingredients of plant origin, for personal use" - limiting sizes to 3 months use. Does this all sound correct? For anyone else that has wondered about importing extracts and phytochemicals etc, here is some of the information I stumbled on, following links mentioned in other threads: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import http://www.daff.gov....import/icon-icd Organic chemicals and substances - Highly refined Non-Commercial 1. The conditions under the Commercial section apply. Commercial 1. An Import Permit is not required for organic chemicals of plant or synthetic origin and alcohols, vitamins and amino acids derived from a microbial fermentation process. 2. Consignments must be highly purified and/or highly processed substances. Documents and/or products are subject to inspection to confirm the description of the goods. It is the importer's responsibility to provide sufficient documentation (such as a declaration, Material Safety Data Sheet or certificates of analysis) to satisfy quarantine that the product in each consignment is as stated. 3. It is the importer's responsibility to satisfy quarantine officers of the origin of the product. If the importer is unable to do this, an Import Permit is required. Permit applications must be sent to AQIS Canberra office for assessment. 4. An Import Permit is required for all other organic chemicals including animal tissue extracts (eg tallow derivatives and microbial fermentation products including antibiotics). Dried Herbs - human consumption or human therapeutic end use Non-Commercial These conditions apply to personal consignments of all dried plant parts (including seeds, fruits, herbs, bark and roots) and plant part mixes for human consumption or human therapeutic end use weighing no greater than 1 kg per product type. Products weighing more than 1 kg must comply with commercial conditions below, re-exported or destroyed. 1. An Import Permit is not required. 2. A Quarantine Entry is not required. 3. For all material or packages in the consignment that are labelled with full botanical names i.e. genus and species, or is easily identifiable, please consult appropriate ICON case for import conditions. 4. All material in the consignment must be thoroughly dried and not capable of propagation. 5. Each consignment will be subject to an inspection to verify that it is free of prohibited seeds, live insects, soil and other quarantine risk material. 6. If the consignment is not botanically labelled, the dried herbs are not listed on ICON, or the officers cannot identify the plant matter and the consignment does not contain seeds, then the consignment is to be directed for treatment using: a) heat treatment (T9569); or gamma irradiation (T9651); or c) export; or d) destruction at the importer's expense. 7. If seeds are found on inspection the consignment is to be directed for treatment using: a) gamma irradiation (T9651);or export; or c) destruction at the importer's expense. 7. After inspection and treatment, all consignments that meet the above import conditions will be released from quarantine. Also search ICON for: Dietary Supplements and Natural Medicines containing ingredients of Plant Origin Human therapeutics and medicines

Oops, hope I didn't cause any hassles by ordering prematurely online. So far, I'm very impressed with the way things were dealt with. Friendly staff member, quick notification of any problems with items in stock and quick dispatch. I hope Koda thrives and other SAB members make use of their interesting range of products.

http://www.pcworld.c...trees_sick.html Has anyone living near mobile phone towers or other EMF sources noticed anything odd happening to their plants?

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