Lagochilus inebrians: First Impression

[Anonymous]

This morning I swung by the Post Office and was greeted by a little package from friendly: two oz of L. inebrians. Through a bit of an addressing mistake it had taken a little while to get to me, so I was very happy when I saw that it had arrived.

Having waited for a week and a half, I decided I couldn't comfortably wait any longer. After my wife and I put the kids to bed, I prepared a 10x broad-spectrum extraction; solvent was 95% ethanol; "poor man's reflux" used (i.e. successive washes with solvent heated (and subsequently evaporated) in a microwave, with final drying done in a 150F oven. Total prep time: approximately 2 hours. Total material processed: 5 grams.

I'm not a smoker (anymore), and I don't often smoke herbs. What's more, I've been trying to recover from a case of pneumonia, so my lung capacity and ability to smoke is pretty poor right now. I have a very small water pipe which I use occasionally for Salvia and the like, and I was able to take five puffs. My lungs rebelled, so I put the pipe away after the fifth inhalation.

I'm in the midst of the effects right now. I'd rate it as subtle but definite. There is a slight euphoria, and I'm a little "spacey" right now. No intense somatic effects, although my body is relaxed and I have a very slight headache (perhaps from the smoke). I notice no loss of coordination and could probably drive safely, but I would avoid it of corse owing to my unfamiliarity with the herb.

Overall, I'd rate it as "deserves more research." The effects are a little subtle for my taste thus far, but these are first impressions. As discussed in the "pyro lago" thread, repeated exposure may be necessary to truly explore the state. Also, other modalities will need to investigated, but I imagine they would be much less efficient. I smoked maybe a 10th of the extract, so total equivalent smoked is about 1/2 gram. For tea, I've heard numbers around 10 grams.

Provisional classification: Euphoriant. Relaxant.

Thanks Friendly!

[friendly]

Wow. Microwaving 95% ETOH. I've never heard of anyone doing that before. Is it safe?

The method seems efficient enough; I got a 12.5:1 and you got approx. an 11:1 (56g to 5g).

The hair goes up on my arms when I think of microwaving the ETOH, though.

During the final drying stage in the oven, it is advisable to have the oven door open slightly and a fan blowing across the open door to keep fumes from accumulating.

[ 01. July 2004, 04:42: Message edited by: friendly ]

[Stonehenge]

I don't think you can leave a microwave door open while it's running. I've never seen one that operated that way. I wouldn't do it if I could because the microwaves are none too good for you and you would be exposed to them. To evaporate alcohol I just put it in a shady but warm spot and in a day or so it's dry. I can wait. I've been meaning to try the lago but I'm waiting until the price goes down and/or more reports come in. If I could get seeds I'd definately try growing it.

Stoney

[Anonymous]

friendly:

Wow. Microwaving 95% ETOH. I've never heard of anyone doing that before. Is it safe?

Safe? Define safe

Actually, if you take a little precaution, I think it's pretty safe, but THAT'S JUST MY OPINION. That and $3.00 will get you a frufru coffee.

First, keep in mind that EtOH will boil (in any reasonably powered microwave) in 5 to 10 seconds, at which point you'll need to turn the power off. What I usually do it open the door at this point and blow across the surface of the material to speed the evaporation. So, the door is opened every few seconds, keeping the concentration of the vapors low.

When lazy, I've been known to do two or three power/boiling cycles before opening the door. This is probably less safe.

Really, boiling EtOH is safe, provided there are no sources of sparks. The question each of us has to ask oneself is: is my microwave full of sparks? I can't answer this question, so PLEASE don't take this post as a encouragement to do this at home.

For a discussion of microwave techniques, see this thread on making Salvia tincture:

http://forums.spiritplants.com/index.php?s...showtopic=12135

The thread is a little hard to follow owing to the fact that Sphere, in one of his cyclical rages decided to delete all of his posts. Even so, it's an interesting thread.

Standard disclaimer (taken from the thread):

Life can be dangerous, and you should live it fully, but at your own risk. The universe is comprised of many bits of hard, pointy matter which can put an eye out, and some of if burns quickly and with great heat. The techniques in this document involve some of those quickly burning things, so you can hurt yourself and your stuff if you're not careful.

You are responsible for your own safety. I am not.

Addendum to experience report

After about an hour and a half I was still feeling effects, so I decided to smoke another five inhalations. Interestingly, the effects didn't increases much, so it seems that the dose curve on this one may be non-linear. There is a little peak of effect a few minutes after smoking, but it levels off a bit later and stays flat. By this point it was getting late so I went to bed. I slept without incident, but don't know how long the effects lasted. Truth be told, I feel a little strange today, so it's possible (albeit unlikely) that this ally could have a substantial half-life.

[ 01. July 2004, 08:35: Message edited by: Anonymous ]

[friendly]

Stoney: I meant the final stage of evaporation in a conventional oven. Those will work with the door slightly open. Sorry for the lack of clarity.

Anon: Some microwave ovens can produce sparks when you turn them on. I would recommend to always have a fire extinguisher handy if you are going to continue using this method.

[Anonymous]

friendly:

Anon: Some microwave ovens can produce sparks when you turn them on. I would recommend to always have a fire extinguisher handy if you are going to continue using this method.

I always have a fire extingisher handy when working with flamable solvents. Everyone should!

But I still think it is relatively safe insofar as when the oven is turned on there are no vapors present, and if one opens the door and fans between heating cycles the vapor level in the oven will remain low.