Underwater Entheogens?

[Slybacon]

Has anyone heard of any research being done on the possibility of finding psychoactive substances in underwater plants Ocean/Rivers or Lakes?

[ref1ect1ons]

I was at the beach the other day and the same thought arose in me.

Seaweeds are apparently a super-food, with anti viral properties etc.

http://www.ryandrum.com/seaweeds.htm

http://www.itmonline.org/arts/seaweed.htm this site has the medicinal properties of different seaweeds as used by the Chinese.

I still wonder if there are more 'exotic' uses also.

[Alice]

Interesting topic.

Try googling "psychoactive fish" and "psychoactive aquatic plants".

There's a fair few good hits, some good info already out there.

acorus, nymphaea and nelumbo spring to mind, though these are not completely underwater.

In terms of sea plants, I imagine that most of the psychoactive compounds in aquatic flora would be toxins rather than than say human neurotransmitter analogues, due to the different physiology of fish (and other sea critters) compared to humans. Having said that, toxins are not necessarily a bad thing, there just may be less room for error in dosing etc.

[Neoshaman]

Interesting topic.

Try googling "psychoactive fish" and "psychoactive aquatic plants".

There's a fair few good hits, some good info already out there.

acorus, nymphaea and nelumbo spring to mind, though these are not completely underwater.

In terms of sea plants, I imagine that most of the psychoactive compounds in aquatic flora would be toxins rather than than say human neurotransmitter analogues, due to the different physiology of fish (and other sea critters) compared to humans. Having said that, toxins are not necessarily a bad thing, there just may be less room for error in dosing etc.

Plenty of things that there isn't a great deal of room for error many of the PEA group come to mind for example

[paradox]

Phragmites australis is one he comes to mind straight away

[sandalwood]

I wouldnt call it quite an entheogen....

but bacopa...or brahmi...is an underwater plant that I see commonly sold at aquarium shops.

I take it on a weekly basis...blends nicely for some that are using opiates/opioids...

its a common herb in India.

there is a type of algae that contains aphinorphine...which is a stimulant like kappa opioid agonist I believe....this is sold as a dietary supplement and is also listed by some sources as containing neuro toxins.

for my purposes I like taking the algae when I need to not eat much, but have high energy. I used to take it when snowboarding...in the morning...with a banana, bran muffin, and coffee, I would be fine all day till dinner with eating no lunch...just an algae muffin breakfast, and that clean feeling of having high energy on an empty stomach.

I started having problems when taking this algae everyday though...insomnia and stress soon set in....so its not something that I take regularly.

Phragmites australis is one he comes to mind straight away

[Alice]

there is a type of algae that contains aphinorphine...which is a stimulant like kappa opioid agonist I believe....this is sold as a dietary supplement and is also listed by some sources as containing neuro toxins.

Do you know the name of this algae? or the name of the supplement? I did a google search for aphinorphine and got 0 hits.

[kadakuda]

lots of usefull things underwater, although for sure seem far less studied than land plants/animals. coral reefs are virtual medicine cabinets....but lots of pretty hefty toxins im not sure i would want to play around with!

[JDanger]

Dimethylaminoethanol is related to choline and is a biochemical precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and found naturally in fish like sardines and anchovies. It is reported to have nootropic effects, although research on this chemical has found both positive and negative potential results.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethylethanolamine

Wouldn't go so far as to call it a potent psychoactive, but still. We know there are compounds in aquatic environments that affect brain chemistry, I doubt it would take too much searching to find more.

[caktalfraktal]

One of interest if you haven't discovered it already is the Blue Lotus and related species. I just received some seeds for it actually, and they're lilly pads basically that eventually grow a flower.

I have yet to plant them but when I do it will be in a fish tank

[Chiral]

Apparently Krabby Patties are psychedelic and very addictive...

[apothecary]

Just found this while looking for another paper:

Secondary Metabolites from Three Florida Sponges with Antidepressant Activity

Anna J. Kochanowska†, Karumanchi V. Rao†, Suzanne Childress‡, Abir El-Alfy‡, Rae R. Matsumoto‡, Michelle Kelly§, Gina S. Stewart, Kenneth J. Sufka‡ and Mark T. Hamann*†‡

Departments of Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology, and Psychology and the National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi 38677, and the National Center for Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Auckland, New Zealand

Brominated indole alkaloids are a common class of metabolites reported from sponges of the order Verongida. Herein we report the isolation, structure determination, and activity of metabolites from three Florida sponges, namely, Verongula rigida (order Verongida, family Aplysinidae), Smenospongia aurea, and S. cerebriformis (order Dictyoceratida, family Thorectidae). All three species were investigated chemically, revealing similarities in secondary metabolites. Brominated compounds, as well as sesquiterpene quinones and hydroquinones, were identified from both V. rigida and S. aurea despite their apparent taxonomic differences at the ordinal level. Similar metabolites found in these distinct sponge species of two different genera provide evidence for a microbial origin of the metabolites. Isolated compounds were evaluated in the Porsolt forced swim test (FST) and the chick anxiety−depression continuum model. Among the isolated compounds, 5,6-dibromo-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (1) exhibited significant antidepressant-like action in the rodent FST model, while 5-bromo-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (2) caused significant reduction of locomotor activity indicative of a potential sedative action. The current study provides ample evidence that marine natural products with the diversity of brominated marine alkaloids will provide potential leads for antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, there are already 3 or 4 threads on the topic of psychoactive marine life but since this is specifically on aquatic plants it could be a good place for a new thread on the topic.

PS: anyone wanting to read the above paper in full can search for the species name listed above in this forum, the paper has been uploaded by an old member ;)

Edited November 26, 2009 by apothecary

[Slybacon]

Apparently Krabby Patties are psychedelic and very addictive...

Yes and Yes,

[Bush Turkey]

some sea cucumbers and urchins have cannabinoids in there reproductive organs and eggs. apparently mixing urchin eggs with MJ is gonna be the new thing??! LINKY HERE

Edited January 9, 2010 by Bush_Turkey

[devance]

Phragmites australis is one he comes to mind straight away

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phragmites

Not the (Common reed is very important (together with other reed-like plants) for wildlife and conservation, particularly in Europe and Asia, where several species of birds are strongly tied to large Phragmites stands. These include:}

[ Waste water from bathrooms, lavatories and kitchens is routed to an underground septic tank-like compartment where the solid waste is allowed to settle out. The water then trickles through a constructed wetland or artificial reed bed (not to be confused with the natural reed bed habitat), where bacterial action on the surface of roots and leaf litter removes some of the nutrients. The water is then suitable for irrigation or discharge to watercourses.

[Statakak]

Interesting Linky Bush_Turkey

Quote: "I hereby dub the 'SeaWeed'"

I nice book by C. Ratsch Mentioned Fugu

The flesh being non-toxic is prepared by expert chefs by mixing the toxins from other organs with the flesh to achieve stimulant and intense aphrodisiac affect however too much causes paralysis and respiratory, and cardiac failure, which can often result in death.

Quote: 'Wikipedia' "no known antidote, and the standard medical approach is to try to support the respiratory and circulatory system until the poison wears off." (24 hours)

I read that the sea cucumbers were harvested and dried in northern coast of NT with the cooperation of Aboriginals for export to Asia by Timorese pre-European settlement. Possibly Australia's first export product.

Thought I read that they had a stimulant affect, but if its cannabinoids in reproductive organs in phallic shaped animals used in Chinese medicine, then they probably mean aphrodisiac stimulation.