Advice for herbal intoxicant

[Rabaelthazar]

Hi guys,

As the topic says, I'm looking for some kind of herbal intoxicant.

Background is that, unfortunately, due to some careless decisions in my youth, I'm living with hep C. I also have only one kidney, although it is a super double-size kidney (my other one was dead since birth and the good one has grown to accommodate the lack of a brother). Therefore, the two main filters in my body are somewhat compromised.

As such, I'm pretty careful about what I put in my body these days. The up-side of that is that I'm sober 99.9% of the time (aside from the occasional journey into the nether regions of the mind). The downside is... ummm... that I'm sober 99.9% of the time.

So.....

I'm wondering if anyone can suggest an intoxicant of some kind that

a ) is liver and kidney friendly

b ) I can grow myself or obtain easily (and is preferably legal)

c ) gives a nice, obvious mellowness that will sit well with spending a night at home watching DVDs

I like being sober/straight most of the time, but every now and then (like last night) I just want to switch off for an evening.

I like the odd toke on a joint, but generally only with good company, so that's not the answer I'm after.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

Edited August 8, 2010 by Rabaelthazar

[solomon]

im not too sure of the health effects but snorting, smoking or chewing some kanna makes me feel really good.

i enjoy it at home by myself but its effects are very good with company too.

im unsure of its legal status in oz but i havent heard of it being illegal anywhere.

[ref1ect1ons]

yes kanna is nice, but expensive ...if you were looking for something to grow this might be good. But after a while it isn't that mellow for watching dvd's, it is a stimulant i believe.

heimia, heima + puff maybe.

skullcap on it's own (as puff contains it)

grind up some blue lotus, smoke it, or grind it fine and put it under the tongue (it is easy to consume this way and is still active). Quite relaxing, there is the story of homer's men wo wouldn't leave the island after consuming copius amounts of lotus flowers.

Blue lotus accumulates over time, like it works better the more times you try it.

turkestan mint is also a mild sedative, i havent tried.

last thing i think of is zornia latifolia. havent tried either.

Edited August 8, 2010 by ref1ect1ons

[bℓσωηG]

Leonotis leonurus

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

[Rabaelthazar]

im not too sure of the health effects but snorting, smoking or chewing some kanna makes me feel really good.

i enjoy it at home by myself but its effects are very good with company too.

im unsure of its legal status in oz but i havent heard of it being illegal anywhere.

 

Thanks, Centipede.... I'll have a look at this. Snorting doesn't appeal much to me these days, but I'll give one of the other methods a go. Could I make a tea out of it? That's definitely my preferred way to imbibe.

heimia, heima + puff maybe.

skullcap on it's own (as puff contains it)

 

Thanks Reflections, do you mean puff from HHH?

grind up some blue lotus, smoke it, or grind it fine and put it under the tongue (it is easy to consume this way and is still active). Quite relaxing, there is the story of homer's men wo wouldn't leave the island after consuming copius amounts of lotus flowers.

 

Hmmm... I actually have some lotus flowers here that I'd forgotten about. I've never actually tried them, so that might be first port of call.

Leonotis leonurus

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

 

And this sounds like a goer as well. I did try lions tail as a smoke a long while back. Can't remember though whether I felt anything from it. I'll give it another try, perhaps as a "minty tea". Thanks Blowng.

[Alchemica]

What about something like NAPE Isolates (http://www.entheogen.com/forum/showthread.php?p=279902)?

Not exactly herbal material you can grow yourself but they should be legal? Anyone here tried them out? Are they something that a person who isn't a big fan of grass can still enjoy?

[t st tantra]

i'm interested in pulque at the moment.it seems it is somewhat active without fermentation.

fair bit of skin absorption last night and there was a really interesting and unique synergy going with whatever else i had earlier consumed.sort of like tequila without any alcohol buzz.heavily entheogenic synergiser ,not as obvious by itself.fits with traditional usage.

it has antiseptic properties and is said to be beneficial for the liver.

t s t .

[Zen Peddler]

I had Hepatitis E two years ago and I was surprised what did and didnt set it off (liver pain within ten minutes) - cigars, valarian, beta blockers all set it off pretty bad. Ginseng and most chinese herbs were ok. Ginseng can be a pretty impressive mood elevator.

[Rabaelthazar]

What about something like NAPE Isolates (http://www.entheogen.com/forum/showthread.php?p=279902)?

Not exactly herbal material you can grow yourself but they should be legal? Anyone here tried them out? Are they something that a person who isn't a big fan of grass can still enjoy?

 

Hmmm... very interesting. I've never even heard about this. Yeah, I'd like more info or reports as well.

[Rabaelthazar]

i'm interested in pulque at the moment.it seems it is somewhat active without fermentation.

 

Thanks tst, When you say "without fermentation", are you talking about an early stage of home agave brewing?

it has antiseptic properties and is said to be beneficial for the liver.

 

Hmmm, Google pulled up a few articles about the possibility of liver benefits with pulque and a whole lot of articles taking the opposite stance eg:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1502659

To be safe, I think I'll leave this one alone, but thanks anyway for the suggestion.

I had Hepatitis E two years ago and I was surprised what did and didnt set it off (liver pain within ten minutes) - cigars, valarian, beta blockers all set it off pretty bad. Ginseng and most chinese herbs were ok. Ginseng can be a pretty impressive mood elevator.

 

I've never had a noticeable effect from Ginseng. What form would you consume it in and how much? Either I've not had a large enough quantity or else it's just one of those things that doesn't affect me. Thanks for sharing Zen.

[Zen Peddler]

Im very sensitive to caffeine and thus probably ginseng - but lately i started dabling with a fairly large dose of red ginseng or panax. Like way over the normal suggested dose. makes one very dehydrated the next day, but it was almost like E the first time i did it - less so for the next few weeks. Check my thread in the ethnobotany forum. I dont any difference between american and asian ginseng - identical results for me. its like a coffee hit but with a sense of wellbeing. If you were manic depressive i think a large dose would set you over. I had to assemble a bed for a mate the night i mega dosed and it was SOOO much fun...

As for Pulque - i tried some in mexico and ewww..... On the other hand a chelada (beer, lemon and salt rim with ice was awesome, but possibly how i caught hep E).

Edited August 10, 2010 by Zen Peddler BlueGreenie

[Rabaelthazar]

Interesting.....

Im very sensitive to caffeine and thus probably ginseng

 

Damn, there goes that idea. I need a specify super-strong espresso when ordering a coffee just to get enough flavour to suit my palate.

In fact, when I pee, what comes out is steaming brown liquid, opaque and milky, with an aroma that takes your breath away.

Edited August 11, 2010 by Rabaelthazar

[bℓσωηG]

And this sounds like a goer as well. I did try lions tail as a smoke a long while back. Can't remember though whether I felt anything from it. I'll give it another try, perhaps as a "minty tea". Thanks Blowng.

I found the dried flowers to be stronger than the leaves , I also liked Leonotis nepetifolia flowers better....

Edited August 11, 2010 by blowng