Potent sedative plants...

[bullit]

If you want Kava for good price - Fiji Market - newtown - sydney - on the same road as HHH (King st?) but down the hill a bit. 20 buck per 100g i think.

i think that has stopped i could b wrong

[gtarman]

I wanna know how The Hut (formerly, The Kava Hut) in Adelaide get theirs. Full-time kava establishment, possibly the only legitimate reason for living in Adelaide

[vegetarium]

i think that has stopped i could b wrong

Has anybody been there recently? I'd go today if they sold Kava.

[vegetarium]

Gtarman there's a few large scale Kava grow ops around Sydney and I'm sure Adelaide, enormous garages full of Kava plants, kind of like the way weed is grown. The Pacific Islanders are very hush about it and keep it within their own communities.

[bullit]

Andy: I thought about Zonk, but it seemed prohibitively expensive at $35 per 18 caps - in comparison generic diazepam can be had for around $6 for a bottle of 50 if you have the script for it. That and it's got hops in it, which again, I'm leery of due to their extraordinary phyto-estrogen content.

Only neuro-supps I've tried are Lysine and Tryptophan, but I don't recall either having any major impacts...

yeap zonk is a rip off and hardly work if @ all

[Leaves]

Fiji Market

591 King St, Newtown NSW 2042
(02) 9517 2054

Give them a buzz & ask.

Crataegus rhipidophylla (Hawthorn, haws, hawberry) might be something to try if you want to calm your heart, I find it effective. The chinese supermarkets/herb shops usually have sweet products made from Haws more potent forms are available.

Whatever was in those Spaced tablets knocked me out cold, it scared me it was that strong & it is only one tablet.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Leaves

[hoodunnit]

Torsten, long time! I guess I have not posted anything here at SAB in a decade?

I have grown or used many of the plants mentioned elsewhere in this thread and probably a few others. I agree that Mulungu works very well and I also enjoy the pleasant mood lift if taken a few hours before falling asleep, should add it causes a dull-minded drowsiness the following morning that makes me use it sparingly.

A friend of mine really likes the flavonoid extract "Chrysin" from Passionflower and I too have found it useful, would not say it is "strong" as the thread poster seeks. Not sure about OZ but it can be bought online in many countries. There are other effective anxiolitic flavanoids in many plants but at the moment I can't remember them.

Among the strongest sedating Traditional Chinese Medicinal plants I have had are full extracts of various Corydalis sp. or just crushed roots collected in springtime in Hokkaido, Japan. I found that purchased 80% pure THP (tetrahydropalamatine) from that plant was considerably less effective although you can take far less of that extract by weight. THP is also found in Stephania species but I have not used that form. THP does not seem to have much at all in the way of opiate effects like it's cousins. If you seek an extract I recommend full extracts of the plant's round roots, not pure THP.

Lately edible forms of barely psychoactive, high CBD cannabis infusions with extremely little THC are available as tinctures and in taffy rolls etc. in Colorado where they are legal. They work well as relaxants, sleep aids, but are illegal in most areas outside that state of course. There is quite a buzz down there lately regarding people seeking new strains of high CBD, low THC breeds of cannabis for a wide array of medical uses. Also seems to do wonders for back pain, possibly due to it's relaxing aspects.

Valerian works as a mild sedative for me if only used occasionally, seems the second or third day of usage it's efficacy completely peters out.

I collect several forms of Pedicularis in the Rocky Mountains and the Southwest US and extracts of simple encapsulated dried plant parts all have been warm gentle muscle relaxants, sedatives with a hint of short lived cannabis-like euphoria. The strongest type was found in the driest and hottest desert zones of the southwestern US where plants are sparse and foraging animals hungrier, so it seems the "toxin" is stronger. Other close relatives such as Blue Vervain, Wood Betony are effective too although milder.

Also growing in the Southwestern US is Scutellaria nana, the Dwarf Scullcap, mentioned by another above, I found to be many fold stronger as a sedative than the other Scullcap species I have messed with over the years, it is fairly strong, most others are mild. For some reason a few times after using it in capsules or smoking it, I had unusually vivid nightmares and sometimes a stiff neck on awakening, so I discontinued use. Also regarding the Dwarf type, most would hardly notice that tiny-leafed, gray-green, chaparral region plant as a Scullcap in the wild if one is used to the much larger, greener, humid environment types like those around here or in Hokkaido, they are so dissimilar in appearance.

Ashwaganda helps some people sleep, I like it as a cortisol lowering, stress reducing adaptogen. In Ayurvedic medicine they prescribe it for colic and also sleeplessness in children. Sometimes I take it in the daytime and it seems to have other paradoxical effects, it can even be energizing and a few times I took it late in the evening and couldn't sleep for hours. On two or three occasions soon after taking some I have seen hypnogogic patterns with my eyes closed in a dark room, but that only happened if I haven't taken it for several months, then did not occur again on ensuing days. I don't any longer like to use many of the other Solanacea plants other than the mild Ashwaganda, maybe occasionally some Brunfelsia, as the others including Belladonna, Brugmansia seem to induce lasting cognitive fogginess that I do not like, which leads me to believe most of those are not too safe even in trace amounts if taken often. Ashwaganda has no side effects in me however.

Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) of TCM fame is an excellent anxiolitic, it's fairly strong, an active miltirone, has been compared to Benzodiazepams such as Valium in some scientific studies in Asia. Another unrelated TCM herbal Codonopsis is also called Dan Shen. Salvia multiorrhiza also has other powerful biological properties so care should be taken if using it as a sedative. While miltrone seems weaker than Valium, it is still effective for me and others who use it and it does not cause so much morning drowsiness. Some of the other Labatae are mild sedatives, for example quite a few Salvia species are descent but not really "strong" sedatives, per se. My guess the sedative effect might possibly be due to thujone content. I like Salvia pratensis the Russian Sage, Perovskia sp.

Maybe I will think of a few more later on.

(edit: I had previously erroneously written above "Coleus forskoli," it should have been Salvia miltorrhiza)

I also see there is another thread on anxiolitic plants covering some of the plants mentioned here.

Edited December 10, 2013 by hoodunnit

[shonman]

Honokiol, magnolia bark extract, is phenomenal, and very good for you too.

[IndianDreaming]

Make your herbal teas stronger. I think the western idea of 'tea' is a teaspoon of herb steeped in a cup of water. If I drink one cup of the below tea, 30 mins later I'm so body relaxed and sleepy I have trouble walking to bed, and the instant my head hits the pillow, I'm out cold and awake as fresh as a daisy the next morning

1 cup of Chamomile

1 cup of Passionflower

1 cup Californian poppy

1/4 cup Mulungu

1/2 cup Mugwort

Pop this in a saucepan with 4-5 or 6 cups of freshly boiled water for 20 mins. Don't simmer it. (Or for a more complete brew - gently simmer the mulungu for 10 mins, then add the rest once the pot is turned off)

Sometimes I add damiana, lotus, skullcap, and even though people whinge about lions tail being toxic to animals in high doses, a 1/8th cup to the above mix is like 2 temazapam and full body relaxation without a hangover. You can smoke the lions tail too for added effect.

This makes 4-5 or 6 cups and it keeps well in the fridge. The damiana is a strong mood stabiliser and if you pop some in, only use 1/2 cup or the mix is too 'floral' tasting and I find it leaves me overly mood stabilised for the next day.

Edit: Mugwort is not suitable for pregnant women so caution is advised for the ladies with this one.

Edited December 9, 2013 by IndianDreaming

[Koda]

The synergy between powdered valerian root & powdered magnolia bark is excellent for going to sleep. Holy basil & low dose bacopa are also great in addition for reducing dopamine/norepinephrine levels & cortisol. Valerian & magnolia will stimulate gaba quite strongly.

[lowjackal]

Try some ZONK from SAB if you want a prepared mix, that will knock you out.

+1 for Corydalis and Lotus they both work well.

Have you tried amino acids like gaba or its analogues?

Is this what your talking about with ZONK?

 

LOL! cant see that being sedate in the least. Kava or Kratom in large doses.

Edited February 12, 2014 by lowjackal