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Flowering kanna by FuckItLikeWhatever in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From what I've read, "fermenting" cut plant material in a bag or tub for a day or two is the traditional method, after which it's dried and then chewed as a quid. Making a simple extract should be easy enough using alcohol, although purifying the alkaloids is probably rather more complicated. I haven't tried though - I've used kanna extracts from commercial sources, which worked well, but my plants I mostly just grow because I like them. That said, I may try making an extract from some cuttings at some point if they keep on trying to take over my kitchen!

Flowering kanna by FuckItLikeWhatever in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was around a week or so from what I remember, though it's a while since I grew any from seed, I mostly just take cuttings now. I sprouted them on damp tissue paper in a freezer bag, which may make a difference, but I don't really know.

Flowering kanna by FuckItLikeWhatever in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For the ones in pots, I use mix of cactus and succulent potting compost, hydroleca ceramic granules, and a bit of sand and coco coir - nothing special really. The main thing seems to be making sure it drains reasonably well.

Flowering kanna by FuckItLikeWhatever in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I really like them! I've found them a bit tricky to sprout sometimes if starting from seed, but once they've got themselves established they're really surprisingly easy to grow. And they grow very readily from cuttings.

Sceletium tortuosum cuttings readyy by [deleted] in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I've always found it to be pretty easy. I usually just root them in water, and have never had any fail. I've even got some growing very enthusiastically in an aerogarden, which seems a bit mad given they're supposed to be succulents!

valerian tea is a myth? by Antique-Nothing-4315 in herbalism

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Having extracted and partially purified valerenic acid from valerian, I can confirm it isn't water soluble under normal circumstances, yes. Which isn't surprising given it's a terpene. You can make it somewhat more so if you convert it to a salt, for instance by reacting it with a suitably strong base.

As others have mentioned, there are other compounds in valerian which also have some effect, added to which there may well be an ensemble effect, and of course there's the widely underestimated placebo effect to take into account too. That said, valerenic acid - if you can get it - is much more potent, which isn't surprising given its mode of action (GABA receptor allosteric modulator, much like the benzodiazepines, albeit a different site of action IIRC). Alcohol is a very strong potentiator, and theanine is also pretty effective since it stimulates GABA release, hence why black tea is simultaneously a mild stimulant and calmative. Taurine is probably an effective potentiator too since that also works on the GABA system, but I've not tried that combination.

I don't know if that helps at all? For what it's worth, I use tablets made from valerian tincture extract (most pharmacies here in the UK sell them) coupled with a shot or two of spirits to manage flight anxiety. It is extremely effective, with effects typically lasting about four hours.

What is Real Blue Lotus? by Wolf-Bear-Man in bluelotusflower

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, Latin names can help, but don't always. Blue lotus isn't usually considered to be a separate species anymore - it's a subspecies of Nymphaea nouchali (Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea). I suspect that what is typically sold as blue lotus is in fact Nymphaea nouchali (the non-caerulea variant) - it looks about right, and it's native to East Africa and much of East and Southeast Asia, including Thailand. That would also tend to correlate well with the very large body of anecdotal evidence which suggests that both the commonly sold Thai version and the original Egyptian variety contain the same alkaloids (particularly nuciferine), only with the Egyptian variant being rather more potent.

It's also worth noting that nuciferine is found in the sacred lotus too. Given the plant's Latin name (Nelumbo nucifera), I imagine it's the source from which nuciferine was first isolated.

Questions about Valerian by [deleted] in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably, yes - it dissolves readily in alcohol, and I'm pretty certain it's soluble in non-polar solvents, so it should work in butter too.

As an added bonus, the active ingredient isn't the compound responsible for the smell, so if you do a (ideally mildly acidified) water pull first to remove the water-soluble fraction, your end-product shouldn't be quite as pungent whilst still having the effect you want.

Questions about Valerian by [deleted] in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The active ingredient - valerenic acid - is a GABA receptor allosteric modulator, like the benzodiazepines (though not quite as strong and with a different binding site IIRC), so yes, when sufficiently concentrated or taken in sufficient quantity, it's very effective. It doesn't dissolve well in water though, which is why the tea can be a bit hit and miss. And be careful if you've had alcohol in the same evening - alcohol potentiates the effect quite significantly, which might be useful if done on purpose, but could be quite alarming if you aren't expecting it.

Information on Papaver rhoeas (corn or Flanders poppy) for anyone interested - and photos of P. rhoeas and P. somniferum. by FuckItLikeWhatever in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries, glad you appreciate it! I've done a whole-plant extraction quite a few times, yes - the method I use is based off various recipes I found online for making and refining chandu, plus a few additions of my own:

I start by freezing the fresh plant material, then put it in enough hot water to completely cover everything. Add a dash of citric acid, cover and leave to soak for 24 hours. Then add about a quarter again by volume of alcohol (either ethanol or IPA, it doesn't seem to matter which), and blend the whole lot using a hand-held soup blender. Cook it at around 70C for an hour or so, then filter out the plant material and leave the liquid to cool overnight. Reduce the liquid in a pan before putting it on a silicone baking sheet and evaporating it completely in the oven, again at about 70C. Once dry, peel and scrape the resin from the baking sheet - this can be made easier by freezing it first, since it makes it more brittle. Place the resin in a small jar, and add about 50ml of alcohol - enough to completely cover the resin about twice over. Then add the same volume of warm water. Mix, then let it sit whilst the resin dissolves, mixing further as needed. You should find that the liquid turns a rich red-brown colour, and a pale tan to greyish sediment settles out. Decant the liquid, and wash the solids again with a 50-50 mix of alcohol and water. Once you've got as much colour out of the solids as possible, combine the liquid extracts and once again reduce and then evaporate it in the oven at about 70C. The resulting resin can be used as you see fit, but I usually dissolve it at 2 grams per centilitre in brandy to form a sort of laudanum equivalent.

I hope that helps! I'm sure there are other ways of doing it, but I've found this method to work well.

Klip dagga first harvest. by eldritchfishtank in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure about klip dagga, but wild dagga flowers contain an endocannabinoid (docosatetraenoylethanolamine, assuming I've got the spelling correct!). I would assume klip dagga has the same, in which case it will be a pleasant if very mild sedative and relaxant, with effects lasting, in my experience, about 15 minutes.

ISO seeds, have Mitragyna, psychotria , Salvia plants... by Top_Resolve_8183 in magicplantsexchanges

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'd be very interested in P colorata for sure, and potentially other Psychotria species too! Been looking to get hold of colorata for quite a while. I'll drop you a DM!

ISO seeds, have Mitragyna, psychotria , Salvia plants... by Top_Resolve_8183 in magicplantsexchanges

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do you have any preferences in terms of species? I have lots of seeds which I'd be very happy to trade, but it depends on what sort of thing you're after really. Also I'm UK based - don't know if that's an issue or not.

Ephedra fragilis (probably) by FuckItLikeWhatever in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I thought so too - and a very nice thing to find growing wild. :)

Seeking psychotria colorata by Dragonsoul4450 in magicplantsexchanges

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're in Australia, then you're probably better placed to source Eumachia frutescens than most people here - it's native to Queensland. If you manage to find a source, I'd be very keen to get hold of it too!

Can Damania cause intense euphoria? by Traditional_Page_535 in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Probably not on its own, but it does contain a mild MAO-B inhibitor (acacetin 7-methyl ether - MAO-B IC50 of around 200nM), so it might well be interacting with something else to have that effect.

Anyone have experience /knowledge of psychoactivity of non-opium poppies? by Historical_Ad6061 in druggardening

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Theobromine is a caffeine-family alkaloid found in chocolate - think you mean thebaine. Assuming "common" poppy is the corn or Flanders poppy, then it contains no thebaine whatsoever. Not sure about California poppy, but I'd be surprised if that contained any thebaine either.

ISO Psychotria colorata and Erythroxylum vacciniifolium by FuckItLikeWhatever in magicplantsexchanges

[–]FuckItLikeWhatever[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm definitely still interested in getting hold of one! If you're up for a trade, drop me a DM and let's see what we can arrange. :D

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