New Psychedelic Root Discovered

Chen Cho Dorge
justcatching.jpg

A group in Taiwan has discovered that the roots of acacia confusa are a very highly active DMT source. K. Trout had pointed this out in his books, but no bioassays were really available on this particular plant until now.

Acacia confusa root can not only be worked with in conjunction with Syrian rue or caapi, but it can be used alone as has been discovered recently on the DMT nexus forum by a brave explorer.

The brave psychonaught reportedly drank 5 table spoons of root made into a light tea by itself, no betacarbolines added. He was then thrust into a very difficult and high dosage DMT journey. The roots of the plant are active and very powerful. Remarkably Acacia Confusa has one of the highest yeilds of DMT discovered in nature. That it is active with out the addition of a harmala alkaloid is amazing, and reminiscent of reports of cold water extracted Jurema or mimosa hostilus root bark, which has been a real hit or miss in bioassays.

There are also reports that Confusa may have a traditional history of use as an entheogen by the original peoples of Taiwan. Today it is currently used in Chinese medicine with whispers that the old herbalists know that it can take one to another world.

The organization in Taiwan that leads ceremonies wrote a nice report on an acacia confusa ayahuasca analog recipe. According to reports the recipe utilized stem bark in the brew instead of root bark, the stem bark being much weaker in content.

Acacia_confusa

Bioassay on Acacia confusa experiment

 

Face Book Group In Taiwan

Chinahuasca recipe published via Scribd...

 

Quote from Taiwan chinahuasca brewer to Mindbody...

"I introduced it to Taiwan after my friend telling me about it while I was living on Orchid Island. We found a tree scraped off some of the root bark, boiled it for a couple of hours with some Syrian Rue and a few kiwis. That's how it began. The second time I took it, I was told to move to Tainan on the west coast of Taiwan and start using it as therapy to help people change their lives."

 ~Who can ignore such a message?

 

 

Image, "Just Catching" by elif ayse on Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons Licensing.

 

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Comments

Quite the discovery!

Submitted by Jedi Mind Traveler on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 16:46.
The most interesting part seems to be the question of why the MAO enzymes don't break down the DMT, or what molecules are preventing that. Would it have to be some kind of MAO-I, or something else unknown? It seems this species is prevalent in warm climates and is even seen as a weed. Seems like it won't be long before some enterprising people start utilizing it!

Though I loath the term

Submitted by Chen Cho Dorge on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 18:46.

Though I loath the term junlge spice... or dark spice... there is a potential epxlanation. Acacia and Mimosa hostilus are very much alike. if the roots of this tree are active on its own it may share some of the same or similar compounds found in MHRB.

 

My theory is that it IS NOT a MAOI or RIMA in and of itself but actually binds with the primary amines in the cold water decoction protecting it from breaking down in the gut... The compound found in MHRB is called Yuremamine. It may also be that this chemical is very psychoactive itself. Many people who extract what is called jungle spice report VERY different effects then just the DMT alone when smoked or taken orally with an MAOI.

 

Jurema ie MHRB has a history of being taken on its own in a cold water extraction, fresh in possesion trance rituals in Brazil. Johnathan Ott a self proclaimed Tryptamine hard head has himself had very active expereinces he identified as being DMT in nature just from cold water MHRB extraction (basicly an ICE TEA). Not as many people have had as good a result as he. But some Have including myself. I have drank Jurema and had visionary experiences. So I beleive it is effective.

 

Acacia Confusa is going to have a huge impact...

 

Here is what we know summed up nice and tidy in wikipedia...

 

"Yuremamine is a phytoindole alkaloid which was isolated and identified from the bark of Mimosa tenuiflora in 2005. [1] It may explain the oral psychoactivity of traditional preparations from Mimosa tenuiflora, which also contains DMT (dimethyltryptamine). As a pure compound, yuremamine is a purple amorphous solid. It represents an entirely new family of indole derivatives. It is interesting to note that this compound contains N,N-dimethyltryptamine within its molecular structure. Perhaps yuremamine acts as an MAOI, being metabolically protected itself through intra-molecular hydrogen bonding of its tertiary amine, or perhaps yuremamine acts as a prodrug and releases DMT closer to its site of action. There has been speculation that yuremamine is identical with a crude substance described as a "dark red jungle spice", which has been solvent extracted from Mimosa tenuiflora, without the benefit of chromatographic separation. [2] [3] However, there is no analytical evidence to suggest that yuremamine has been isolated by home extractors, and it is likely that the substance will decompose at the typical acidic or basic conditions used in such extractions."

 

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

 

http://changaya.blogspot.com

Jurema vs. Acacia

Submitted by mindbody on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 19:55.
It's interesting that people seem to suggest that ingesting cold water extract of Jurema without additives results in a soft ayahuasca-type experience, whereas my ingestion of Acacia confusa decoction without additives resulted in a very strong and short experience (akin to stereotypical descriptions of smoked DMT). Thanks for posting it here. Hope more bioassays will be performed, and everybody please be careful! :-)

Formosahuasca

Submitted by mindbody on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 20:32.
My proposed name for the Acacia confusa-based ayahuasca is FORMOSAHUASCA: after Formosa acacia (i.e., the beautiful acacia), presumably after Ilha Formosa (i.e., the beautiful island, the original Portuguese name for Taiwan).

Mind body thank you so much

Submitted by Chen Cho Dorge on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 21:09.

Mind body thank you so much for your work. You have done a great job in exploring  this entheogen and charting your work.

many blessings to you.

 

http://changaya.blogspot.com

:-)

Submitted by mindbody on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 21:53.
Thanks for publicizing it here! :-)

No seriously... thank you...

Submitted by Chen Cho Dorge on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 22:43.

No seriously... thank you... lol

 

Seriously... it really takes people going out there and doing the work right now.

 

We are in such great need of people exploring the plants and methods that are currently unknown to us. We need new discoveries. We need to be able to find the spirit of the shaman in our back yards! Independant research like what you have done makes the differrence. My hat is off to you... you have offically made your way as the first in the soon to be long lineage of modern shamans that drink the root of Formosa Koa. You are a progenitor... not to put a bunch of wieght on your shoulders or anything... lol!

 

Really though there is a lineage around the world of the first shamans to work a certain way, the linage holders, those that started what we know today to be tradition. You are offically oone of those people. SWIM bows low... ;)

 

http://changaya.blogspot.com

:-)

Submitted by mindbody on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 23:27.
Thank you for so much encouragement! I do believe that more experiments are needed. I also believe that we should control our enthusiasm at this point, and make sure that it's not toxic to the liver, etc, etc, etc. (Though some medical research seems to suggest that it's actually good for the liver...)

From themedical and chinese

Submitted by Chen Cho Dorge on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 23:49.

From the medical and chinese herbalism information you cited it would seem that it is actually VERY good for you. Being a superb anti-oxident as well as a blood detoxifier. Two very impressive qualities in an entheogen.... one might call it a medicine ; )

It is important though to play it safe... more research needs to be done... and baby steps are important at this point. By no means should people run out and start playing willy nilly and posting their train wrecks on EROWID.

 

http://changaya.blogspot.com

another very important facet

Submitted by Chen Cho Dorge on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 23:44.
another very important facet of this research is that it points out that there are traditions that worked with JUST DMT. DMT by the ayahausca community has been marginalized, and many people have actually labeled it a profane practice to work with just DMT. By taking a look at the traditional practices of working with DMT in Jurema (mimosa hostilus root bark) and acacia confusa root bark we get a glimpse of DMT's traditional use as a "sacrament" or entheogen, ALONE and independent from ayahuasca. This may also strike more research into traditional pre-Chinese tribal Taiwan ethnobotanical work with Acacia Confusa. Just thinking about what kind of discoveries and research that this could inspire is mind reeling! What research like this could mean and how it can impact us I can only speculate. Practices of working with DMT could be legalized and legitimized, instead of marginalized. A ethnological frame work for relating to the DMT experience itself either by looking at tribal Taiwan cultures or looking at Jurema practices could assist seekers who choose to work with DMT alone or either plant a frame of reference for establishing set and setting for one, but also discovering new as well as established relational dynamics with the plants, the chemical we know as DMT and how it relates to consinousness and our personal development our integral relationship to nature itself. Exciting times... I am not sure people realize how important this work is yet! As it is I can only imagine!  http://changaya.blogspot.com

Aboriginal use

Submitted by mindbody on Sat, 05/22/2010 - 00:07.
The shamanic aboriginal use is only suggested at psychoactiveherbs.com. I've asked the personnel of that site for comments and the reply was: "For herbal medicine they make a crude water extraction as the aim is to treat a liver/blood disorder. As far as shamanic use goes the historical use is patchy." So, at this point, I'd consider this story of aboriginal shamanism an amusing anecdote. (On the other hand, it does seem strange that the psychoactivity of the acacia is not widely known in Taiwan. If the root infusion is active by itself, and if they drink it as a medicine, it's not difficult to discover the psychoactivity. However, I must admit that the amount needed to produce psychedelic effects without MAOI is rather difficult to drink.)

I suspected as much, but

Submitted by Chen Cho Dorge on Sat, 05/22/2010 - 01:42.

I suspected as much, but those sites have to keep tight lips so as not to get sued or worse too so they might not give out much more info then that if they have some. More research would be amazing though in that area.

 

On the note of it psychoactivity not being noticed in Taiwan herbal medicine. you know it might be they view the psychoactive effects as a side effect and leave it at that, intentionally keeping the dose low to avoid those effects. This is only speculation but Asia has not really had a history of seeking out psychoative plants that give visions per say.  For example... there are quite a few psilocybes grwoing in asia... and they are a muchroom loving part of the world... you would think that these fungiphiles would have seen that as some thing worth  working with... but not really. There are really no examples of mushroom cults in asia as far as I know.

out side of Siberia of coarse... 

 

http://changaya.blogspot.com

Totally, and thanks for the

Submitted by Chen Cho Dorge on Sat, 05/22/2010 - 20:00.

Totally, and thanks for the good points.

 

 

http://changaya.blogspot.com

Asia is big

Submitted by mindbody on Sat, 05/22/2010 - 20:40.

It would be excellent to explore the history of East-Asian shamanism, but we have to make sure we do not conflate the many traditions from a huge continent. Different parts of Asia are worlds apart (even different Chinese provinces may be as culturally distinct as different European countries).

 

Also please keep in mind that the medicinal use of acacia is a Taiwanese phenomenon. I have no indications that it exists in the traditional Chinese herbalism. I believe that applying the label "Chinese" to the acacia use is quite misguided.

That is an excellent point

Submitted by Chen Cho Dorge on Fri, 05/28/2010 - 13:18.

That is an excellent point mind body chinahuasca was just a silly little catch phrase that rolled off the top of my head, just a play on words..... I much preffer your formahuasca as a title.  It is true that is is dirrectly focused in Taiwan.

 

http://changaya.blogspot.com

The way of true shamanism

Submitted by RPMills on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 00:01.
The human body-emotions-mind is a simultaneously multi-dimensional antenna, capable of empathic integration with all of existence, though not always (even not usually) conscious and operative as such. Substances such as Ayauasca (DMT) sometimes allow human attention to be associated with other kinds of audio-visual-touch vibrational forms (often subtler light forms), seemingly of another dimension or “realm”, but really part of our same total existence. These substances can help change what human attention is associated with, something like a channel changer changes what is displayed on a visual screen, to view all kinds of audio-visual forms of light, and our attention is involved with one or many forms simultaneously, or not, as is chosen. Just as there are numerous vibrational frequencies (audio-visual-touch vibrational forms and "realms") in all of existence, into which human attention can be empathically integrated, "tuning fork substances" such as DMT can and do "tune" attention to become sensitized to and empathically integrated with many of these frequencies of existence which are not common to much of humanity today. In the past times, just as today, those who choose to empathically integrate with any and many of the vibrational "options" in existence, do so depending on the "tuning fork substances" one uses, whether nature based plant herbs or minerals or pharma-based "chemicals". In fact, even within todays "generally accepted waking state world", humans have numerous "very different views" of what this "waking state world" really is. The "very different views" are because of the different "tuning substances" a human ingests and empathically integrates with daily, which tunes the human antenna. Thoughts and emotions are "tuning fork substances" just as are foods, herbs, environments, people, animals, etc. Whatever "tuning substances" are repeatedly ingested and combined with, this will determine the dominant tuning of receptions and empathic involvements in the optional frequencies of existence, and thus determine any kind(s) of "world views". At times, human attention is spontaneously tuned in sync with "tuning substances" such as DMT, THC, LSD, et al, and the always existing source Universal Spiritual Consciousness becomes obvious as our true nature and being. Truly, there is Universal Spiritual Consciousness into which human attention can empathically integrate. Universal Spiritual Consciousness doe not arise out of the body-brain as human attention does. Universal Spiritual Consciousness is the source of all existence. All vibrational frequencies of existence are modifications of Universal Spiritual Consciousness. Empathic understanding and loving kindness for all existing forms comes forth when human attention merges with Universal Spiritual Consciousness. Living is then artful omnipathic relationship with all. This is the way of true shamanism, the help of true spiritual friends throughout all human time, who, using any and all substances, live to serve the tuning of everyones human attention into empathic Unity with Universal Spiritual Consciousness, which is always already the Source and Substance of our own human attention. May all our Ayauasca et al involvements be auspicious moments of tuning our human attention into omnipathic Unity as Universal Spiritual Consciousness. Such enjoyment is worth repeating! : )

I woul say that you are

Submitted by Chen Cho Dorge on Sun, 05/30/2010 - 01:37.

I would say that you are totally and 100% spot on my friend. That is precisely my experience, and you know not many really put it like that! I really enjoyed that intuative resonance you just shared with us. Blessings to you!

WE ARE ONE! 

 

http://changaya.blogspot.com