Sassafras tea (saloop) effects

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

I've decided to put this post in Ecstasy Discussion, because raw sassafras is a common ancestor of all the drugs in the ecstasy family, and I'll venture a guess that people in this forum are the most likely of BLers to be familiar with it. Moderators, if you think it would get more intelligent replies in a different forum, feel free to move it. But I humbly beseech you not to move it purely on principle into a forum where it'll go ignored.

Has anybody here ever drank sassafras tea, otherwise known as saloop, or any other preparation of sassafras root? What noticeable effects in the mind and body does it produce? How long did they last? Would you recommend it? Do its effects in any way resemble those of other drugs? Which?

Despite this beverage being banned only fairly recently in Western countries, I can't locate any trip reports on Erowid or The Lycaeum for sassafras. All the webpages I've been able to locate have said nothing about its subjective effects, and only warn that it's a toxin and carcinogen that should never be taken internally.

But it WAS taken internally by MANY people, up until recent times! I have a hard time believing that if I picked some sassafras saplings and brewed tea from the roots, that I'd keel over. Yet some of the medical references I've read warn me that I just might! So what's the real deal? If I decide to do exactly what I just said, should I be very careful how much I consume? Brief me on this shit -- I'm intrigued.

 

[slinkyj]

This is just a guess... from someone who will straight up tell you that I doubt I am correct.. But I think when they say it is bad for you, i.e. carcinogenic.. IT IS BAD FOR YOU!!!
kind of like wormwood... it is used to make absinthe... but to actually prepare wormwood from what I understand, is risky, too much, and you will easily "keel over"... just my .02 cents... which my friends would tell you, is not worth even a penny.. LOL!

 

[PGTips]

While its related to MDMA by the fact its a precursor, its not really an ED topic, more a Drug Basics ---->

 

[Adam X]

There is no evidence that sasafrass tea is toxic. In fact, the evidence that safrole causes cancer is extremely weak.


X

 

[thenamesd]

In response to the accusation that Sasafras may be carcagenic. I'm from Louisiana and a compliment to much of our food such as Gumbo is something called File' (pronounced fee-lay) and its ground up sasafras.

Now Louisiana does have a leading cancer rate among the US. Take that for what its worth

 

[Dr. McBudstoke]

isn't root-beer made from sasafras?

 

[BilZ0r]

Why would it be psychoactive? Without a nitrogen, it's not going to be binding to any receptors. Unless you're going to being making MDMA, just forget about it.

 

[Skyline_GTR]

http://amazing-nature.com/info/1122.htm

INTRODUCTION :

The North-American foliage tree Sassafras albidum is a rich source of safrole. Sassafras' effects vary from euphoria in low doses to hallucinogenic effects in higher doses. Safrole is also present in Illicium parviflorum, Acorus calamus and nutmeg.


Effects

Euphoria, erotic sensations, heavy stimulation and changes in visual- and auditory perception.

Autonomic changes: dilated pupils, nausea, increased cardio-output, rise of bloodpressure.


Duration

The symptoms appear in 10-90 minutes after ingestion and last for seven to eight hours.


Dosage and preparation

Sassafras can be prepared as a tea, or can be chewed. For half a litre tea, approximately 30 grams of Sassafras is needed. When chewed, lower doses will also be effective.

....

Pharmacology

The aromatic ethers aren't responsible for the psychoactive effects, but some of their bioactivated metabolites are; the aromatic ethers are converted by an amination process into psychoactive phenylisopropylamines. This amination process has been shown to occur in vitro and probably also occures in vivo, altough some of the phenylisopropylamines have not yet been found in nature.


Figure: Possible mechanism of transamination of allybenzenes

Although the phenylisopropylamines are structurally similar to mescaline and the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline, their main effects are caused by the release of serotonine in the synaptic cleft by non-exocytotic transport; phenylisopropylamines exert their effects through the similar mechanism as indirect sympatomimetica (ephedrine, tyramine).
The hallucinogenic activity of the phenylisopropylamines appear to be mainly an effect of agonist properties on the 5-HT2A receptors and less on 5-HT2B/2C receptors. 11 The affinity for the transporter proteins appears to be stereoselective: the Levo-rotary antipodes of the phenylisopropylamines are the most potent.

Aporphine and apomorphine act as dopamine agonists which have a higher affinity for D2/3/4-receptors than for D1/5-receptors

Lot's more on that page...

 

[BilZ0r]

I can't find any references that support that 'pharmacology' section. From what I can both read and geuss, the metabolites of safrole would be formed by demethylenation... I suppose a very small percentage (~5%) would be hydroxylated across the double bond and/or go down the epoxide-diol pathway, but then the percentage there that would get aminated on the hydroxyl group, would be virtually zero, and then most of that would get demethylenated...

Someone correct me if Im wrong, but I just can't find any references that talk about amination of the allyl hydroxyl

 

[MattPD]

Not a problem kiddos!!

 

[bloodpromise]

I tried a kind of "safrole oil" pills from a smartshop a few times when i was younger, and i noticed some effects, but i'm not really sure if they were any good or not, i was quite drunk on all occasions

I also heard it's hepatoxic, bad for your liver, but i'm not sure if that's correct or not..

 

[PlunX]

If there are any psychedelic effects associated with sassafras tea, you would have to consume a lot and the effects would probably be very similar to that of nutmeg. Safrole, myristicin, and all the methylenedioxy naturally occuring compounds may resemble MDMA, but their effects are a lot more toxic and unforgiving. Be careful. Peace.

 

[joystick]

Drinking sassafras oil is nothing like drinking nutmeg oil, although nutmeg oil tastes better (it tastes like nutmeg). Sassfras oil tastes bad and produces a very mild sedation with slight color enhancement. Nutmeg oil is more of a bona fide trip but can lead to mental instability. Still, IME nutmeg oil is not nearly as bad for you as wormwood oil (the active ingredient of absinthe)--that stuff is evil. Pappy's sassafras tea (which is safrole free) can be found at certain health food grocery stores and such. I guess you could always buy that and add safrole to it to see what sassafras tea is really like, but keep in mind that obtaining real safrole is a dicey, though not impossible, affair in today's legal climate.

 

[Juggalotus]

isn't root-beer made from sasafras?

Root Beer is not made directly from sassafras, but rather it is just flavored with the oil.

I tried a kind of "safrole oil" pills from a smartshop a few times when i was younger, and i noticed some effects, but i'm not really sure if they were any good or not, i was quite drunk on all occasions

How long ago were these pills available, and in what country? To my knowledge as far as the US goes, any safrole oil or iso-safrole derivitive is illegal to posess, or manufacture since it is the main starting ingredient for MDxA.

One more note - I have a friend who I work with that enjoys sassafras tea alot. He regularly clips root cuttings around his area and makes tea with them. He has never said anything about effects from it, but he loves the taste.

 

[fairnymph]

There seems to be a strong link between safrole consumption (largely in betel nut) and oral cancer...I wouldn't say it's cause and effect but personally, I'd shy away from consuming any high dose safrole tea/product.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

^^^ Betel nut is hugely popular here in Taiwan, where I am presently. I've tried it, and I don't personally find the effect anything like rolling, or all that pleasurable. But safrole is hardly the only psychoactive ingredient in betel nut.

I found out that the safrole is concentrated in the leaves and flowers of this vine (of the genus Piper, if I remember right) that grows here in Taiwan. One time I went to a betel nut stand and bought a bunch of these leaves and tried chewing them. They gave me no noticeable psychoactive effect, and left me with some nasty mouth lesions that took weeks to heal

 

[bloodpromise]

How long ago were these pills available, and in what country? To my knowledge as far as the US goes, any safrole oil or iso-safrole derivitive is illegal to posess, or manufacture since it is the main starting ingredient for MDxA.

One more note - I have a friend who I work with that enjoys sassafras tea alot. He regularly clips root cuttings around his area and makes tea with them. He has never said anything about effects from it, but he loves the taste.

´

These where bought in the only smartshop i've ever known of here in stockholm, sweden, but it doesn't exist any more

I think they where made from a sassafras extract.

 

[Meshuggah]

Safrole may be metabolised to methylone analoges such as 3-N,N-dimethylamino-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-1-propanone, via oxidation of the allyl then condensation with an amine. The actual activity of these is unknown but may account for its psychoactivity. At least one such metabolite crosses the BBB in rats and has MAOI properties with serotonin as a substrate. I really wouldn't waste my time with this shit though.

 

[Morninggloryseed]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Interesting. Can you provide a source citation?

Thanks

MGS

 

[therastamonsays]

i remeber my dad telling me and my cousin when we went camping to pick the sasafras roots to make tea( just wanted us to go away for a bit probably) and all i can say is that it tasted like ass