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Psychoactive Lichens

Other info:

A novel species of Dictyonema was used by the Waorani as a hallucinogen. They called the lichen Ne/ne/ndape/ and used it in shamanistic rituals (Davis and Yost 1983).
An unidentified saxicolous lichen was called Jievut hiawsik [lit. "Earth flower"] by the Pima of California. It was used as a good luck charm, and it was smoked for its narcotic effect (Curtin 1949).
In Mauritania, Parmelia paraguariensi is mixed with tobacco and smoked. It is also burned as an insect repellent and used as perfume (Lange 1957).
An unidentified pyrenocarpous lichen was used by the Denís of Amazonian Brazil as an recreational snuff (Prance 1972).
Parmotrema chinense, Parmotrema perforatum, and Everniastrum cirrhatum are all called Chharila in India and are used medicinally. They have also been used as an a snuff and as an aphrodisiac (Chandra and Singh 1971).
Peltigera canina was used by the Southern Kwakiult as a love charm (Boas 1921, cited in Turner and Bell 1973).
The Apache used Letharia vulpina to paint crosses on their feet so they could pass their enemies unseen (Sharnoff 1997)
A species of Peltigera or Lobaria was called "Frog blanket" by the Gitksan of British Columbia, and because it was associated with frogs it was used in a spring bathing ritual to bring health and long life (Gottesfeld 1995 ).
Letharia vulpina and Vulpicida pinastri have both been used to poison wolves in northern Europe (Sharnoff 1997; Uphof 1959) and Letharia vulpina may have also been used to make poison arrowheads by the Achomawi of California (Merriam 1967).
Xanthoria parietina and Parmelia saxatilis are used in the ritual of well-dressing in England to make miniature scenes to decorate wells (Vickery 1975).
The Secwepemc (Turner 1998), Nuxalk (Turner 1998), and Bella Coola (Turner 1973) all use Alectoria sarmentosa and Usnea spp. as false whiskers and artificial hair for decorating dance masks, and especially for children masquerading.
Cladina stellaris has been harvested in large quantities in Scandinavia to use to make wreaths, floral decorations, and architect's models (Kauppi 1979).
Usnea longissima was probably the original tinsel on Christmas trees in Northern Europe (Brodo et al. 2001).
Lichens, especially Pseudevernia furfuracea, Evernia prunastri, and Lobaria pulmonaria, have been used in Europe to make perfumes and other cosmetics. They have also been used in tanning and in the manufacture of some chemicals.

Rock Blooms (Parmotrema menyamyaense)

The approximately 10,000 people who live in the mid slopes of the Eastern Himalayas are primarily of the Adi, Buddhist and Mishmi tribes with ten sub tribes, the oldest known lineage of humans in the Northern Hemisphere. It is from their remarkable storehouse of knowledge that this mystical herb called "the blooms of rocks" now make their presence to modern civilization.

Of all the marvelous species of fungi on earth, the lichens are perhaps the most fascinating of all. Several hundred million years ago, a most remarkable marriage took place between the vast kingdoms of algae and fungi.

Lichens like this, were used by these tribesmen when challenged to live under the most extreme conditions, without food for long periods during winter. They used this amazing herb both as food for the body and drink for the mind.

Usually ground into a smooth paste with hemp seeds, crushed with catnip, sage and rhodolia or just smoked as is, this ancient herb reportedly creates a deep sense of relaxation and well being while enhancing vision and relieving depression.

Often used together with its companion herb, woodrose or ipomea (illegal to consume in many parts of the world), it reportedly makes the deeply meditative and insightful states of parmotrema more accessible, and activates the centered and inward focus of the meditation. Used together, they reportedly produce a much more productive time of contemplation, which is often followed by great insights and breakthroughs.

Source URL

We now have a few names to look up. Like Parmotrema menyamyaense.

It seems the only picture of Rock Blooms (Parmotrema menyamyaense) you can find on the web is this delightful obscurity:

p.menyamyaense.JPG


The plot thickens...
 
It really is amazing to think that there could be a dozen undiscovered psychoactive species. Really shows that we HAVEN'T truly explored the natural world. I mean, we may have discovered/named a species, but not found all of its uses (even if they're not psychoactive). I'm hooked. =D

EDIT: I searched "psychoactive parmotrema" on google, and of course, the first thing that came up was this thread, the second a similar thread on enthenogen.com, a similar thread on the shroomery, and then a website that claimed to sell rock blooms. Though, only finding a few sites that specifically talk about the psychoactiveness of this lichen, it's still a pretty unknown substance. What an interesting discovery!!! :D
 
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I completely wrote off lichen as a possible psychedelic back in 1995, when a fellow senior classmate went on about a certain species known by him and his friends to have hallucinatory effects. While some of his information about psychedelic substances was true (certain blue-stemmed mushrooms, cough syrup), I became convinced he was pulling my leg about the psychoactive properties of lichen, since I was very eager to try any and all hallucinogens and was thus seemingly gullible due to my zeal.

Now I'm not so sure, and it will be interesting to see how all this turns out. I wonder just how toxic some species of lichen truly are, and how hard it would be to identify them? Hopefully this isn't just some elaborate prank \:
 
I've come in contact with THREE lichens and a variety of other psychoactive plants. These are in the high NA arctic. I lived for 13 years there, and had a fascination with interviewing Elders. I don't know what these psychoactives are, but they bear remarkable similarity to tryptamines.

Even in the arctic, humans found a way. I wonder what these compounds actually are? Are they legal? Could they be mass produced?

I would liken it to a heavy mushroom trip, though longer and smoother. The lichen anyway. They wouldn't let me use the other plants, you have to be "accepted" first.

Seeing as this thread is quite promising, I motion to have the title changed to include "Psychoactive Lichens" as the current title is perhaps a little too generic. if of course the OP likes the idea.
 
Wow, I just checked back, I didn't realized I'd raised this kind of a stir!

I'll see if I can check with the Elders and find out more info. I feel a little bad, because they trust me, and I don't think they want this to get out there. I'm not accepted yet, so I haven't tried anything else yet.

I agree, the title should be "Psychoactive Lichens"

By the way, I, personally, would define the trip from the best of the lichens as some sort of mixture of psilocin, MDMA, and also something sedative. I take benzos, and it seems similar to that, except it doesn't kill the trip.

Only one of the lichens is worth taking, IMO. The others are like shrooms but with lots of benzos, so you don't really get that amazing of a trip.

There might be a benzo-analogue in these, too folks. I think there's at LEAST three psychoactives in the best of the lichens.

I'm not home right now, but ASAP I will talk to the Elders. Please don't just spread this info to everyone and your grandma, they trusted me.

BTW, the lichen takes a LONG time to grow. If we end up putting these chems on the street, it'll be synthed, not in lichen form.

EDIT: When I go home and get to use the stuff again, I will write a trip report for you guys, to wet your whistles. You guys deserve it for all the help I've gotten over the years!
 
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Usually ground into a smooth paste with hemp seeds, crushed with catnip, sage and rhodolia or just smoked as is, this ancient herb reportedly creates a deep sense of relaxation and well being while enhancing vision and relieving depression.

Deep relaxation, visions, and euphoria? That sounds pretty damn close.

Man, now I can't wait to go home, I feel like I'm on the cutting edge of psychedelia here, it's great! :D

I hope I can satisfy all of your curiousity, but right now I'm withdrawing from hydromorphone, so it'll have to wait.

Also, I'm at uni, so probably 'till next break.

But I WILL do my best. I'll also answer ANY questions I can, so go ahead and ask. This wasn't in Iceland, but northern Canada, btw.
 
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If all you have to do is go and pick up a bunch of rocks and boil them to get a great trip why hasn't someone in Iceland started selling this online? (If they have I've never heard of it). Anyone know someone in Iceland. Tell them to sell this if they want to get rich extremely fast and easily... They've had five years to figure it out. Need to make more? Just put the rocks back where you found them and revisit in a month or so. I don't get it.

I get why the natives the OP referred to would keep it a secret, but not Icelanders.
 
If all you have to do is go and pick up a bunch of rocks and boil them to get a great trip why hasn't someone in Iceland started selling this online? (If they have I've never heard of it). Anyone know someone in Iceland. Tell them to sell this if they want to get rich extremely fast and easily... They've had five years to figure it out. Need to make more? Just put the rocks back where you found them and revisit in a month or so. I don't get it.

I get why the natives the OP referred to would keep it a secret, but not Icelanders.

It's probably very inconvenient to export heavy rocks. I guess they could make some sort of extract but it would require some sort of system to regulate the potency of the product. The fact that it's rocks from the ground makes it easy to be contaminated with something else. Also, maybe it's fragile and degrades easily. The fact is we don't know much about this stuff.

And maybe there isn't a whole lot of it. I know a lot of species of lichen grow 1cm to 10cm in diameter per 100 years depending on the conditions.

I don't think it would be a good idea to start selling this online without proper research and proper means of exportation. I'd really like to know what molecule(s) in there are tickling the brain cells.

If I was there, I'd probably try the rock soup... Visit the trolls
 
Guys, the major problem is that the lichen takes decades, not months, to grow.

You can't mass-produce it without synthesizing it, and we don't even know what the chemical is; haven't even isolated it yet, so how could that be done.

It's also not a common lichen. It's not on every rock, you know. Some lichens look like it, but they aren't it.

;)
 
Lichens, like the syphonophorae of the sea, are mindblowingly beautiful and awe-inspiring. They are a poetic expression of what other, more idiotic species (eg. humans) need to learn about symbiosis...

Anyway, speaking of the sea and of new psychs, I STILL cannot for the life of me imagine why no-one as of yet has bothered with the sponges that Shulgin claims to contain brominated-DMT analogues...
 
"define the trip from the best of the lichens as some sort of mixture of psilocin, MDMA, and also something sedative"

That sounds amazing and this is quite interesting
 
Guys, the major problem is that the lichen takes decades, not months, to grow.

You can't mass-produce it without synthesizing it, and we don't even know what the chemical is; haven't even isolated it yet, so how could that be done.

It's also not a common lichen. It's not on every rock, you know. Some lichens look like it, but they aren't it.

;)
Ah, thanks for the clarification on the time to grow. I just assumed they grew fast like algae. Still, if the Icelanders have been doing this for five years it can't be in too short of supply. I guess it would depend on the potency. Also, contamination from other species of lichen must not be too big a problem. This is all assuming the story about them getting high on it for the past five years simply by gathering and boiling rocks is what it sounds like at face value of course. In any case I'm surprised the exact name hasn't been widely publicized or discussed in public online forums in English. I guess we don't even know for sure if the Iceland lichen is the same as the one Druidus tried, or perhaps it's just related...
 
it's probably very inconvenient to export heavy rocks. I guess they could make some sort of extract but it would require some sort of system to regulate the potency of the product. The fact that it's rocks from the ground makes it easy to be contaminated with something else. Also, maybe it's fragile and degrades easily. The fact is we don't know much about this stuff.

And maybe there isn't a whole lot of it. I know a lot of species of lichen grow 1cm to 10cm in diameter per 100 years depending on the conditions.

I don't think it would be a good idea to start selling this online without proper research and proper means of exportation. I'd really like to know what molecule(s) in there are tickling the brain cells.
edit: I searched "psychoactive parmotrema" on google, and of course, the first thing that came up was this thread, the second a similar thread on enthenogen.com, a similar thread on the shroomery, and then a website that claimed to sell rock blooms. Though, only finding a few sites that specifically talk about the psychoactiveness of this lichen, it's still a pretty unknown substance. What an interesting discovery!!! :d

;) rock blooms are another name for this lichen.
 
^I checked out that site selling "rock blooms" (Parmotrema menyamyaense) last night, but their description of the effects didn't make it sound nearly as good as this. They made it sound like a pretty pure sedative, like lots of other not so special herbals. It's native to the Himalayas, too, so I don't think it's even related...
 
^ I checked the website too. True the effects seem to be close to placebo, here are the only two reviews:

Matt said:
Very little effect if any felt...the taste isn't very pleasing either.

Cody said:
Although mixing these blooms with others herbs gives the other herbs a pleasant edge, I find I enjoyed these much more when smoked alone, especially when I'm going to be outside or before a good hike. Watching the smoke from a rolled cigarette is interesting, and it gives me a new sense of alertness and focus without stimulation. Didn't much care for it as a tea, but eating them, after cleaning them of small bits of bark, proofed to be quite a tasty little snack, somewhat sweet too. Great quality and quantity for your buck, and well worth buying an ounce to try as it goes quicker than you might expect. Will definitely be coming back for more! :D

Definitely doesn't sound psychedelic and nothing like the icelandic visions of trolls and such.

Hmmmmmmm...
 
I never did see "trolls". But I did see a lot of arctic wildlife. I don't know why, but always arctic. Perhaps cause I grew up there.

It IS possible they are selling the same species. I did note a distinct sedative feeling. Perhaps they are selling ones without much of the psychedelic chems and only a little of the sedative?

It is VERY sedating. I normally move a LOT on mushies. But on these I basically sat/lay for a long time, meditating in a heavenly state. I also felt sleepy and extremely relaxed.
 
^Well, the region is so different (Himalayas) . I'm not sure how widespread particular ilk of lichen are, but that's a long way away at a very different elevation and habitat. It's just speculation, but I wouldn't be surprised if the sedating effects were due to a whole different psychoactive compound from one or many chems of a distinct class that are responsible for the psychedelic and euphoric effects. We need someone to do some extractions from that rock soup using different solvents, or better yet a professional isolation of the constituents. Someone must know someone in Iceland familiar with it... Invite them here if you do.
 
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