red22
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2009
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- 1,200
The myth that LSD pills/tabs are known to contain strychnine was surprisingly prevalent.[1] There is also a myth that peyote contains strychnine, which makes more sense. I found two quotes that provide insight into the origin of the peyote myth, and it's reasonable to assume that strychnine's association with LSD was just an extension of the peyote one.
THERE are two stages in the physiological effects that result from eating peyote. First, the strychnine‐like alkaloids in the cactus give a feeling of excitement and exhilaration like that induced by strong coffee. The face becomes flushed, the pupils dilate and the person tends to be talkative, light ‐ headed and wakeful. (These alkaloids have been experimented with in pure form because of a possibility that they might be useful in treatment of heart disease.)
The ‘Diabolic Root’. Weston La Barre, Nov. 1, 1964, The New York Times
To put one persistent myth to rest, there is no strychnine in peyote. The white fuzz that is usually removed from the buttons before ingestion can be a gastroirritant, but it does not contain strychnine. However, lophophorine, accounting for about 0.18% of the dry weight of the buttons, can cause some symptoms similar to strychnine poisoning, such as a sickening feeling in the back of the head, and hotness and blushing of the face. Lophophorine causes violent convulsions when injected into rabbits at concentrations of 12 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
Pharmako/Gnosis: Plant Teachers and the Poison Path. Dale Pendell, 2005, 2009. Peyote: Lophophora williamsii, page 106
Strychnine and/or Nux vomica extract seems to be a well-established drug in Asia, as its effects in low doses are much removed from its higher dose effects. As recently as the 1960s, strychnine was marketed as an aphrodisiac in the U.S.[2] and it is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List.[3]
"Strychnine and brucine although being toxic in nature have remarkable therapeutic action."[4]
There was also a 1965 song by The Sonics called Strychnine that praises it:
You may think it's funny
That I like this stuff
But once you've tried it
You can't get enough
It's reasonable to assume that the description in the first quote derived from researcher(s) who had consumed both peyote and strychnine (seperately). Strychnine is also an indole, like tryptamine psychedelics, and peyote's alkaloids are similar to indoles, so that, combined with the observed convulsions, could have inspired the aformentioned description.
One Bluelighter even describes strychnine as "extremely similar to a non-hallucinogenic dose of acid" and extolls the fact that "since I extract it myself, I know exactly what Im getting (as far as product and dosage is concerned), its infinitely cheaper, and I have constant/unlimited access due to not having to rely on dealers". See all his comments about it on this page: https://www.bluelight.org/community...-as-a-motivational-boost.503184/post-11972780
The description of a redditor who also experimented with strychnine reaffirms this Bluelighter's comment: "My field of vision expanded noticeably. Every object seemed more sharply defined, with deeper shadow variations and color vividness. I also felt like I could zoom in on far off objects. This was like going from 360p to 720p." (Strychnine: my experiences. Aug 6, 2015)
The aformentioned brucine is dimethoxystrychnine and is reportedly less toxic than strychnine and may have even been passed off as amphetamine pills once.
"Strychni semen, a herb also known as “maqianzi” in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), also contains strychnine together with its less toxic analog, brucine."
Strychnine poisoning due to traditional Chinese medicine: a case series. Tong HF, Chan CY, Ng SW, Mak TWL. F1000Res. 2021 Dec 17;10:924. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.73072.2 (Background)
I also recall that there was a time when "white crosses" were analyzed to be brucine rather than amphetamine.
George Root, Oct 20, 1994. alt.drugs post (UseNet), 'Re: What are the different kinds of LSD?'. Seen at the bottom of this page: Myths: Strychnine in LSD? Lamont Granquist, 1994. https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_myth5.shtml
1. Strychnine and other enduring myths: Expert and user folklore surrounding LSD (Presti, D. E., Beck, J. E.) / Psychoactive sacramentals: Essays on entheogens and religion. T. B. Roberts (Ed.), 2001, San Francisco: Council on Spiritual Practices (pages 125-137)
2. Following this trend in France, a company in Miami during the 1960s learned of strychnine’s supposed sexual benefit from the medical writings of the Victorian era. The company, All Products Unlimited, hoped to seize upon the sexual revolution of the 1960s for financial gain by selling an aphrodisiac pill they called Jems. The pill, marketed as a “sex energizer pep tablet for married men and women,” contained a small dose of strychnine.
Following the release of Jems to the general public, All Products Unlimited was sued for mail fraud. The suit was, in fact, not focused toward the inclusion of strychnine in the pill’s formula, but instead was focused upon the false claims of Jems being able to provide sexual benefit to consumers. Upon facing the charges in court, the company decided not to fight it and was swiftly indicted.
[Reference: Kang L, Pedersen N. Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything. New York, NY: Workman Publishing; 2017.]
Fun Fact: What Benefit Did Victorian Era Physicians Believe Strychnine Could Provide?. Alana Hippensteele, Pharmacy Times, Nov 12, 2020
3. See S6. Stimulants: https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list?page=0&q=strychnine&all=1#search-anchor
4. TLC Determination of Strychnine and Brucine of Strychnos nux vomica in Ayurveda and Homeopathy Drugs. Rathi A, Srivastava N, Khatoon S, Rawat A. Chromatographia 67(7):607-613, Apr 2008. DOI: 10.1365/s10337-008-0556-z
THERE are two stages in the physiological effects that result from eating peyote. First, the strychnine‐like alkaloids in the cactus give a feeling of excitement and exhilaration like that induced by strong coffee. The face becomes flushed, the pupils dilate and the person tends to be talkative, light ‐ headed and wakeful. (These alkaloids have been experimented with in pure form because of a possibility that they might be useful in treatment of heart disease.)
The ‘Diabolic Root’. Weston La Barre, Nov. 1, 1964, The New York Times
To put one persistent myth to rest, there is no strychnine in peyote. The white fuzz that is usually removed from the buttons before ingestion can be a gastroirritant, but it does not contain strychnine. However, lophophorine, accounting for about 0.18% of the dry weight of the buttons, can cause some symptoms similar to strychnine poisoning, such as a sickening feeling in the back of the head, and hotness and blushing of the face. Lophophorine causes violent convulsions when injected into rabbits at concentrations of 12 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
Pharmako/Gnosis: Plant Teachers and the Poison Path. Dale Pendell, 2005, 2009. Peyote: Lophophora williamsii, page 106
Strychnine and/or Nux vomica extract seems to be a well-established drug in Asia, as its effects in low doses are much removed from its higher dose effects. As recently as the 1960s, strychnine was marketed as an aphrodisiac in the U.S.[2] and it is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List.[3]
"Strychnine and brucine although being toxic in nature have remarkable therapeutic action."[4]
There was also a 1965 song by The Sonics called Strychnine that praises it:
You may think it's funny
That I like this stuff
But once you've tried it
You can't get enough
It's reasonable to assume that the description in the first quote derived from researcher(s) who had consumed both peyote and strychnine (seperately). Strychnine is also an indole, like tryptamine psychedelics, and peyote's alkaloids are similar to indoles, so that, combined with the observed convulsions, could have inspired the aformentioned description.
One Bluelighter even describes strychnine as "extremely similar to a non-hallucinogenic dose of acid" and extolls the fact that "since I extract it myself, I know exactly what Im getting (as far as product and dosage is concerned), its infinitely cheaper, and I have constant/unlimited access due to not having to rely on dealers". See all his comments about it on this page: https://www.bluelight.org/community...-as-a-motivational-boost.503184/post-11972780
The description of a redditor who also experimented with strychnine reaffirms this Bluelighter's comment: "My field of vision expanded noticeably. Every object seemed more sharply defined, with deeper shadow variations and color vividness. I also felt like I could zoom in on far off objects. This was like going from 360p to 720p." (Strychnine: my experiences. Aug 6, 2015)
The aformentioned brucine is dimethoxystrychnine and is reportedly less toxic than strychnine and may have even been passed off as amphetamine pills once.
"Strychni semen, a herb also known as “maqianzi” in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), also contains strychnine together with its less toxic analog, brucine."
Strychnine poisoning due to traditional Chinese medicine: a case series. Tong HF, Chan CY, Ng SW, Mak TWL. F1000Res. 2021 Dec 17;10:924. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.73072.2 (Background)
I also recall that there was a time when "white crosses" were analyzed to be brucine rather than amphetamine.
George Root, Oct 20, 1994. alt.drugs post (UseNet), 'Re: What are the different kinds of LSD?'. Seen at the bottom of this page: Myths: Strychnine in LSD? Lamont Granquist, 1994. https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_myth5.shtml
1. Strychnine and other enduring myths: Expert and user folklore surrounding LSD (Presti, D. E., Beck, J. E.) / Psychoactive sacramentals: Essays on entheogens and religion. T. B. Roberts (Ed.), 2001, San Francisco: Council on Spiritual Practices (pages 125-137)
2. Following this trend in France, a company in Miami during the 1960s learned of strychnine’s supposed sexual benefit from the medical writings of the Victorian era. The company, All Products Unlimited, hoped to seize upon the sexual revolution of the 1960s for financial gain by selling an aphrodisiac pill they called Jems. The pill, marketed as a “sex energizer pep tablet for married men and women,” contained a small dose of strychnine.
Following the release of Jems to the general public, All Products Unlimited was sued for mail fraud. The suit was, in fact, not focused toward the inclusion of strychnine in the pill’s formula, but instead was focused upon the false claims of Jems being able to provide sexual benefit to consumers. Upon facing the charges in court, the company decided not to fight it and was swiftly indicted.
[Reference: Kang L, Pedersen N. Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything. New York, NY: Workman Publishing; 2017.]
Fun Fact: What Benefit Did Victorian Era Physicians Believe Strychnine Could Provide?. Alana Hippensteele, Pharmacy Times, Nov 12, 2020
3. See S6. Stimulants: https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list?page=0&q=strychnine&all=1#search-anchor
4. TLC Determination of Strychnine and Brucine of Strychnos nux vomica in Ayurveda and Homeopathy Drugs. Rathi A, Srivastava N, Khatoon S, Rawat A. Chromatographia 67(7):607-613, Apr 2008. DOI: 10.1365/s10337-008-0556-z
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