Important legal information for Australian customers:
The importation of Argyreia nervosa seeds into Australia is prohibited under the Customs Act 1901, Regulations, Schedule 4 (Drugs). The seeds offered by {SOURCE REMOVED} are grown in Australia.
Possession of LSA containing material such as Argyreia nervosa seeds may (or may not) be illegal under the Standard for the uniform scheduling of drugs and poisons (Australia), Schedule 9 (the same schedule as Heroin!!!!!), but treated seeds are excluded under Appendix A, and are thus legal to trade and possess. Our seeds are treated with either food grade sulphur dust or UV sterilisation procedure. These treatments have no eefect on viability or alkaloid profile and are non-toxic.
Botanical information:
A perennial vine, it grows to a height of 40m. The stem is slender, woody, branching and twining; the leaves are green & heartshaped; the flowers are pastel pink with a deep coloured throat, trumpet shaped and 4cm across; the fruit are woody capsules, shaped like a carved rose.
A native of Asia, it prefers rich, moist, well drained soils in a protected, sunny position, and is drought and frost tender.
Propagation is by scarified seed or cuttings. Seed germination is greatly enhanced by scratching the seed coat and soaking seeds overnight in water. Sow seed directly in the ground or into punnets, 10-20mm deep in fine, sandy soil. Keep moist but not wet. Seedlings will emerge within a few days and can be transplanted at any time. Some seeds may take up to several months to germinate. Very susceptible to fungal problems caused by humidity and overwatering. Needs lots of rootspace and trellis space, and is frost sensitive.
Note on varieties:
There are serveral distinct varieties of Argyreia nervosa and much confusion exists about which seeds to buy. One website differentiates between NewZealand, African, Hawaiian and various other seeds, showing pictures and explanations of how each variety is supposed to look AS SEED. While that page is put up by a very reputable seedsource, in this case they got it VERY wrong.
In general ALL Argyreia nervosa seeds looks very similar. The presence of beige fur, the size, the dimples, the colour and most other chracteristics are common to all varieties and are affected by various factors, but NOT variety. The presence of beige fur is mostly related to how well the seed was cleaned. Sometimes certain strains can have very little fur or even be smooth, but I have seen this in all varieties. The size (as with most plants) is related to the nutrient store of the plant at time of seeding, and the number of seeds supported during seed development. The dimples can vary form individual plantto individual plant. The colour is again mostly related to harvest conditions, processing and storage.
So how do you tell the varieties apart?? In my experience so far, I believe it is not possible to tell varieties from seed. I have seen all combinations of traits in seed from all locations.
The main difference between varieties is that the speciosa variety is used medicinally in ayurvedic medicine and the nervosa strain has high LSA alkaloid content. It makes little difference where the strains are grown, but most seed originating from India and Africa is of the speciosa variety and thus low in LSA. These countries are responsible for supplying the vast bulk of all Argyreia seed on the market today. It wholesales for about {PRICE REMOVED} per kilo and is available in huge quantities. The nervosa variety on the other hand is in very short supply and wholesales at {PRICE REMOVED} per kilo, but is rarely available in such quantities.
The cheap african seed flooded the market sometime after '95. Most of the seed available through ethnobotany supplies before then was of the nervosa variety. However in the last few years ('98 onwards) the african speciosa seed has largely replaced the traditional nervosa seed. As lines of supply became blurred people started paying the nervosa price for speciosa seed and these days a high price is not a guarantee of getting nervosa seed anymore. Even worse, many seedsuppliers (even on Hawaii) have bought in the speciosa variety and are now selling it (quite unknowingly) as nervosa seed. Similarly, the seed supplied by SAB has been speciosa seed for a couple of years. I can't even determine when they changed over, but I know that at least the first 6 months were guaranteed nervosa strains. This means we have plenty of nervosa strain plants growing for future seed production.
The nervosa seed currently offered (fractal) is from plants of the nervosa variety (ie like traditional Hawaiian seed) grown in Far North Queensland, in a climate similar to Hawaii. Bioassays have confirmed activity identical to good quality Hawaiian Argyreia nervosa var nervosa seed.
We also continue to offer Argyreia nervosa var speciosa seed for their traditional uses. As would be expected of seed grown, processed and stored under indentical conditions, both varieties of seed look the same (beige, furry).
Traditional uses:
There are no records of any traditional psychoactive use of argyreia nervosa, but in recent times the seeds have become popular for their LSD-like effects. While one seed may already cause minor effects, dosages of 4 to 8 seeds are usually employed for psychedelic experiences, which last for about 6 to 8 hours. The popular method of preparation is to soak the finely ground seeds in a minimal amount of water for several hours, then consuming both the water and seeds. Stronger extracts can apparently be made by soaking the ground seeds in saliva, or chewing the seeds and spitting them into a bowl, macerating them this way for 5 - 20 hours before consuming. Saliva appears to break down the seed, releasing the active ingredients. Many members of the convolvulaceae family are used by shamans in a similar manner (Turbina corymbosa, Ipomoea violacea, Stictocardia tilliaefolium).
In ayurvedic medicine the root is used as a tonic for the nervous system and brain, as an aphrodisiac and for the treatment of arthritis, diabetes, and low sperm count.
Pharmacology:
The seeds of Argyreia nervosa contain about 0.3% ergot alkaloids, including chanoclavine, lysergol, ergotmetrine and ergine. These are all derivatives of Lysergic acid and most are collectively named lysergic acid amides (LSA). LSD (Lysergic Acid Diiethylamide) is also a lysergic acid amide and although resembling the natural lysergic acid amides both in structure and and pharmacological activity, it has not been found in nature. Many of the ergot alkaloids can cause constriction of bloodvessels, which may result in necrosis of the tissue and gangrene in humans and animals. This condition, known as "St. Anthony's fire" was often observed in earlier times after the ingestion of rye grain products affected by the ergot fungus and has caused many deaths in those days. These severe side effects have however never been observed from any of the convolvulaceae, although the vasoconstricting properties of some of these species are well documented. The ergot alkaloids from many different plant sources have been employed by midwifes of many cultures for their uterus contracting properties and this species (as well as many other convolvulaceae) may cause miscarriage or induce labour in pregnant women.
Small doses generally produce mild psychoactive effects, increased libido and euphoria, with no adverse side effects, while larger doses commonly cause nausea at onset, strong hallucinations and exhaustion. The length and intensity of the psychedelic effects are determined by the dosage and rate of absorption (greatly improved by grinding and soaking), but are dangerously unpredictable.
Extracts of the seeds and the ground seeds loose their activity within a few hours or days if exposed to light, moisture or air.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
