Copying koalas

Well last night we saw a koala in a tree.

The koala looked a bit dopey and one of my friends said, "Ha ha! Look at him, he's high!" (meaning that he was affected by a substance, not that he was at the top of the tree).

My friend reckons that koalas get high off the eucalyptus leaves they eat. Well, I've just been walking around my garden and I've collected a whole bunch of eucalyptus leaves. I've cut them up and they're now boiling in a pan of water with a lid on. Has anybody tried this? How many leaves will I need and how much of the "tea" will I need to drink? Any advice on onset and duration?

clop

My house is starting to stink.

Wow my nose has certainly cleared nicely.

Are you serious??? Do u expect to get high or something?!?!?! My advice, stop smoking crack.

ROFL.... 8)

My friend told me you get a major trip eating dog shit, you should try it.

Oh here you go....

http://tafkac.org/faq2k/antipodean_321.html

Maybe this will be of some help: http://www.erowid.org/herbs/eucalyptus/eucalyptus.shtml

I doubt this will give u any sort of "high", though it says a little bit about making tea from it so I guess there must be a reason to do this.

Uses: Used to treat respiratory ailments by inhaling steam of water with small amounts of eucalyptus oil in it. Also used as an expectorant.

The mature leaves, roots, and bark contain a colorless oil with a spicy cooling taste. It's an active germicide, possessing antiseptic and astringent qualities. A leaf-poltice can be used for abscesses and other skin problems. Always dilute the oil with water before applying to skin (2 tsp in a pint of water).

Tea: Steep a handful of fresh or dried leaves in a quart of boiling water for 20 minutes. The results can be drunk or used in a vaporizer.

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I agree about the koalas though, they always remind me of a stoner... they're so lazy! And all they do is eat or sleep (The koalas i mean )

I remember hearing something about leaf fermentation once they have eaten large amounts of a particular tree or something. It could have been a tall story told by my dad when I was young growing up on a farm but maybe there is some truth to it?
Anyway I recall something about Koalas falling out of tree's regularly under some conditions. Don't remember many detail. Im off to google.

Twenty minutes ago I drank about 200ml of the foulest smelling crap you can imagine. My nose is getting bigger and turning black. Fluff is growing out of my ears.

Have you ever seen a bottle of eucalyptus oil? It comes with a child proof lid and the bottle has the word "poison" on it - it's actually made as part of the side of the glass.

So, umm, good luck with your adventure and all...

Koalas do not get high on eucalyptus

They eat 50 species of the 600 species of eucalyptus trees in Australia. The belief that the koala is drunk on these leaves is actually a myth. Eucalyptus leaves contain 50% water and 5% sugars and starches. This is a low energy diet therefore they conserve their energy by sleeping about 19 hours a day, which makes them appear intoxicated.

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From Here


Don't cook up and drink concoctions made from plants/ trees without knowing what you're doing. eucalyptus, as pointed out will be of no benefit. Although Eucalyptus lignin can be used to make syringaldehyde which in turn can be used to synthesize mescaline, there are no active compounds at any appreciable levels in the sap, leaves, flowers, trunk, branches or roots.

Please heed Pleo's warning on the toxicity of eucalyptus oil

Bwhahaha! I work at the largest Eucalyptus manufacturing company in Australia, Bosisto's. We absolutely do NOT advise anyone to ingest it... it's a poison! Children have been admitted to hospital in serious condition after swallowing eucalyptus oil. That's why we have childproof caps on it and a huge "POISON" written on the side of the bottle.

You have to be careful even putting pure oil on your skin, it's quite potent. I'm sure your 'brew' is quite weak compared to professional extraction methods but still, be careful :D

ps. let me know if it works though, I'll consider adding that use to our Handy Hints brochure (j/k)

Koalas have an amazingly slow metabolism and an extraordinarily specific diet that isn't exactly high in energy - there are only a few species of Eucalyptus leaves that they eat, and that's all they eat. When they're not eating their sleepingYou'd be slow/look stoned too if that was your lifestyle

It is interesting to note that Koala's water needs are met with these leaves. The Koala almost never drinks. The name of the species translates from aboriginal language as a "no drink animal." Koalas have a well-designed digestive system that allows them to do well on low in protein and rich in fiber eucalyptus leaves. Due to Koala's slow metabolism rate, food remains up to 100 hours in the digestive system. The nutritional processes of the species are adjusted to extract the most energetic value from the food. The caecum, a fiber-digestive organ, is one of the Koala's adaptations.

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I remember something from the past about some Eucalyptus leaves having an active ingredient but Koalas eat Eucalyptus to stay alive, if they get high then that's just a bonus (and good on 'em too, they deserve it for being a human-friendly species) :D

^^^ thanks for beating me to it phase dancer.
Another reason for Koala's sedentary habits is to save energy for when it is really needed...when they have to move across country (and they can run quite swiftly). Whilst the Koala would like to stay amidst the treetops it has to increasingly move across land to find suitable habitats. This is because only ten percent of the 500 eucalypt species in Australia are actually edible to the Koala. Land clearing, development and bush fires have increased the pressure on the Koala' environment, and as it moves across land it is prey to dogs, eagles and of course traffic.

In short, another Antipodean icon is under threat from extinction (don't get me started on the Tasmanin devil).

But while Australians are sat in their yards wondering how they can get the next high the wildlife is safe. 8(