AND PLANT-BASED TRYPTAMINES The Best of The Entheogen Review 1992–1999 Second Edition Edited by Jim DeKorne, David Aardvark & K. Trout . AYAHUASCA ANALOGUES AND PLANT-BASED TRYPTAMINES The Best of The Entheogen Review 1992–1999 SECOND EDITION ER MONOGRAPH SERIES, NO. 1 Edited by Jim DeKorne, David Aardvark & K. Trout The Entheogen Review POB 19820 Sacramento, CA 95819-0820 USA This book is sold for entertainment purposes only. The information presented herein comes from many sources and represents the opinions and beliefs of a highly diverse group of individuals. The editors and publisher will not be held accountable for the use or misuse of the information contained in this book, and they assume no responsibility for the accuracy of any claims or representations presented in the text or illustrations, nor do they encourage illegal activities of any type. Manufacture, possession, or sale of a controlled substance is a crime that can result in a lengthy prison term and significant fines. Ayahuasca Analogues and Plant-based Tryptamines: The Best of The Entheogen Review 1992–1999, Second Edition. Copyright 2000 by The Entheogen Review. First published as Ayahuasca Analogs and Plant-based Tryptamines: The Best of The Entheogen Review 1992–1996. Copyright 1996 by JIM DEKORNE. First printing of the first edition, September 1996. First printing of the second edition, May 2000. Second printing of the second edition, May 2002. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in any form whatsoever without prior written consent of the author(s), editor(s), or publisher. Reviews may quote brief passages without written consent as long as proper credit is given. Project Editors: JIM DEKORNE, DAVID AARDVARK & K. TROUT Manuscript Editor: MELISSA IRWIN Published by: The Entheogen Review ISSN 1066-1913 POB 19820 Sacramento, CA 95819-0820 USA www.entheogenreview.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication . 6 For Terence . 7 Introduction to the First Edition . 8 Introduction to the Second Edition . 9 Ayahuasca and its Analogues . 11 Mushrooms and MAOI . 55 Phenethylamines and MAOI . 67 Miscellaneous and MAOI . 73 The Passiflora Genus . 81 The Phalaris Genus . 85 Arundo donax . 125 Desmanthus Illinoensis . 133 Mucuna pruriens . 139 Phragmites australis . 145 Psychotria viridis . 151 Mimosa tenuiflora (= M. hostilis) . 155 The Acacia Genus . 167 DMT & 5-MeO-DMT . 175 Pipes and Vaporizers . 201 Book Reviews . 215 Appendix A: Degree of Intensity Scale . 225 Appendix B: Botanical Index . 229 Bibliography . 233 Dedicated to the memory of TERENCE MCKENNA November 16, 1946 — April 3, 2000 In editing this compilation, I repeatedly came across TERENCE’S name. And it occurred to me that it was largely Mr. MCKENNA’S writings that renewed my own interest in psychonautical exploration in the early ‘90s. I know that many others feel the same way. Among these is the former editor of The Entheogen Review, JIM DEKORNE, who has remarked that his “interest in these matters was rekindled after several years of dormancy solely because of his exposure to MCKENNA’S brilliance.” Through his intelligent, creative, and witty writings and talks, TERENCE threw a stone in the lake of our community’s consciousness. The ripples have inspired many, and we’re thankful. DAVID AARDVARK 6 For Terence Peculiar and proud. “Say it!” said the mushrooms Say it loud and true Don’t withhold the torrent of words Don’t withhold a shred of truth — If it’s good and beautiful or even ugly and grotesque Don’t withhold the iridescently infinitized arabesque or the humorously frightening alien burlesque McKenna McKenna McKenical DMT elves With pointy ears and electric shears To cut your ego’s grip. Torrents of terror when the fabric is rent A tear rents The media’s mechanical trance And words flow like lava with pyroclastic psychedelocution. Words point like fingers waving like old friends From the future. Pointing— over there! Right inside you! To Logos, the Cosmic Loom Weaving a paisley DNA Milky Way fabric To re-weave the fabric the Terror has torn. He won’t withhold a shred of love Because it re-weaves the fabric In every dimension. Ultimately. Simply. Fractally. Creatively. His Art is to form the instrument of his mouth in such a shape That echoes of awakenings outside of time Arrive and take residence in our hearts Never to leave us But to encourage our own weird way— Buy an artist’s work, you feed them for a day Inspire an artist’s creativity It’s the soul’s lifetime feast. Thanks for the banquet! With love, ALEX GREY 7 INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EDITION The Entheogen Review, a quarterly publication devoted to the shamanic use of plant-based entheogens, was first published in the fall of 1992. Since that time a great deal of information has been accumulated—enough to edit and reprint in a series of monographs, of which this is the first. Ayahuasca is a brew of extremely potent psychoactive plants endemic to the South American rain forest. An “ayahuasca analogue” is a brew made of Temperate Zone plants that contain the same alkaloids found in the Amazo- nian ayahuasca species. This book is a compendium of contemporary folk- lore concerning the cultivation and shamanic use of several Temperate Zone plant species, which in proper combination make something resembling rain forest ayahuasca. In addition to making ayahuasca, the alkaloids found in Temperate Zone tryptamine-containing plants may also be extracted. These extractions are usually smoked for the brief, but extremely intense, psychedelic experiences characteristic of both DMT and/or 5-MeO-DMT. Considerable lore has ac- cumulated over the past four years relating to these matters, and continues to come in almost daily. This book is the only one the editor is aware of in which these up-to-date data are compiled under one cover. This is an entirely new field of study, which so far seems not to have perco- lated down to the street-drug scene. This means that, for the moment at least, the plants aren’t being abused and have not been scheduled by the DEA. If or when that ever happens is largely up to the sort of reader that this book is written for: you! Considering the politically incorrect and sensitive nature of its subject mat- ter, The Entheogen Review is deliberately edited not to appeal to popular drug- culture expectations. The cultivation and use of these plants is a shamanic discipline and the experiences they invoke are no more “recreational” than getting drunk on sacramental wine is. The data contained herein is slanted towards serious psychonauts, and while the editor has no final control over how this information will be used or abused, it is hoped that the reader will share his concern that we have a good thing going here and should take care that it stays that way. JIM DEKORNE August 18, 1996 8 INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION Why a second edition? In 1998 I took over production of The Entheogen Review. In our first year of publication, both the subscription base and the size of the journal doubled. Obviously, there is a growing interest in this field. In his introduction to the first edition, Mr. DEKORNE notes that infor- mation about ayahuasca analogues “continues to come in almost daily.” This is still true today, and I feel that enough new information has been unearthed that it is time to update the older material as well as include the newer material that has appeared since 1996. Throughout this second edition I have made edits to the original text in a few places, for the sake of accuracy, stylistic continuity, and clarity. To allow for easier referencing, I’ve added both a Table of Contents and a Botanical Index, which were unfortunately missing from the first edition. I’ve added a book review section, as well as including quite a bit of information from past issues of ER that for some reason didn’t make it into the first edition of the book (most notably, everything that had been published on Acacia spe- cies, as well as a hodgepodge of reports on combinations of MAOI drugs and various other entheogens, such as LSD, ergine, and Amanita muscaria). Throughout this new edition, K. TROUT and myself have made numerous additional editorial remarks. All references have now been compiled into a single bibliography. The material presented in general categories has been arranged chronologically. Each entry’s title has been retained (noting the issue and year that the entry first appeared) for those who wish to reference the original. While some of the earlier writings may now seem a bit dated, they provide a unique perspective on how much has been learned in the area of ayahuasca analogue research. There are other excellent compilations on the topic, such as JONATHAN OTT’S Ayahuasca Analogues: Pangæan Entheogens, K. TROUT’S Ayahuasca and Ayahuasca Alkaloids, RALPH METZNER’S Ayahuasca: Hallucinogens, Consciousness, and the Spirit of Nature, and LUIS EDUARDO LUNA and STEVEN F. WHITE’S recent Ayahuasca Reader, to name but a few. However, I feel that The Entheogen Review’s compi- lation is a bit different. It presents the “nuts and bolts” of growing, brewing, extracting, and experiencing ayahuasca analogues, by sharing first-hand stories from our world-wide family of intrepid psychonauts. What works, and what doesn’t. Numerous questions, and more than a few answers— straight from the “kitchen chemists” and “basement shaman” themselves. I hope that you enjoy our unique take on the topic of ayahuasca analogues. DAVID AARDVARK April 20, 2000 9 10 AYAHUASCA AND ITS ANALOGUES 11 AN INTRODUCTION TO AYAHUASCA By JIM DEKORNE Fall 1992 Ayahuasca, or yagé, is a ubiquitous Amazonian brew usually made up of at least two different plant species, Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis (al- though it has been reported that some shaman use only the former plant, which is itself referred to as the ayahuasca vine).