EEEA Psychoactiverowidrowidrowid Plants andEEE Chemicalsxtractsxtractsxtracts Newsletter Volume 1 December 2001 Number 2 he last six months have been busy at Over the past five years, we have focused Erowid. In May, we spoke at the primarily on developing and editing content, T Mind States II conference in with a single major overhaul of the site design Erowid.org is a member Berkeley, California. It was our first public and structure in the summer of 1999. It has supported organization working to speaking engagement and we’re glad to have finally come time for another complete provide free, reliable and accurate it behind us. :) We were pleased to gain overhaul in both back-end software and front information about psychoactive more than 120 new members in May, by far end interface design. In the coming months, plants and chemicals. our best month ever. we will be focusing heavily on implementing some of the designs and software we’ve The information on the site is a Though the added income wasn’t enough worked out over the last year. It is a hard compilation of the experiences, to cover a salary, we used the opportunity to choice for us to make each day as we stand words, and efforts of hundreds of try to meet our 2001 goal of hiring a third and watch the almost limitless river of data individuals including users, parents, person part-time. A friend with experience flow by, but it has become painfully clear health professionals, doctors, working for psychoactive information that in order to better keep up with the data therapists, chemists, researchers, organizations happened to be available and in the future, the site structure needs to be teachers, and lawyers. Erowid acts Sophie started work in July. as a publisher of new information revised now. as well as a library for the collection Sophie is directing the development of several new site areas including a Guiding of documents published elsewhere, The first casualty of war is truth.. spanning the spectrum from solid and Sitting Vault (with information about the — Rudyard Kipling peer reviewed research to creative use of skilled guides/sitters during intense writing and fiction. psychospiritual experiences) and the upcoming Families and Psychoactives Vault Some of the most important changes (where we’ll collect descriptions of modern we’re working on implementing are a new and traditional parent/child interactions and more robust navigation interface; around psychoactives). We’re still learning improved search ability; better integration, how to best integrate another person into the connection, and linking between various growing entity known as Erowid. IN THIS ISSUE . areas of the site; a new process for managing We continue to struggle with deciding external links; and a completely new where our energies should be focused. With document integrity and review system. Reflections on the Passing...... 2 enough work for a full-time crew of 10 We’re excited by the coming upgrades and Etymology of Erowid ................ 3 (divided between three and a handful of hope to implement many of these new volunteers), there’s never enough time to do features before the next newsletter. The Psychosis (Experience) ........... 4 everything that needs doing. We try to split future of robust, reliable, and freely available Antioxidants and MDMA .......... 6 our time between adding new content every information on psychoactive plants and day; supporting volunteers as they work on chemicals looks bright. NEJM Response ..................... 12 their various projects; keeping up with the Although this issue of the newsletter Re-examining MDA Duration... 13 most important of the flood of emails ended up longer than expected, it allowed us requesting information, help, or providing I, Lab Rat (Experience) ........... 16 to finally put in writing some ideas which valuable feedback; continuing to revise, have been sitting on the shelf for too long. Andrew Weil Interview ............. 19 correct, and perfect existing documents; We hope you enjoy Erowid Extracts and find making progress on large collabrative Myth Debunking ...................... 20 it useful. Please send comments, criticisms, information projects (see pg. 23); and a long and suggestions for future issues to Mouth -Smoking Cannabis ...... 22 list of necessary tasks such as systems [email protected]. administration, site security, membership The Distillation......................... 23 processing, and random office crap. Earth & Fire OBITUARY Reflections on the Passing of by David Jay Brown Three Great Psychedelic Pioneers Elizabeth Gips, John Lilly, and Oscar Janigar These past few months have been a time hosting a radio show at her son’s station, talking, and she laughed a lot. of grieving for many. In addition to the tragic KDNA in St. Louis. She began her Northern Elizabeth died at the age of 79. Three global conflicts, three great psychedelic California radio show Changes in 1975, and weeks after her death, her partner of 17 years, pioneers have left us for the Great Beyond: soon started writing for alternative culture Paddy Long, died in his sleep at the age of Elizabeth Gips, John C. Lilly, and Oscar magazines. Her book Scrapbook of a Haight- 74. They were deeply in love, and one has Janiger. These remarkable individuals Ashbury Pilgrim is a valuable historical to wonder if, perhaps, their synchronized devoted their lives to the study and document—prose, poetry, wisdom and departure from this world of smiles and tears transformation of human consciousness, and drawings inspired in San Francisco during wasn’t a well-timed romantic gesture. they believed strongly in the beneficial power the late sixties. of LSD and other psychedelics. Their Elizabeth’s home was decorated with passing marks the end of an era. Although psychedelic art and exotic religious artifacts John C. Lilly, M.D. they will be deeply missed, their spirits live from around the world, reflecting her January 6, 1915—September 30, 2001 on, continuing to inspire our minds and warm philosophy, which incorporated many our hearts. religions. Until the day she died, Elizabeth John Lilly is perhaps best known as the [This article was completed before the death was very much at the forefront of cultural man whose work inspired the films Altered of Ken Kesey, whose remembrance appears evolution. Even as she was dying from States and The Day of the Dolphin. Educated on page 18 of this issue. — Editor] at CalTech, Dartmouth Medical School, and the University of Pennsylvania, Neither water nor fire will embrace me in the end John went on to do much of his early Elizabeth Gips neuroscience research at the National but I will sail softly down May 5,1922—May 27, 2001 Institute of Mental Health. At NIMH like the golden leaf of the apple tree he pioneered many of the original that feels, at last, the warm caress of earth Born half-paralyzed and dictating studies into electrical brain stimulation, poetry four years later, Elizabeth Gips and began mapping the pleasure and is well-known for her lively interviews I will turn slowly sere and brown and blend pain pathways in the brain. In 1954, with virtually every major personality with the elements John invented the isolation tank and in the alternative culture. Her radio researched the psychological effects of show Changes, which aired in My small and errant love will be sensory deprivation. He also learned northern California for over twenty- released into the Love that touches its worth about the powerful effects of LSD at five years, inspired countless so rarely in our consciousness NIMH, and began to experiment on individuals to explore new realms of himself with the substance. heightened awareness. She All inhumanity John left NIMH in 1958, and built interviewed hundreds of will change and sweeten a research lab in the Virgin Islands, unconventional scientists, explorers, where he established the first artists, philosophers, political This death is birth interspecies communication research activists, and spiritual teachers. She as every dying cell surrenders in delight as every dying cell surrenders in delight with dolphins and whales. Unlike his also spoke often about psychedelics to that Illumination existing beyond light colleagues, John was convinced that and their relationship to spirituality, — Elizabeth Gips (1966) these marine mammals possessed politics, and science on her shows. unusually high levels of intelligence. Elizabeth attended Mills College He left the conventional academic in 1939-40, where she studied English and emphysema, Elizabeth continued to carry on world partially because of his interest in “discovered beat poetry and marijuana”. In with her radio show and develop her web site dolphins, and partially because of his desire 1964 her son turned her on to peyote, and (www.changes.org). It was simply to pursue higher states of consciousness. she metamorphosed into an “errant hippie”. impossible to keep Elizabeth quiet. With When John was introduced to the She then traveled around America with barely enough strength to breathe at times, psychedelic anesthetic ketamine, he fell in Stephen Gaskin, and spent time with him on she managed to devote an enormous amount love. Initially, he adhered to the scientific the Farm, the successful commune in of energy towards helping others. Youthful tradition as he systematically explored the Tennessee that Gaskin founded. optimism and vibrant enthusiasm streamed from Elizabeth’s spirit. She was filled with states of consciousness produced by LSD In 1971 Elizabeth left the Farm and began curiosity, got very excited when she was and ketamine while in the isolation tank. His 2 Erowid Extracts Vol. 1, No. 2 / December 2001 records, maps and theories about these Oz also maintained a long-standing Etymology of experiences are extremely valuable private psychiatric practice, which he contributions to our understanding of established in 1950, and continued until three psychedelic mind states. However, John weeks before his death.