So I've accumulated quite a stash, (I might have to pace myself). Options

[denm]

sinicuichi or sun opener

I am very interested in the smoking experiment with the sun opener.

I have not tried it. Now I just gotta.

[Softball]

Just an update, I recently got some new stuff in, most notably some RC's and some new kratom.

I went with the "Ultra Enhanced Indo" this time, 3g for 30 bucks. But this vendor is great, they discounted me at the check out, plus I had a coupon code, plus they have free shipping, plus they tend to send a bonus on what you ordered. So I got 4g for $16, shipped.

They give a standardized alkaloid content by weight for this stuff, the same way they do for their "Enhanced Bali," So I was able to figure out exactly what dose to start with to be equal to my usual dose of the Bali: 1g.

This was great, since, I was able to easily encapsule and down 1g of material, verse 5g of the Bali or up to 10g of the Maeng Da.

It was a decently, long lasting buzz that I expect from Kratom, the dosage was right on the money. I might divide the remaining 3g in half though, just to push it a bit, or if I'm feeling saucy, I might take another 1g then take 2g in one dose.

Overall though, I have to say that while the extracts are dependable strength, the high from the Maeng Da was the most. There's something in the extracts that's just missing from the full leaf. The problem is choking down the leaf in the first place.

[somsolo]

Dogear, sinicuichi will not overwinter in Zone 5 I had mine for 2 year and decided to try my (its) luck, it's daid and isn't coming back

[Softball]

Dogear, sinicuichi will not overwinter in Zone 5 I had mine for 2 year and decided to try my (its) luck, it's daid and isn't coming back

Well, they say that the fresh stuff is the best, but the dried foliage isn't that expensive. Just not as potent. I still haven't had the time to go in for a second experiment. I had an incident recently which significantly slowed down my experimentation.

[somsolo]

I hope all is well for you.

Looking at my previous post regarding Sinicuichi, I wonder wtf did I post that for without any explanation as to WHY I was providing this apparently random piece of info The intent was to pass along the info to anyone that may have been wondering

Glad to see you are back, I always looked forward to hearing your first hand reports, perhaps we will see some more from you in the near future.

[thimself]

Sinicuichi requires fermentation traditionally to become active. There is a method somewhere on yahoo groups that supposedly works very well, go search there for a bit. Also, IIRC, muscle soreness is a sign of too high of a dose.

Regarding Maeng Da, there has been a lot of garbage going around trying to be passed off as the real deal, watch out for that shit. The best someone I spoke to on the subject said the best Maeng Da was actually real powdered leaf, with the 7-OH derivative of the active added in. The 7-OH derivative is 14x potency of M on the basis of antinociceptive effects in rats (again my memory is fuzzy at this time at night so IIRC!) Would you mind throwin me a PM of your vendor?

HBWR and morning glory contain the same actives, LSA. If you are the hobby chemist, extract that shit and transform it to LSH. The chemicals on the outside of the seeds, and inside probably, can cause negative side effects; extracting will get rid of this. There is plenty of information already written, so no need to rewrite.

Yohimbe will make you a chevy, hard like a rock watch out for the maoi effects, just don't take anything else with it.

DXM is not an ethno

[denm]

you might want to take a DMT containing plant with it

[Softball]

I hope all is well for you...

Thanks, things have been well. Took this summer off. I needed a break after a rough time with some research chems back in early June. Only had the occasional dose of a very mild strain of kratom (Yellow Malaysian), but I've recently been feeling that "itch" to experiment again. Hopefully I'll have time to experiment and write up, whether the experience is good or bad.

Sinicuichi requires fermentation traditionally to become active. There is a method somewhere on yahoo groups that supposedly works very well, go search there for a bit. Also, IIRC, muscle soreness is a sign of too high of a dose.

I'll have to search that, thank you.

Regarding the others, the stuff I've gotten as Maeng Da has been noticeably more potent than the other. I trust the vendor not to send me crap. As of now their price to potency ratio has been right on the money.

I know the actives in HBWR and MG are the same, but I've heard people who use both extensively say that the experiences are different. My experimentation with MG has been rough in the past. Too little the first time, WAY too much the second. I bought the HBWR to try a different route. Haven't used it yet, both of these plants are "time consuming" and I've been too busy to experiment safely and properly.

The Yohimbe was purchased to be mixed with Wormwood. Had read experiences with this that the MAOI effects help the body use the chemicals in WW better. Never got that far. I mixed up the tea as stated in one of the recipes, forgetting that wormwood is one of the most bitter herbs known. After squeezing the teabag of extra liquid, I licked my fingers (a habit I have with any bagged tea) and I almost vomited. I just dumped the mixture haven't bothered since. I had tried a mild dose of yohimbe on it's own, but nothing really came of it.

DXM is not an ethno

Yeah, was just in the box with my other goodies. Have experimented with light doses, not sure if I'm fond of it. I like the dissociated feeling from other similar drugs, but this made me more tired.

[somsolo]

Glad to see you have recovered from early June, sounds like the kind of thing to make one take a couple steps back and think a bit

I don't understand the appeal of DXM, I had to try it *once* to see what it was about, I probably underdosed as I was not anywhere near overwhelmed, and then finding out that it does cause actual brain lesions over time, eh fuck that shit

I hope you are served well by the individual natures of further experiments, please continue to keep us posted.

[Softball]

Glad to see you have recovered from early June, sounds like the kind of thing to make one take a couple steps back and think a bit

Yeah, the unfortunate combination of a wrong assumption on my part, and a little too much trust in my scale to measure a potent chemical. No lasting damage and very important lesson learned. Painful as it was I'm glad I learned my lesson the easy way.

Anyway, I decided to try out a new plant this weekend, called "Sweet Flag" or Acorus Calamus. I don't remember when or where I heard of it, I just had it on my list for my next plant order. It's been in my box for a while, and last night seemed as good a night as any to try.

The material looked like wood-chips, and had a slightly spicy aroma. The smell was unique, actually, and I enjoyed it. It's essentially the chopped up root of the plant, which people chew/eat fresh from the ground.

After reading the mixed reports on Erowid, I decided to try a very conservative dose. 5g of the material, steeped in water for 15 minutes and strained. I only consumed the infusion. Determining the dosage based on the other experience reports was difficult, because most measurements were given in "inches" of fresh root material, and what I had was chopped up, and dried, and I had to either measure by weight or volume. Some good experiences spoke of 14-15g steeped for 20 minutes, so I figured that the worst that could happen was I felt nothing at all.

Anyone who reads the reports on this plant can see it's a mixed bag. From no result, to great experiences, to all night horrible puke fests. Up front, I'm glad I dosed weak. The experience was nice, no hours of puking or other horrible side effects.

A brief timeline:
t = -2:30 Had sex with my girlfriend. I just mention this because sex does affect brain chemistry, specifically dopamine and endorphin levels, so that has the potential to effect other things.

t = -1:30 Smoked a tiny bit of Salvia. To make a small story short, my first time ever trying to smoke anything, and I had a tiny bit of plain leaf in a one hitter. The grossness of smoking overwhelmed the small effect the salvia had. I'll stick to quids. Again, just mentioning because it could have effected the experience. I didn't feel any lingering effects by the time I began with the Sweet Flag.

t = 0:00 Began sipping the infusion. lots of people complained about how horribly bitter the stuff was, but I found it to be alright. There was a fruity/spicy overtone to the brew that I actually found quite enjoyable, though I could see the bitterness overpowering that with a stronger brew. (Just as a side note: so many people complain about the bitter taste of ethnobotanicals, but I never have an issue. Maybe it's from all the flower arranging or the fact that I generally have a taste for bitter foods like unsweetened chocolate.)

t = 0:15 Finish sipping the tea. No noticeable effects so far.

t = 0:30 I feel a slight taughtness/heat in the neck and shoulders. Almost like the first onset of an opiate buzz but with a more stimulating feeling.

t = 0:45 Noticed a muffled effect in my left ear, like I was listening to loud music (but I wasn't). I feel comfortably warm in general, and my fur lined hoodie feels a little extra cozy. I make some cacao mint tea and settle in on the couch to play some games. My chest feels warm and there's a slight dryness in my through. Drinking water helps with that.

t = 1:45 Still feeling a slight stimulant buzz, but without the tweaky uncomfortableness that can come with too much caffeine. I'm playing Echochrome on the PS3 and I just feel really good. I feel what I can only describe as a warm envelope around me, I'm focused on the game and not feeling bad at all. Not at all overwhelming or even euphoric, just nice.

t = 2:30 Now I notice some slight GI discomfort. I'm not sure if this was related to the Sweet Flag or to the rich meal I had much earlier in the evening, it really could have been either.

Overall it was a mild, pleasant experience. I'll try it again a little stronger and report the results. Looking into this plant, the active chemical is Asarone, which I believe acts similar to the phenethylamine class of drugs (among which are MDMA and 2C-B ). This plant has been described as a stimulant/psychedelic, so that makes sense. I believe the extreme stomach issues that people have result from too high a dose. Apparently the chemical stimulates the stomach activity, which can cause puking.

I had a decent experience, but anyone else out there, take it slow! Don't want anyone spending hours on end puking.

[somsolo]

I've been looking for Acorus Calamus in the wild a long time, never can find it and it is supposed to grow wild in this state. Like so many other wild herbs and plants of various types, yet I have found very few growing wild anywhere around here, I think 200+ years of farming and 60 or so years of herbicide use probably has something to do with it

[Softball]

And of course, like with many of these plants, the reports say the fresh stuff is best. Have you ever tried Calamus? My experience this weekend has definitely piqued my interest in the plant, I definitely want to see what I can get out of it.

[habraxas]

Have you ever tried Calamus?

i tried chewing a few inches ov the root once, didn't do enough for me to repeat the experience.