PSYCHADELIC INFORMATION NOTE: THIS PAGE IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
Now all the technical garb is out of the way, the question is what does it do and how does it do it? It comes in the form of a small "tab" or dissolvable paper-like substance which contains the relevant chemicals and is put onto any mucosal surface, through which it is absorbed into the body. Most people put it under their tongue, but some do it by placing it under their eyelid or even in their ear. It acts within 30 to 60 minutes and its effects usually last for 8 to 10 hours, although occasionally some effects persist for several days. It is a hallucinogenic and therefore it creates hallucinations! It can enhance and distort sensory information, spark the imagination and basically create a completely different reality. It breaks down a persons ability to judge what is real from what isn't. It is possible therefore for a trip (the experience of taking a hallucinogenic) to go in any direction. You can have an overwhelmingly good experience, and it is also possible to have an overwhelmingly bad experience (a bad trip). Those who report having good trips usually describe a feeling of euphoria, liberation and of something beyond what theyâve experienced before, while those who have a bad trip usually vow never to do it again and some people never recover. While how LSD actually works is uncertain, it is probably due to its ability to inhibit the action of serotonin (the transmitter of nerve impulses) and the impact this has on the brain, which creates the experience of a trip. (Interestingly, the chemical imbalance that causes schizophrenia is a lack of serotonin. Schizophrenics have actually been found to produce an excess of DMT (a chemical with a similar structure and action to that of LSD) naturally in their bodies!). As well as a trip, mood swings, time and space distortions, and impulsive behaviour are complications which have been noted as common in LSD users. They may also become increasingly suspicious of the intentions and motives of those around them and could possibly become aggressive. It has also been noted that a small number of people have had their vision permanently impaired. Being on LSD is temporary (you hope) insanity. Whenever a person takes LSD, a temporary psychosis is undertaken and this can take years to recover from. It has been known for people to never come down from a trip on LSD, which doesnât necessarily mean that a person is stuck with active LSD in their brain for the remainder of their life, but rather it triggers a schizophrenic tendency in a person or pushes them over the edge, causing them to never be the same. Equally as serious is the fact that people have committed suicide during or after a bad trip. When one is on LSD, it is possible to think that the exaggerated false negative feelings you feel have a real basis and therefore you act on them. To date, LSD is the only hallucinogen connected with suicides. The link between serotonin and suicidal tendencies has been known for some time, as depressed patients and suicide victims often have low levels of the chemical. The reasons as to why LSD is seen as more dangerous than other similar hallucinogens is unclear. Perhaps, it's because LSD works the most efficiently or is more commonly used. Perhaps there is a clear reason that we have not yet discovered since we don't know enough about how the brain works. Nevertheless, the connection is there. If LSD is used at raves or anywhere else where the mind will be distracted by music, lights, and other visuals, the chances are that you won't have a bad trip or commit suicide (although other negative side-effects are still possible). If you ever get into a situation where you have no choice but to sit and think (with your mind in over-drive), that's where it can get ugly. The effect LSD can have on people varies as different people have very different tolerance levels. One person could take 1/2 a hit and get the same effects as another person on 5 hits. This can be very dangerous if someone were to take too much on their first trip. The number of times youâve taken LSD however does not effect the probability of having a bad trip. It has been documented in medical research that persons who have tripped as many as 300 times or more without a bad trip are still capable of having one, and are also just as likely to have flashbacks, and/or mental disorders. Basically, LSD is a very potent hallucinogen. It would be great if all trips were good ones or if LSD had no side-effects. However, not all trips are good and LSD has several unique side-effects, none of which are beneficial. LSD is a drug which involves significantly more risks than other drugs. If you cannot obtain an equivalent hallucinogenic with less downfalls or you have made an educated decision to take LSD, you should ensure that you are getting it from a reliable source and that you take it in a safe environment. It is a good idea to have someone else present who is responsible and straight who can act quickly in the case of something going wrong. If something does go wrong, for Christs sake call an ambulance, your life is more important than getting into trouble!
Certain types of naturally occurring mushrooms contain hallucinogenic chemicals -- psilocybin and psilocin. These mushrooms are generally grown in Mexico and Central America and have been used in native rituals for thousands of years. Dried mushrooms contain about 0.4% psilocybin and only trace amounts of psilocin. Hallucinogenic effects can be obtained by ingesting 4-8 milligrams of the active hallucinogenic chemicals or about 2 grams of the dried mushrooms. The mild hallucinogenic effects of mushrooms last about six hours. Mushrooms, which have a strong bitter taste, can be eaten or brewed into a tea. The effects of mushrooms are unpredictable each time they are used due to varying potency, the amount ingested, and the user's expectations, mood, surroundings, and frame of mind. Once ingested, mushrooms generally cause feelings of nausea and other physical symptoms before the desired mental effects appear. The high from using mushrooms is mild and consists of distorted perceptions. Effects may include different perceptions of stimuli like touch, sight, sound and taste. The effects are similar to LSD but milder. Some users order kits with the spores and grow their own in a closet or basement. Others look for naturally growing mushrooms, running the danger of mistakenly selecting poisonous mushrooms, which can cause death or permanent liver damage within hours of ingestion. Some dealers sell regular grocery store mushrooms laced with LSD or PCP as magic mushrooms.
DMTExcerpt from a pharmacology textbook published in 1988Chemical structure and source:This is the prototype member of the tryptamine subclass of indole derivatives. The structural formula is:
The drug is a constituent of many of the same South American snuffs and drinks that contain other psychedelic indole deriviatives, it is often found in the same plants as 5-MeO-DMT, and Indians add a substance containing it to drinks containing harmala alkaloids. DMT is the major constituent of the bark of Virola calophylla, mentioned above; it is also found in the seeds of Anadenanthera peregina; in the seeds of the vine Mimosa hostilis, used in eastern Brazil to make a drink called "ajuca" or "jurema"; in the leaves of Banisteriopsis rusbyana, which are added to the harmaline drinks derived from other plants of the Banisteriopsis genus to make "oco-yage"; and in the leaves of Psychotria viridis, also added to the Banisteriopsis drinks. Like 5-MeO-DMT, DMT must be combined with monoamine oxydase inhibitors to become active orally. DoseFirst strong effects are felt at about 50mg, whether it is smoked or injected. Tolerance develops only after extremely frequent use - injections every two hours for three weeks in rats; at that dose frequency, but not otherwise, there is also a cross-tolerance between DMT and LSD (Rosenberg et. al. 1964; Kovacic and Domino, 1976).Physiological effectsResembles LSD, but sympathomimetic symptoms like dilated pupils, heightened blood pressure, and increased pulse rate are more common and more intense.Psychological EffectsLike LSD but often more intense. Since it is not taken by mouth, the effects come on suddenly and can be overwhelming. The term "mind blowing" might have been invented for this drug. The experience was described by Alan Watts as like "being fired out of the nozzle of an atomic cannon" (Leary 1968a p.215). Thoughts and visions crowd in at great speed; a sense of leaving or transcending time and a feeling that objects have lost all form and dissolved into a play of vibrations are characteristic. The effect can be like instant transportation to another universe for a timeless sojourn.Duration of actionWhen DMT is smoked or injected, effects begin in seconds, reach a peak in five to twenty minutes and end after a half hour or so. This has earned it the name "businessman's trip." The brevity of the experience make its intensity bearable, and, for some, desirable.At least two synthetic drugs in which the methyl group of DMT is replaced by a higher radical are psychedelic:
The drug DET is active at the same dose as DMT and the effects last slightly longer, about one and a half to two hours. DPT is longer-acting still and has fewer autonomic side effects. In therapeutic experiments its action continues for one and a half to two hours at the lowest effective dose, 15 to 30mg, and for four to six hours at doses in the range of 60 to 150mg. Both DET and DPT are milder than DMT. The drug 6-FDET (6-fluorodiethyltryptamine) resembles DET in its effects. All these drugs, like DMT, are inactive orally and must be smoked or injected. Dibutyltryptamine (DBT) and higher substitutions are inert, but other synthetic drugs related to DMT may be psychoactive. 7-6-90
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LSD 
