#psychoactive plants

[banefolk]

Atropa belladonna berries freshly picked from my poison garden. So sweet, so juicy, so deadly. I’ll be drying them and saving the seeds as belladonna seeds and live plants can be pricy.

[disease]

DATURA (D. STRAMONIUM) ☠️🥀

Datura is a genus of nine species of poisonous flowering plants belonging to the family Solanaceae. Datura is known as powerful and dangerous deliriants, used for shamanic and medical purposes, as well as poisons. They contain the potent anticholinergic substances scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine primarily in their seeds and flowers. The reported effects post-ingestion have been commonly reported as states of psychotic delirium, longterm amnesia—and oftentimes results in fatality.

[serpentface]

Do psychotropic drugs and/or ritual play a role in any of the blightseed cultures? A pretty broad question, lol

Yeah that’s a very broad question, the answer is about as much as it tends to play roles in real history. Alcohol is pretty ubiquitous (outside of cultures that abstain from intoxicants) and used for a variety of purposes, opioids are commonly used in some parts for pain relief or recreational purposes, stimulants (usually in mild, natural forms) are used to provide extra energy, and hallucinogens are most commonly used as part of a larger religious framework (rather than for recreational purposes). Any more elaborate answer kinda has to be case by case in a certain culture or part of the setting.

I'll just take this as an opportunity to talk about the one established sect that pretty much REVOLVES around psychoactive use. This is the Scholarly Order of the Root, which is a sort of mystery religion + elite community of scholars who currently occupy the Ur-Tree and its forest in the far southern Lowlands (southeast of Imperial Wardin, on the same land mass).

The Ur-Tree is the obligatory Huge Fucking Fantasy Tree (and its surrounding forest). It’s a mass of vegetation about a mile tall and almost as old as Plant Life Itself, its upper branches are primeval plants, which become more modern the nearer they get to the ground (and each 'level' holds tiny ecosystems, some containing descendants of LONG-extinct arthropods/other small animals). Its lowest branches and the surrounding forest are contemporary plant life, and all is connected and protected by an incomparably MASSIVE fungal mycelium network (which is itself a living god).

A lot of the Scholars' more secretive practices revolve around experimentation with substance use with the goal of expanding the Mind and transcending the body to fully connect to the Dreamlands, and they have a supply chain of traders and mercenaries called Rootrunners who traffic substances into the Lowlands. Most of their psychoactive use is in a very intentional capacity and not just like, for fun, but a LOT of them are just straight up addicted to cocaine (in the form of alchemically refined bruljenum, which is used for practical purposes of its stimulant effect during long hours of work).

All known psychoactives are desirable for experimentation (particularly hallucinogens), with each having properties that either allow expansion of the Mind, transcendence of the body, or outright divine communion. Their effects are logged in great detail and interpreted to form the basis of the Scholars' understanding of the natural world and reality itself.

The most important substance is Ur-Root, which is root matter from subterranean levels of the Ur-Tree that have both their own intrinsic psychoactive substances and a very, very high concentration of living god mycelium. The tree root contains DMT and the mycelium has its own wholly unique effects (being an actual living god). They alchemically refine it into a purer, more potent form, and use it to expand beyond the body and directly commune with the Giants, a group of entities they have identified as the only true gods.

An Ur-Root trip starts off with minor visual distortion, which turns into shifting fractals that slowly obscure the vision. Eventually the senses are entirely taken over by a 'tunnel' of rapidly shifting fractals and geometries. In a complete trip, the experiencer gets a sense that they have been pushed through a membrane and entered another realm, finding themselves in a distinct experiential Space.

At this point they may encounter entities which communicate to them in a language impossible to describe but wholly understood. These beings are understood to be the Giants, or at least aspects of the Giants that mortals are capable of comprehending (they often take familiar tutelary forms of the Mantis or the Snake, or appear resembling the same type of sophont that the experiencer is, all composed of ever-shifting geometries). The experiencer often feels a sense of unconditional and endless love from these beings, though the Giants may be more hostile and may appear in the form of the Trickster (usually a cultural figure regarded as malicious, be it an animal or otherwise) in a bad trip.

(^Up until this point, this has mostly just been a DMT 'breakthrough' experience ft. 'machine elves' and the like).

They are then removed from this space and returned to something that feels like the real world, but is nearly unrecognizable. They have a sense of rapidly moving through time, and will usually see 'the spires' towards the beginning, which just so happen to look like this:

(source + some context via Implication- the spires are exactly what this art is depicting)

The experiencer continues to move across an unfathomable amount of time, occasionally 'seeing' other such flashes of unfamiliar landscapes and creatures, and yet also being devoid of all their senses, the 'seeing' is pure, unfiltered experience. There is a sense of interconnectedness with all life, and that one has become the forest (or even Life) itself. The sense of time is wildly distorted, the trip lasts only about 5 minutes but feels like an eternity and is understood as literal hundreds of millions of years.

The experiencer has usually lost any remaining sense of Self and individual consciousness during this phase (in which case this time distortion is usually a neutral or even peaceful experience), but some retain a fraction of their identity, and find themselves trapped and conscious while experiencing what feels like eternity (which can be LIFE-CHANGINGLY distressing, even after the fact).

(^This latter part of the trip is the effects of the Ur-Tree fungus).

The trip ends with a sense of rushing through the ground and back up into one's body, at which point they will abruptly return to their senses and consciousness. The details are then immediately retrieved via interview and recorded in immense detail. The whole experience is understood as having been full comprehension of the Dreamlands, communion with the Giants, and then a tour through the act of creation.

This is done as part of the initiatory practice into the inner mystery-religion of the scholars, and as needed for study by high scholar-priests. It is not taken lightly, both as it is absolute communion with the gods and reality, and in that it can be a very, very difficult experience. People who have gone through this often walk away with a permanently shifted perspective, often in a positive and/or comforting way- a sense of interconnectedness with all life, a peace with the concept of death, seeing less of a point in individual ego and the concept of Self, and comfort in the sense of divine love they (may have) experienced. This heavily influences the philosophy of the Scholars and has had effects by proxy in the religious worldviews of the region.

Details of this experience are closely guarded, and initiates are given absolutely no prior knowledge and expectations for their trip. This is seen as a necessity- their naivety will allow for a true, unfiltered experience, and can be used to gauge whether they should or should not be accepted. Those that have a distinctly bad trip upon initiation may be assumed to have been 'rejected' by the giants and thus denied full priesthood, though this largely depends on How they interpret their distressing trip- those who identify this as a test and harsh lesson in a journey to enlightenment may be accepted (as this is how fully initiated scholar-priests interpret and handle their bad trips).

This inner priesthood is only a small fraction of the Scholarly Order, and its greater function is as a hub of education and repository of knowledge, and Scholar-trained doctors can provide some of the best medical care available in the setting ('best medical care in this setting' only means so much but it's pretty solid, relatively speaking). Only a chosen few Scholars ever get to commune with the Ur-Root, and most of the divine secrets revealed in the process are kept hidden (though they indirectly influence the politics and worldview of the entire order).

[ayahuascadiaries]

[swimmingcreatortyrant]

Well, let's start 🃏🙌🃏

[dieletztepanzerhexe]

my favourite really old prehistory professor after seeing any miniature vessel "they were keeping drugs in it ;)"

[lucyblueberries]

Here’s my favorite medicinal tea right now. It is psychoactive in a bright euphoric, yet calm way. Like you’re at a campfire!

Credit me @ LucyBlueberries if you share the recipe! Same @ on all my accs :)

•-•~•-• my dms are open for art / design / marketing commissions/consults + natural medicine talk !! •-•~•-•

socials

[willtheskybethenxt2failme]

[blackvahana]

The beauty of destruction... To be put on an altar dressed in oils and wafted herb smoke, well fed throughout your life, attended to as much then as now, led not in chains but by the draw of finally hearing the chorus of God's angels... To be laid down on marble stone, and to the song's louder and louder and more clear melody and with its beating pulse to be beheaded, thin slice, a mere moment you barely notice, as swift as a drum tap, on a blade sharpened dutifully to dull your own displeasure... The blood flowing into the exact perfect-messy shapes and forms of crystallised fate and physics in visual form - flow, fluid dynamics, friction, velocity all dragging it into God's calculated, dreaming art - to be embraced by every crevice in the ground like the valleys embrace the sky at home...

That bliss. Ascension and descent. When walking out of your body is paced to the same rhythm and tune as your beating heart was moments ago, the Sun eclipsing the Moon in unification, the way that the rain feels before it is droplets, when it is pathways between Sky and Ocean, to know its own fate before its body does...

[dandyshucks]

MANDRAKE PLANTS ARE PSYCHOACTIVE????

[eli-is-an-idiot]

So I'm on a school trip in Italy, and we were looking around the shops and tourist traps, looking for souvenirs and shit that weren't massively overpriced and I just wanna know the thought process behind these socks

[banefolk]

Did you know North America has a native lotus? Nelumbo lutea or yellow lotus is one of only two wild lotus species left on the planet. This prehistoric giant produces the largest flower in North America - the size of your head! The leaves average two feet across. It grows from the Great Lakes down to Central America and the Caribbean. It is edible, medicinal, mildly poisonous, and mildly psychoactive. Many Native American tribes believed it had mystical powers.

More info:

• Native American Ethnobotany Database

• Plants for a Future Database

• Wikipedia

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

[h-dr-ugs]

[ayahuascadiaries]

[ushealthrealsolutions]

Unlocking the Potential of CBD Oil: A Natural Remedy for Wellness

In recent years, CBD oil has gained significant attention for its potential health benefits, leading many to explore this natural remedy as a way to enhance their overall wellness. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of the many compounds found in the cannabis plant. Unlike its counterpart, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning it doesn't produce the "high" associated with marijuana. This quality has made CBD oil a promising option for those seeking relief from various ailments without the side effects typically associated with traditional medications.

CBD oil is commonly derived from industrial hemp, a cannabis variety containing minimal THC levels. Its popularity can be attributed to its potential to alleviate a range of symptoms, such as chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and even epilepsy. Research and anecdotal evidence suggest that CBD interacts with the body's endocannabinoid system, which plays a crucial role in regulating various bodily functions, including pain perception, mood, and immune response.

Furthermore, CBD oil is available in various forms, including tinctures, capsules, topicals, and edibles, allowing users to choose the most suitable method for their specific needs. It is essential to consult with a healthcare professional before incorporating CBD oil into your wellness routine, especially if you have underlying medical conditions or are taking other medications.

While the potential benefits of CBD oil are promising, it's important to remember that the industry is still evolving, and research is ongoing. As more studies are conducted, our understanding of CBD's full range of applications will likely expand. For those looking for a natural alternative to traditional treatments, CBD oil may hold the key to unlocking a healthier, more balanced life.

[sortableroseanimations]

college is great because i get to do things like THIS

I do a podcast for my radio class at school! i literally do not know how to link to it right now, nor do i know if anybody would listen - its called "Sci-Fi Symphonies" and I literally spend 10ish minutes talking about three songs from any science fiction media. TV shows, movies, video games - I dont care as long as its sci-fi. The name i use in my school projects is Rosewell - my boyfriend came up with it a while back, and now it's my permanent moniker. I figured it was high time i actually made the idea of Rosewell look like something, and I thought this was cute. (for anyone wondering - the flowers aren't just a personal quirk. I have a weekly segment on my college's radio station called Rosewell and Thorns, where I talk about, and I quote, "how to not get wrecked by random plants.")