Betula spp. experiment 3 + CaCO3 experiment 1 (
SUCCESS):
This assumes:
- CES1 is the primary enzyme responsible for removing the acetyl group (salvinorin A -> salvinorin B)—
seems like this could be true
- Stomach acid
does have negative impact on salvinorin A
- Solubility / permeability isn't extremely low in the gut (will roughly quantify the absorption later)
- Betula papyrifera contains a higher percentage of betulinic acid
Betulinic acid has been documented as a potent CES1 inhibitor on numerous websites (examples:
source 1,
source 2,
source 3). CaCO3 might prevent acidic hydrolysis of salvinorin A (deacetylation due to stomach acidity), and I'm basing this on other threads that I discovered after investigating
@Transform's suggestion of "Twig Harper's salvia syrup"—
one of the comments from
@Godsmacker mentioned a stronger quid experiences after ingesting CaCO3 (calcium carbonate—found in common antacids). So, I decided that it wouldn't hurt to change my hypothesis: stomach acidity
does have negative impact on salvinorin A.
The method:
Boiled 40g of fresh Betula papyrifera bark for ~90 minutes in 1 gallon of tap water with 1 tsp high-quality olive oil (for capturing more lipophilic betulinic acid), reduced for ~60 minutes until it was ~8oz of liquid, then added 4 tablespoons of jujube syrup (a sweet reduction of dreid Ziziphus fruit that I regularly use to promote relaxation or sleep—
happens to contain betulinic acid too), then placed the decoction in the fridge. I didn't feel emotionally prepared for testing this the next day, so I waited a full 48 hours before consuming.
Took 1g soy lecithin (increases bioavailability) with 500mg of CaCO3, waited ~15 minutes
Took 1g soy lecithin (increases bioavailability), 500mg of CaCO3, drank the birch concoction, then waited another ~30 minutes.
Mixed 4.112 grams (sloppy weighing) of dried Salvia divinorum leaf powder with ~30ml 75% alcohol (I didn't measure this time), then added 4oz of water and chugged.
T 00:30:00
Sat down to draw. No stomach upset again, which means I definitely adapted to the birch tea after drinking it four times in seven days (didn't document the first brew because it was 8g birch and didn't involve salvinorin A). Feeling what is undeniably salvia-esque, but not profound enough to deem it a success. Chatting with Nexus folks.
T 00:45:00
Left chat and stood up to use the restroom—immediately started feeling intense salvia sensations that are comparable to smoking one large drag of 5x. Anxiety goes up as I realize that I have no idea how hard I'm about to trip. Restroom, water, laid down in my plant room to listen to music.
T 01:00:00
Listening to songs off of Oneohtrix Point Never's Tranquilizer while getting some interesting closed-eye visuals (will sketch and upload later).
D.I.S. makes more sense to be in this headspace. Feeling introspective whenever I open my eyes, and having deep thoughts about how certain objects in the room remind me of my childhood. Occasionally I'm just laughing to myself. I get up to talk to my partner about it, but feel awkward with the sudden change in atmosphere (like when tripping and thinking a change of scene might be necessary, but expectation doesn't match reality). Color and spacial distortions, having trouble forming sentences or concentrating. Go back to the plant room to listen to music.
T 01:30:00
Got up briefly and moved to the bed. Struggling to get comfortable, but still listening to music. Interesting closed-eye visuals continue—more mellow now.
T 2:00:00
Feeling the same afterglow as I get after a strong breakthrough. Mildly prickly sensations on skin. Get back to Nexus chat and inform folks. Go to bed.
T ~4:30:00?
Wake up after two hours of sleep and notice really interesting patterns on my walls. Visuals fade as I walk to the restroom. Face looks oddly unfamiliar in the mirror. Feels very similar to waking up after doing MAOIs too close to bed, but a new sensation that is not similar to salvinorin A.
Future testing:
I somewhat expected to get here due to my haphazard approach, but I desperately need to determine if success was dependent on betulinic acid, CaCO3, lecithin, a larger dose of dried Salvia divinorum leaf powder, jujube syrup, or a combination. This means that I'll need to test each element separately. If stomach acidity is an issue, then I'll definitely need to go back to testing enteric capsules when I shift to developing salviapharmahuasca (the ultimate goal of these tests).
Waste is still a concern, and unfortunately I didn't count the number of leaves used (was impatient). 4g of plain leaf is less waste than 1g of 5x, and I personally feel that 20-30 minutes of a 5x peak is worth the exchange. Maybe others disagree. Perhaps I'll be able to reduce waste even more with additional testing.
Additionally, the Betulinic Acid capsules (50mg + sunflower lecithin) arrived (see attached image). Testing those obviously means that I'll inevitably be combining BA with lecithin, but a high concentration of potent CES1 inhibitor might factor out CaCO3 and the stomach acidity problem—boiling birch is a very poor method of extraction because the desired compound is lipophilic (why I added olive oil). If this supplement does work well, then I'll want to learn how to extract my own BA from Betula papyrifera bark sooner rather than later. I'm assuming this could be done with acetone followed by evaporation and an A/B extraction, but I'll consult with professionals before attempting. There's also a chance that CaCO3 will always be preferable to use due to ease of access and low cost (similar to how lecithin allows me to conserve on homegrown weed).
Stay tuned for more exciting revelations.
love the choice of title. Highly reminiscent of a lot of my 'research' too.
