Phalaris aquatica AQ1 extract bioassay

[Jagube]

I cooked ~300g fresh grass (harvested indiscriminately - all parts, random time of day, and not particularly young) in a pressure cooker, with just enough acidified water to cover it, 3 times, then reduced it, based with CaOH, pulled only once with warm naphtha (it clouded a lot, but it may have been CaOH, as after settling it turned fairly clear) and salted out with vinegar, which resulted in 65ml of combined water/vinegar pulls. Then I took 200mg harmine with some harmaline contamination and drank maybe 25ml of the 65ml tsolution, which was lightly colored and tasted strongly of vinegar.

I could tell I was feeling something, but it wasn't quite there, so 3 hours later I drank the remaining 40ml.
Sometimes it's hard to tell the effects of harmalas from light DMT effects as both affect the headspace, but in this case I was feeling euphoria I associate with DMT, and eventually the visual effects began. I would see marine creatures like trilobites etc., their shells luminescent with neon lights in violets, navy blue, greens, (which reminded me of my nice chaliponga strain) but also some of the pastel, cartoonish visuals I had experienced before with this grass. Still, the euphoria was more pronounced than the visuals.

I've heard this grass has more n-oxide than n,n, which would mean naphtha is not the most efficient solvent to pull with. I'm going to decant the naphtha off, evaporate the last bit and pull it with my oil mix (sunflower with a bit of limonene) maybe twice and bioassay that.

 

[rOm]

looks like Oco Yage. Wich is Water aya ( caapi and chaliponga). funny maybeor is it cause of the name "aquatica" made you think about those sea creatures... Interesting report ! thanks for sharing.

 

[kerelsk]

First the Passiflora & Desmanthus brew thread and now this! Perhaps the 2020s will usher in a new era of homegrown psychedelic plants.

I've been thinking about that topic and this one all summer, and was planning to bioassay almost exactly as you describe, except with sodium carbonate and veggie oil.

Thank you for taking the time to report, this sounds promising.

 

[Chimp Z]

Thanks for the medicine update!
I'm interested to know if that was the first time harvesting from that patch?
The 2nd regrowth is the most potent with the grass.
Bless your travels, hope to hear more about your journey with the grass.

 

[Jagube]

I'm interested to know if that was the first time harvesting from that patch?
The 2nd regrowth is the most potent with the grass.

It wasn't the first time. Is there a big difference between the 1st and 2nd regrowth?

Also does anyone have an idea as to whether dusk harvests offer the same potency benefits as dawn ones?

 

[Chimp Z]

Anytime I've harvested at the first sign of light has been optimal. With harvests from Brachystachys that I drank tea of, to morning clippings of Aquatica that was brewed up, to dawn harvested Arundinacea that was extracted and smoked...
in my life experience I've gotten better results from harvesting at the first sign of light and immediately processing afterwards. It is easier to not have to wake up that early but the plants are great motivators.
I know that 2nd regrowth usually has more alkaloids. I see more variation with old Phalaris stands, and more yield-success with blue/green young grass that has purple tinged tips. I hope to find out exactly if the blue and purple in Phalaris is indicative of stronger tufts. I've also read quite a few reports of people harvesting very stressed grass and getting good results. Keep in mind that lesser known tryptamines may be present(5-MeO-NMT) which may be less visual and more body high.

https://bibliography.maps.org/resources/download/15435

 

[Jagube]

Anytime I've harvested at the first sign of light has been optimal.

Thanks. To bring more precision to the concept of "the first sign of light", would you be able to define it in terms of astronomical twilight / nautical twilight / civil twilight?

I think this particular grass - AQ1 - doesn't contain other tryptamines than DMT (as n,n and n-oxide). But I'm going to bioassay oil pulls and report how different it was.

I've tried drinking simple tea and found it undrinkable. Juicing (which I've heard only extracts 1/3 of the goodies) may also be an option for bulk processing when you have tons of it.

 

[Chimp Z]

Astronomical twilight.
When the sky goes from black to purple/dark blue.
I usually will brew Peganum seeds with the fresh clippings.
Wouldn't recommend doing anything you're not comfortable with.
I have made quids out of a few species of fresh grass, juiced it,
smoked it, brewed it with MAOI which is why I feel comfortable
brewing the grass and the peganum together.
I'm not sure if hordenine or gramine are much to worry about,
but of course extreme caution is important.
I had a talk with Dale Pendell years ago and he was skeptical of my experiences
with Phalaris & MAOI because he imagined you would need a beta-blocker
with the hordenine present.
I have had stimulating experiences from Grass/Peganum brews but it's
a rare kind of experience in which I'm able to walk and meditate while on
an ayahuasca analog. Usually when the effects hit with Brachystachys or Acacia tea mixed with MAOI,
I am forced to lay down and relax...
Just appreciating the unique effects of Phalaris, because no one really has established
what a Phalaris experience is....is it DMT, is it dangerous, is it a whole new avenue of medicine?
I get myself nervous sometimes with uncertainty and then the experience turns out to be super chill
and allows me to let go of my expectations.
What season is it in your locale?
The grass tryptamines generally spike after a little rain returns after a long hot summer...

Wish you wellness in the weeks ahead

 

[Jagube]

Thanks, now I know what time to set the alarm to

AQ1 has been shown to have a fairly pure DMT profile, which has set my expectations. I'm doing the oil pulls now (and experiencing emulsion problems), so if there is a wider spectrum, it should make it into them.

It's late summer / early autumn here, although my climate is not very consistent. Some summers are hotter and drier than others, and this one wasn't among those. My grass is green and tall-ish, would you suggest harvesting that, or cutting it (and discarding) and harvesting the regrowth?

 

[Chimp Z]

Maybe just keep any grass you cut for future extractions but yes the 2nd regrowth is gonna be stronger.

 

[twitchy]

Astronomical twilight.
When the sky goes from black to purple/dark blue.
I usually will brew Peganum seeds with the fresh clippings.
Wouldn't recommend doing anything you're not comfortable with.
I have made quids out of a few species of fresh grass, juiced it,
smoked it, brewed it with MAOI which is why I feel comfortable
brewing the grass and the peganum together.
I'm not sure if hordenine or gramine are much to worry about,
but of course extreme caution is important.
I had a talk with Dale Pendell years ago and he was skeptical of my experiences
with Phalaris & MAOI because he imagined you would need a beta-blocker
with the hordenine present.
I have had stimulating experiences from Grass/Peganum brews but it's
a rare kind of experience in which I'm able to walk and meditate while on
an ayahuasca analog. Usually when the effects hit with Brachystachys or Acacia tea mixed with MAOI,
I am forced to lay down and relax...
Just appreciating the unique effects of Phalaris, because no one really has established
what a Phalaris experience is....is it DMT, is it dangerous, is it a whole new avenue of medicine?
I get myself nervous sometimes with uncertainty and then the experience turns out to be super chill
and allows me to let go of my expectations.
What season is it in your locale?
The grass tryptamines generally spike after a little rain returns after a long hot summer...

Wish you wellness in the weeks ahead

Fascinating post and it's awesome to hear positive experiences with such a common source, thanks for posting it! I've heard that propranolol, a beta-blocker, for example, will negate harmalas? Does anyone know if this applies to the MAOI actions of harmalas, as it's one of the medications I take on a regular basis and would hate to waste a brew over it.

 

[Jagube]

I pulled this with my oil mix and salted out with vinegar, then evaporated to a goo.

I bioassayed the goo with harmine. And the results are inconclusive. While I had visual effects (this time they were more cartoonish), they weren't as strong as I would have expected. However, it seemed to have stimulating effects, as I couldn't sleep despite taking my usual melatonin and valerian.
The following morning I was feeling a very strong antidepressant afterglow.

 

[putdeksel]

Anytime I've harvested at the first sign of light has been optimal. With harvests from Brachystachys that I drank tea of, to morning clippings of Aquatica that was brewed up, to dawn harvested Arundinacea that was extracted and smoked...
in my life experience I've gotten better results from harvesting at the first sign of light and immediately processing afterwards. It is easier to not have to wake up that early but the plants are great motivators.
I know that 2nd regrowth usually has more alkaloids. I see more variation with old Phalaris stands, and more yield-success with blue/green young grass that has purple tinged tips. I hope to find out exactly if the blue and purple in Phalaris is indicative of stronger tufts. I've also read quite a few reports of people harvesting very stressed grass and getting good results. Keep in mind that lesser known tryptamines may be present(5-MeO-NMT) which may be less visual and more body high.

https://bibliography.maps.org/resources/download/15435

Interesting study Chimp Z! The last line where the writer suggest that "it would be interesting to study the home production of Phalaris grown (and processed) like wheatgrass with harvests performed on day 7" was also my plan of action...

Seeing that this article is from 1998 there must be someone who has tried this right?

 

[DreadedShaman]

First the Passiflora & Desmanthus brew thread and now this! Perhaps the 2020s will usher in a new era of homegrown psychedelic plants.

I've been thinking about that topic and this one all summer, and was planning to bioassay almost exactly as you describe, except with sodium carbonate and veggie oil.

Thank you for taking the time to report, this sounds promising.

Here's hoping got my garden ready