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Recomendations on how to assay Phalaris

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Soloist

Soloist

Esteemed member
completely new to this...read a fair amount about Phalaris and I know there can be dangerous alks present.
I would like to try and see if the plant I have growing is any good- the person who gifted it to me (as arundinacea) said it was originally from companion plants-I see that they currently have AQ1 and Big Medicine strains available.

Edit: this strain is Big Medicine according to person I got it from.

I have read some erowid reports of smoking the grass- I'm not particularly looking for a break through/cool with subtle experiences.

also read about simple alcohol extraction/evaporation.

So my question, to anyone who has Phalaris experience, is how would I start to safely and slowly test the waters?

(I am going to touch base with the person who gifted it in the first place to see if they have assayed it or know the strain)
 
If you can possibly use TLC (thin layer chromatography) that's a step in the right direction. Kits are available.

If you can't find the threads on this and someone else hasn't provided a link I'll get to it in the morning.
 
As per my previous post, have you seen these threads?

TLC Megathread - How to test plants, extracts and other drugs
The Phalaris Analysis Thread
How do analytical methods work? (TLC, UV-Vis Spectrophotometry, GC-MS, LC-MS, etc)
and an illustration of how it might work: Preliminary Phalaris a. TLC
Worthy of note
Dozuki said:
I wouldn't be surprised to find results similar to these from any of the 'cultivated' varieties of Phalaris a. I just think its a good example of the variation in compound production based on the habitat, growing condition, time of year and method of harvest.
Click to expand...
As you may be aware, even the time of day will influence the alkaloid profile of a phalaris specimen (like many other plants).

I have tried quidding phalaris over a decade ago before I had encountered the full range of information available today and thus did it about a wrong as I could. The plants were well established, an unknown (or unchecked at least) wild or maybe cultivated variety, and it was the mid-afternoon in midsummer; I chewed as much as I could until I got bored - effects were mild, followed by a searing headache presumably from gramine or 5-methoxygramine. This is the main reason I suggest checking with TLC first.
 
I have seen some of those, reading through the stuff I haven't.
The TLC seems fun haha. I can say for sure though that I'm not in a place in life to put resources to figuring out Phalaris. Likely I'll keep growing and cloning the strain I have and spreading it to those who wish (in the same way to me). One day I will get to a place I can dedicate the time. For now I have other teachers in my young garden I have to learn from first.

Thank you so much for your help!
 
Fwiw, extraction using naphtha will clear out the gramine anyhow. This might be at odds with taking a more 'natural' approach, if that's your thing; dithyramnb and sidisheikh.meriz have a fair bit of whole phalaris experience under their belts now so it's worth taking a look at their posts if you're drawn to full-spectrum plant material.

The main thing seems to be that brachystachys shows the most promise for the full spectrum approach.

A lot of other species and varieties seem to show toxicity to a greater or lesser extent; this should come as no surprise considering how the alkaloidal content of these grasses was discovered as a result of their strong association with cattle poisonings.

Have you ever considered examining crab grass, Digitaria sanguinalis? Crab Grass (Digitaria spp) - Collaborative Research Project - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus
 
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