Looking for herbs that feel like Vicodin! (just kidding)

[Encephalon]

I've been on an herbal regimen for awhile consisting of schizandra, horsetail, hawthorn berry, and olive leaf extract, for a number of reasons; adaptogenic, heart health, immunity, post-surgery. Today I snatched up bottle each of ashwagandha and Shilajit at my local Indian food store as the price was right.

 

I got home and took all this stuff together, opened up the gelcaps and mixed it all together and slammed it down with in water, along with my Divya Mukta Vati, which is an extremely effective Ayurvedic compound for curing high blood pressure.

 

Right now a little over an hour has passed and I'm feeling pretty damn good. There's no way to factor out the responsible agent, but I have to say that the two products I bought today are the likely one(s). I bought the ashwagandha because a really effective sleep aid is made with it, along with theanine and 1mg of melatonin, which I already have. They say it's also a good anti-depressant, but I feel like I just took something closer to a mood elevator.

 

What say you, Bums? Any narcotic-like herbal concoctions out there that are safe for ex pot-heads like me?

Edited January 29, 2012 by Encephalon

[Encephalon]

I'm pretty sure it's the ashwagandha.

 

Love this stuff!!

[zerostao]

the wonders of herbs

when i first started consuming about a palmful of gogi berries a day i felt a lift and a smile on my face.

me and a couple of other bums have wondered why they are not called happy berries.

that lu rong extract much more pricey than vicodin, much more better too.

i am waiting patiently to harvest some pine pollen, will report on how that goes.

 

one could always grind up about 4-6 poppy pods (do not use the seeds!!) in a coffee grinder and make a tea. oh nevermind that would be a narcotic. strange how poppy tea sounds nicer than narcotic.

 

some primo kentucky wild ginseng is in a class of its own tho.

[fizix]

The sage does not seek pleasure, pleasure seeks he.

First it's happy berries or whatever, then next thing you know you're slamming heroin/cocaine speedballs in a homeless junkie tunnel downtown using dirty needles. Ingested pleasure is an obscuration of thee Tao.

Edited January 28, 2012 by fizix

[Encephalon]

The sage does not seek pleasure, pleasure seeks he.

First it's happy berries or whatever, then next thing you know you're slamming heroin/cocaine speedballs in a homeless junkie tunnel downtown using dirty needles. Ingested pleasure is an obscuration of thee Tao.

 

Yeah, I've already ransacked the house for the rubber hose and the hypodermic.

[zerostao]

The sage does not seek pleasure, pleasure seeks he.

First it's happy berries or whatever, then next thing you know you're slamming heroin/cocaine speedballs in a homeless junkie tunnel downtown using dirty needles. Ingested pleasure is an obscuration of thee Tao.

 

 

i am certain that gogi berries ((which have so many health benefits , there is not room here for me to list them all )) are not the gateway to heroin.

the smile i mentioned comes from being in great health.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Catnip tea is sometimes used to help get over addictions. It is a mild muscle relaxant and sedative for humans. Some people even use it to put their kids to sleep (not that I'm recommending such things, especially without checking with a qualified naturopath, which I am not)

 

White pine, sweet grass, and sage is also very chill.

 

If you're looking for more of a buzz, there's kava kava, but it can be dangerous apparently if not from an excellent source, and I would be very careful about mixing it with other herbs.

 

I find that sometimes herbs work better when used alone, possibly because the body can process the effects better than when processing so many at the same time. That said, some herbs should be used to balance others, especially when using Chinese herbs.

[Chang]

If you're looking for more of a buzz, there's kava kava, but it can be dangerous apparently if not from an excellent source, and I would be very careful about mixing it with other herbs.

 

The mixing of various herbs to form your own concoctions can prove problematic.

Whilst I appreciate that you are a responsible adult and are producing these things for your own consumption I would still advise caution. Herbalists spend years in the study of the effects and usage of various herbs and whilst self-experimentation can be fun it can also be foolhardy.

It can also be a case of searching for that magic bullet. Some simple thing that will work wonders for us with very little effort. I suspect that it does not exist and that good diet and exercise, of the internal and external variety, would prove far more beneficial.

[Encephalon]

The mixing of various herbs to form your own concoctions can prove problematic.

Whilst I appreciate that you are a responsible adult and are producing these things for your own consumption I would still advise caution. Herbalists spend years in the study of the effects and usage of various herbs and whilst self-experimentation can be fun it can also be foolhardy.

It can also be a case of searching for that magic bullet. Some simple thing that will work wonders for us with very little effort. I suspect that it does not exist and that good diet and exercise, of the internal and external variety, would prove far more beneficial.

 

Yep, I have to subscribe to this reasoning. I did pose a question and H-E did answer it but I really wasn't looking for herbal ways to get high, and I apologize for framing the question that way. What a difference a day makes.

 

I'm still glad I purchased the ashwagandha; I took it again last night and had a very high quality of sleep without any hangover. But for a mild anti-depressant I think I'll stick with L-theanine. It completely mellows you out without any sleepiness or vicodin-like feelings I got from ashwagandha. It's just nice to know that there are herbal sources of mild euphoria that are non-addicting for those times when you need a little lift... like when your in-laws drive down and spend the entire bloody weekend with you.

[Chang]

I had not heard of Ashwagandha being useful for sleep disorders. I did know of its use in Ayurvedic medicine as a male libido enhancer and a treatment for erectile dysfunction.

 

I live and learn.

[Kris]

i am certain that gogi berries ((which have so many health benefits , there is not room here for me to list them all )) are not the gateway to heroin.

the smile i mentioned comes from being in great health.

 

Do you grow your own goji berries? I have two plants in the ground and 4 more ready to plant next spring. Could need some advice from somebody with goji growing experience.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Yeah, I didn't mean to provide an alternate way to getting high, just a way to wean one's self off of addictions. The catnip, being a mild muscle relaxer, is good just because the mild effect is hardly noticeable but enough to relax some of the physical discomfort that comes with kicking a habit, and some of the tension that comes with that too. I'd be surprised if it actually caused euphoria at all.

 

The kava kava also is just in case the mind is really pushing for some kind of sensation to get over a rougher time, sort of like they provide in rehab clinics, but not as strong. I hesitated to put it there since it could just replace the old way of getting a buzz, but as a last resort it's better than going back to the original source of addiction.

 

Of course, going for a walk somewhere and just doing something else with your time is a much better option; or getting so healthy and feeling awesome that you'd never be satisfied with anything less than FRESH AIR...

[zerostao]

Do you grow your own goji berries? I have two plants in the ground and 4 more ready to plant next spring. Could need some advice from somebody with goji growing experience.

 

i started by ordering 2 year old plants. i had tried seeds without success. i placed mine out in direct sunlight.

i treat them as i would tomato plants.

 

edit> maybe prune when they get to 8' but mine are not at that height yet.

Edited January 29, 2012 by zerostao

[Kris]

i started by ordering 2 year old plants. i had tried seeds without success. i placed mine out in direct sunlight.

i treat them as i would tomato plants.

 

edit> maybe prune when they get to 8' but mine are not at that height yet.

 

Do you fertilize them the same as you would tomatoes to? Did you get fruit the first year? 3 of my plants are 2 years old this spring. I'm exited to see if they will bear fruit this year. The quality should be great as I have almost 24 hour sunlight during summer.

 

Can't wait for spring to come. I've got some maralroot that should be ready to harvest this year to.

Edited January 29, 2012 by Kris

[zerostao]

Do you fertilize them the same as you would tomatoes to? Did you get fruit the first year? 3 of my plants are 2 years old this spring. I'm exited to see if they will bear fruit this year. The quality should be great as I have almost 24 hour sunlight during summer.

 

Can't wait for spring to come. I've got some maralroot that should be ready to harvest this year to.

 

 

i just add some organic mulch once a year. some fruit first year but they were already 2 years old when i got them. each year they produce more.

maralroot sounds interesting , i have never tried it.

[Kris]

i just add some organic mulch once a year. some fruit first year but they were already 2 years old when i got them. each year they produce more.

maralroot sounds interesting , i have never tried it.

 

Thank you for the advice.

 

The maralroot is a strong adaptogen / tonic. I've only tried tea made mostly from dried leaves. The effects where very promising. The roots are supposed to be where the really good stuff is. I'm exited to see the effects from root grown with care and harvested on the right time.

 

I get overexcited every time I find something valuable that I can grow in my climate (90-100 day growing season)

[Jayem]

The most intence herbal/chemical ive taken, and ive tried many would be PEA or phenyl-ethyl-alinine (probly spelt wrong).

its not one for u if your on any MAOI inhibitors because of the dose change. This is the Drug found in Dark chocolate the "Love drug" I purchased a big bag of it from Purebulk... This stuff made me for 45 mins feel like every hair on my body was standing on end , i layed down and swam on the floor for a good 5 mins. Chazy stuff.. that was on 2 grams..

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

The most intence herbal/chemical ive taken, and ive tried many would be PEA or phenyl-ethyl-alinine (probly spelt wrong).

its not one for u if your on any MAOI inhibitors because of the dose change. This is the Drug found in Dark chocolate the "Love drug" I purchased a big bag of it from Purebulk... This stuff made me for 45 mins feel like every hair on my body was standing on end , i layed down and swam on the floor for a good 5 mins. Chazy stuff.. that was on 2 grams..

 

 

PEA will mess up your chi and shoot your blood pressure through the roof...best left alone...