Non-Alkaloid Hallucinogens Flashcards
(121 cards)
What is wormwood (absinthe) and where is it native to?
A weedy annual composite, native to Eurasia and has been used medicinally for at least 2000 years.
What family does wormwood belong to?
Aster or Asteraceae family.
Where was wormwood mentioned and by whom was it recommended for reating intestinal worms and gastrointestinal complaints?
In the Ebers Papyrus, and both Dioscorides and Pliny recommended it for treating intestinal worms and gastrointestinal complaints.
Also promoted as an effective insecticide.
What does Pliny describe?
A mixture of wine and wormwood known as absinthes.
When did Pliny become more common?
Europe in 1500s following steam distillation invention.
What is “purl”, a substance common in Britain in 1700s and how was it produced?
A medicinal fortified ale, and was produced from distilled grain alcohol and wormwood essence.
When and where was absinthe first developed?
Switzerland in the late 1700s.
What was absinthe used as?
As an expensive medicinal alcoholic liqueur containing leaf extracts of Artemisia absinthium and other herbs.
When did Pernod Fils open a factory for the commercial production of absinthe?
1800s.
What was Pernod Fils’ version of absinthe?
A distillation of alcohol containing wormwood and numerous other herbs.
How is absinthe manufactured?
By steeping the herbal mixture in strong alcohol, followed by distillation to concentrate the alcohol and various volatile herbal secondary products. Green clear liquid.
What did the French soldiers stationed in Algeria during the 1840s do with wormwood?
They added wormwood to wine to prevent fevers.
Who was absinthe popular among?
French soldiers returning, the wealthy and intelligentsia of Europe and was said to evoke new views, different experiences, and unique feelings.
How did unscrupulous producers concoct cheap imitations?
Based it on distilled grain alcohol with cupric acetate or antimony chloride added to produce the green coordinations.
How were the cheap imitations of absinthe dangerous?
Cupric acetate and antimony chloride are neurotoxins.
How did the wormwood terpenes stay in solution?
Because of the high alcohol content.
How does one produce turbidity (louche)?
Cold water poured over sugar cube on sieve over absinthe, dilutes the alcohol, terpene precipitate out turning mixture yellow.
What is the active principle of absinthe?
The monoterpene thujone, a psychoactive neurotoxin.
What is the mechanism of action of thujone?
Thought to interact with THC however now we know that thujone is a GABA blockers.
Explain what happens when GABA is blocked?
The blocking of the neurotransmitter GABA, which moderates the firing of neural synapses, results in tremors and convulsions.
What are the symptoms of thujone poisoning noted in 1850, although dangers recored in 1708?
1) Dazed condition.
2) Convulsions.
3) Enfeebled mind.
4) Terrifying hallucinations.
Based on experiments in 1864, what was thujone produce at high concentrations?
1) Convulsions.
2) Abnormal Respiration.
3) Foaming at the mouth.
What did medical reports from the mid 1800s claim?
Heavy absinthe consumption caused auditory and visual hallucinations as well as convulsions similar to epilepsy.
Despite these claims, what happened with absinthe?
Absinthe consumptions increased 15 fold after successful campaigning. At WW1 outbreak, Pernod company was producing over 10 mil gallons annually.