Andrew T. Weil

Nutmeg as a narcotic

ConclusionThe seeds and arils ofM. fragmns have powerful narcotic properties. In man, they have frequently caused serious but almost never fatal intoxications. Most Westerners are ignorant of these toxic properties and know nutmeg and mace only as flavoring agents.Both spices are used as narcotics, probably by significant numbers of people, although information on this use of Myristica is scarce. When taken deliberately as psychotropics, nutmeg and mace often cause reactions quite unlike those described in classical accounts of Myristica poisoning and much more like typical hallucinogenic drug experiences.Thorough investigations of the history, sociology, and biochemistry of Myristica narcosis would be valuable from many points of view.

Coca leaf as a therapeutic agent.

South American Indians have used coca leaf as a remedy for thousands of years. Coca might be useful as a treatment for gastrointestinal ailments and motion sickness, as a fast-acting antidepressant medication, as a substitute stimulant for coffee in certain cases, and as an adjunct in programs of weight reduction and physical fitness. In leaf form, coca does not produce toxicity or dependence. Its effects are distinct from those of cocaine, which is but one of a number of active compounds in the leaf. Coca can be administered as a chewing gum containing a whole extract of the leaf, including alkaloids, natural flavors, and several nutrients. Legal mechanisms exist for importing, distributing, and dispensing coca, and experimentation with it by interested physicians would be valuable.

The therapeutic value of coca in contemporary medicine

Coca appears to be a useful treatment for various gastrointestinal ailments, motion sickness, and laryngeal fatigue. It can be an adjunct in programs of weight reduction and physical fitness and may be a fast-acting antidepressant. It is of value in treating dependence on stronger stimulants. Coca regulates carbohydrate metabolism in a unique way and may provide a new therapeutic approach to hypoglycemia and diabetes mellitus. With low-dose, chronic administration it appears to normalize body functions. In leaf form coca does not produce toxicity or dependence. Coca can be administered as a chewing gum or lozenge containing a whole extract of the leaf, including alkaloids, natural flavors, and nutrients.

Coca pests and pesticides.

The major pests of coca are listed and discussed along with methods used to control them in the past and present. Results of analyses for pesticide residues in samples of commercial Peruvian coca leaves are presented. Levels of pesticides found in these samples are too low to be considered a medical risk to coca chewers.

Why Coca Leaf Should Be Available as a Recreational Drug

(1977). Why Coca Leaf Should Be Available as a Recreational Drug. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 75-78.

The Herbal Connection: Herbs, Drug Abuse & Holistic Health

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Morchellamania in Michigan

The morel (Morchella spp.) is the most prized wild mushroom of North America. It is also the most elusive. Fruiting in or near woods in early spring, it is a difficult mushroom to spot against the background of a forest floor, and in most parts of the continent where it occurs, it is not easily gathered in quantity. Moreover, experienced pickers will rarely disclose the locations of their favorite collecting grounds. But in the midwestern states of the United States, morels often fruit in such profusion in mid-May that people hunt them on a grand scale. Known locally as ~sponge mushrooms or often simply ~mushrooms, they may be the only wild fungus considered edible or worth collecting by residents of this region. Morchellamania reaches its height in northern Michigan, where several towns sponsor annual morel festivals that attract pickers from near and far. The 1978 festivals took place in several communities in Charlevoix and Wexford Counties, near the top of Michigans Lower Peninsula. Boyne City, on Lake Charlevoix, put on its 19th annual Morel Festival, and Mesick, in Wexford County, held another large one; Mesick calls itself the ~Mushroom Capital. What happens at a morel festival? All of the stores in town decorate their windows with giant depictions of morels. There are parades, amusements, music, and variety shows. But the highlights are morel picking contests. Registrants are led in cavalcade to choice collecting grounds on public land that has been guarded against unauthorized picking. They are then allowed to hunt for set periods of time (90 minutes at the Boyne City festival). The highest scorers in numbers of morels picked qualify for the finals, held a another location. Winners in each of two categories, resident and non-resident, receive cash prizes and publicity in local papers. In 1978, prolonged winter weather made for a bad season, but, still, the winner at Boyne City collected 180 mushrooms in 90 minutes. Half of these were Verpa bohemica (Krombh.) Schroet., the so-called early or false morel. Michigan hunters call this a cap , as opposed to a mushroom, but it counts as a morel in the contest. It is decidedly inferior to the true morels in flavor and may cause cramps and muscular incoordination in some individuals, although many people eat it. The rest of the winning collection consisted of beautiful specimens of Morchella angusticeps Pk., the black morel of excellent flavor. This is the first true morel to appear in the mixed hardwood forests of northern Michigan; it is followed in sequence by M. esculenta Pers. ex St. Amahs., M. deliciosa Fr., and M. crassipes, the thick-footed morel that may grow nearly a foot high. In conjunction with these festivals, local residents sell morels at roadside stands and farm markets. Top quality morels bring from

The Love Drug

5 to

Letters from Andrew Weil: The Green and the White

10 a pound. In good seasons, they may be available in great quantity. Experienced pickers say that they can get up to two bushels of these delicious mushrooms in one day from the woods of northern Michigan, and many mushroomers maintain that these locations provide the best morel hunting in the world.