Leonotis leonurus, also known as lion's tail and wild dagga, is a plant species in the Lamiaceae (mint) family. The plant is a broadleaf evergreen large shrub native to South Africa and southern Africa, where it is very common. It is known for its medicinal and mild psychoactive properties. The main psychoactive component of Leonotis leonurus is leonurine.

The name 'wild dagga' links it closely to cannabis as 'dagga' derived from the Khoikhoi 'dachab' is an indigenous South African name for cannabis species.

An original artwork by American artist: Jurassic Blueberries

Went Shroomin' today with someone who knows what they're doing and saw some incredible things I've never seen before!

This is an Amanita muscaria, commonly known as fly agaric or fly amanita. Yes, they have psychoactive properties, and yes, they are poisonous.

Margaret and I found a host of these beautiful toadstools under a tree on the banks of Thirlmere when taking a last walk on our recent holiday in the Lake District.

Fly Agaric or Fly Amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. The quintessential toadstool ! Although it is generally considered poisonous, there are few documented human deaths from its consumption, and after having been parboiled it is eaten as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures.

BUT - PLEASE don't try these at home!

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.

SN/NC: Hippobroma Longiflora, Campanulaceae Family

Revienta caballos o ciega ojo, Hippobroma es un género monotípico de plantas perteneciente a la familia Campanulaceae. Su única especie: Hippobroma longiflora (L.) G.Don, Gen. Hist. 3: 717 (1834) es originaria de Jamaica y se ha extendido por todo el mundo, naturalizándose en los trópicos americanos y en Oceanía

Hippobroma longiflora (also called Star of Bethlehem, madamfate is a flowering plant in the Campanulaceae family. It is endemic to the West Indies, but has become naturalized across the American tropics and Oceania.

It is notable for its concentrations of two pyridine alkaloids: lobeline and nicotine. The effects of nicotine and lobeline are quite similar, with psychoactive effects at small dosages and with unpleasant effects including vomiting, muscle paralysis, and trembling at higher dosages. For this reason, H. longiflora (and its various synonyms) is often referenced for both its toxicity and its ethnobotanical uses.

When uprooting this weed, it is important to wear gloves: the sap is an irritant which can be absorbed through the skin, and a small amount of sap in the eyes can cause blindness.

Arrebenta-boi, arrebenta-cavalo, jasmim-da-Itália, cega-olho, mata-vaca. Ervas até 50 cm de altura com caules simples ou um tanto ramosos, mais ou menos pilosos. Folhas subsésseis, lanceoladas, denteadas ou repando-denteadas, de ápice agudo e base decurrente, pilosas ou glabrescentes, até 17 cm de comprimento e 5 cm de largura. Flores solitárias nas axilas das folhas superiores, até 11 cm de comprimento; pedicelos até 8 mm de comprimento, pilosos, com duas bractéolas filiformes; Hipanto turbinado, piloso, até 8 mm de comprimento; cálice com lobos triangular-lineares, levemente denticulados, pilosos, até 15 mm de comprimento; Corola alva, pilosa, com tubo estreito, cilíndrico e reto, até 9 cm de comprimento, limbo sublabiado, patente, os lobos lanceolados, até 2,5 cm de comprimento e 6 mm de largura; Anteras pilosas no ápice. Cápsula elipsóide, 10-nervada, esparsamente pilosa, com cerca de 1,5 cm de comprimento. Sementes ovadas, um pouco comprimidas, com testa foveolada, cerca de 0,8 mm de comprimento.

Now I couldn't make out which the leaflet in his hand was about - but I think I can make a good guess.

To help here is a little information on both CBO and CBD.

Cannabidiol (CBD):

CBD oil has entered the mainstream in recent years, bringing with it zealous advocates and dismissive sceptics.

Also known as Cannabidiol, CBD is found in the cannabis plant. But unlike THC - the ingredient that makes cannabis users high - CBD has no psychoactive effect.

Instead, it is used by people who want to manage conditions like chronic pain, PTSD and epilepsy. The substance is also being trialled to see if it can help with anxiety and arthritis.

However, it is important to note that licences for CBD oil as a medicine have not been granted yet, and manufacturers cannot make claims about their alleged medical benefits.

The CBO:

The CBO replaces the Anti-social Behaviour Order (ASBO) on conviction and the Drinking Banning Order (DBO) on conviction.

The main differences between the ASBO on conviction and the CBO are:

The behaviour (first limb of the test for imposing an order) only need to cause or be likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person (removing the "not of the same household" requirement);

The "necessity" test becomes a "helpfulness" test (as with that for Football Banning Orders); and

The court may impose requirements as well as prohibitions.

CHOCOLATE

Is a psychoactive food. It is made from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. The cacao tree was named by the 17th century Swedish naturalist, Linnaeus. The Greek term theobroma means literally "Food of the gods". Chocolate has also been called the food of the devil; but the theological basis of this claim is OBSCURE.

Photographed by L♥ © 2010. All rights reserved

From Wikipedia:

Hippobroma longiflora, also called Star of Bethlehem or madamfate, is a flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae. It is the only species in the genus Hippobroma. It is endemic to the West Indies, but has become naturalized across the American tropics and Oceania.

It is notable for its concentrations of two pyridine alkaloids: lobeline and nicotine. The effects of nicotine and lobeline are quite similar, with psychoactive effects at small dosages and with unpleasant effects including vomiting, muscle paralysis, and trembling at higher dosages. For this reason, H. longiflora (and its various synonyms) is often referenced for both its toxicity and its ethnobotanical uses.

The wide range of psychoactive effects have been variously described as depressant, sedative-hypnotic, psychedelic, dissociative, or deliriant; paradoxical effects such as stimulation may occur however. Perceptual phenomena such as synesthesia, macropsia, and micropsia may occur; the latter two effects may occur either simultaneously or alternatingly, as part of Alice in Wonderland syndrome, collectively known as dysmetropsia, along with related distortions pelopsia and teleopsia. Some users report lucid dreaming under the influence of its hypnotic effects. Unlike Psilocybe cubensis, A. muscaria cannot be commercially cultivated, due to its mycorrhizal relationship with the roots of pine trees. However, following the outlawing of psilocybin mushrooms in the United Kingdom in 2006, the sale of the still legal A. muscaria began increasing

Psilocybe semilanceata

Blessed by the wonder and magic of nature.

"All mushrooms are edible. Some of them only once."

- Terry Pratchett

Psilocybe semilanceata, commonly known as the liberty cap, is a species of fungus which produces the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and baeocystin. It is both one of the most widely distributed psilocybin mushrooms in nature, and one of the most potent.

The mushrooms have a distinctive conical to bell-shaped cap, up to 2.5 cm (1.0 in) in diameter, with a small nipple-like protrusion on the top. They are yellow to brown, covered with radial grooves when moist, and fade to a lighter color as they mature.

Their stipes tend to be slender and long, and the same color or slightly lighter than the cap. The gill attachment to the stipe is adnexed (narrowly attached), and they are initially cream-colored before tinting purple as the spores mature.

The spores are dark purplish-brown in mass, ellipsoid in shape, and measure 10.5–15 by 6.5–8.5 micrometres.

The mushroom grows in grassland habitats, especially wetter areas. But unlike P. cubensis, the fungus does not grow directly on dung; rather, it is a saprobic species that feeds off decaying grass roots.

It is widely distributed in the temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in Europe, and has been reported occasionally in temperate areas of the Southern Hemisphere as well.

The earliest reliable history of P. semilanceata intoxication dates back to 1799 in London, and in the 1960s the mushroom was the first European species confirmed to contain psilocybin.

The possession or sale of psilocybin mushrooms is illegal in many countries.

Hyoscyamus niger L., syn.: Hyoscyamus auriculatus Ten., Hyoscyamus bohemicus F. W. Schmidt, Hyoscyamus pallidus Willd., Hyoscyamus pictus Roth, Hyoscyamus syspirensis C. Koch, Hyoscyamus verviensis Leg.

Hyoscyamus vulgaris Neck.

Family: Solanaceae

EN: Black Henbane; DE: Schwarze Bilsenkraut

Slo.: črni zobnik

Dat.: May 20. 2024 and May 23. 2024

Lat.: 44.75230 Long.: 14.42711

Code: Bot_1579/2024 _DSC5762 and Bot_1582/2024 _DSC5762

Habitat: ruderal, open, calcareous, stony place; flat terrain, open, full sun, dry place; average precipitations 900 - 1.000 mm/year, average temperature 7 - 9 deg C, elevations 120 m (390 feet), Sub-Mediterranean phytogeographical region.

Substratum: stony soil

Place: Adriatic Sea, island Cres, east of the main road Cres – Osor, next to the dirt road toward the settlement Srem, Kvarner Bay, Rijeka region, Croatia.

Comments (pertain to pictures in Flicker album Hyoscyamus niger): Hyoscyamus niger is a rare plant on the island of Cres. There are only two references in the FCD database (Ref.: 5), one from an indirect literature source and another observation from 2008. Otherwise, it spreads almost throughout Europe, parts of Western Asia, Africa, Morocco, and Algeria (Ref.: 1).

The plant is medicinal, dangerously poisonous, and has been associated with magic and sorcery for centuries. Its vernacular English name 'nightshade' perfectly reflects its mystery. In medieval texts, magical or ritual properties are ascribed to it. In the compendium of ritual plants in Europe, De Cleene and Lejeune describe medieval sources in which the plant is used to evoke rain, summon demons, and attract game. It is also noted as an ingredient in witches’ tonics due to its psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties. Archaeological excavations dated to AD 70–100 prove its intentional use by humans (Ref. 2) for medical purposes. It was used to relieve chest complaints, all kinds of pain, mucus, and disorders of the womb, and as a remedy for toothache, flatulence, and shortness of breath. However, it has serious side effects too. It causes heavy disturbance of the senses, such as alienation of the mind or madness. Pliny already warned that the drug is dangerous in any form.

References:

(1) Euro+Med 2006+ [continuously updated]: Euro+Med PlantBase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. – www.europlusmed.org [accessed Sept. 12. 2024]

(2) Groot M, van Haasteren M, Kooistra LI. Evidence of the intentional use of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) in the Roman Netherlands. Antiquity. 2024; 98(398):470-485; doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.5

(3) T. Nikolić, Flora Croatica, Vaskularna flora Republike Hrvatske, Vol. 3. Alfa d.d.. Zagreb (2020) p 640.

(4) W.K. Rottensteiner, Exkursionsflora für Istrien, Verlag des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins Kärten (2014), p 878.

(5) T. Nikolić ed. (2015 + [continuously updated]): Flora Croatica Database (FCD) (hirc.botanic.hr/fcd), Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb (accessed date: 2024/09/04).

(6) C. Zerling, Lexikon der Pflanzensymbolik, (2007), AT Verlag, Baden und München

The psychoactive mushroom Amanita muscaria, commonly known as "fly agaric"

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture

Epping Forest Walk - W&DPS, East London, UK

Amanita pantherina var. pantherina, also known as the panther cap and false blusher due to its similarity to the true blusher (Amanita rubescens), is a species of fungus found in Europe and Western Asia.

Amanita pantherina contains the psychoactive compound muscimo but is used as an entheogen much less often than the related Amanita muscaria.

Paan (Hindi: पान from Sanskrit parṇa, "leaf") is a preparation combining betel leaf with areca nut and sometimes also with tobacco. It is chewed for its stimulant and psychoactive effects. After chewing it is either spat out or swallowed. Paan has many variations. Slaked lime (chunnam) paste is commonly added to bind the leaves. Some South Asian preparations include katha paste or mukhwas to freshen the breath.

Paan is originally from and native to India/Pakistan but it has spread to other countries such as Burma and Vietnam. Paan is also consumed in many other Asian countries and elsewhere in the world by some Asian emigrants, with or without tobacco, in an addictive and euphoria-inducing formulation with adverse health effects.

View On Black

Amanita Muscaria

Fungus

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita

Psychoactive mushroom.

(I’m positive, the gnome will reveal himself…) HDRi

Albizia julibrissin / Persian Silk Tree

Albizia julibrissin, the Persian silk tree, pink silk tree, or mimosa tree, is a species of tree in the Fabaceae family, native to southwestern and eastern Asia.[1]

Taxonomy

It was introduced to Europe in the mid-18th century by Italian nobleman Filippo degli Albizzi, and the name of its entire genus Albizzia is given after him.[2] The specific epithet julibrissin is a corruption of the Persian word gul-i abrisham (گل ابریشم), which means "silk flower" (from gul گل "flower" + abrisham ابریشم "silk").[2][additional citation(s) needed]

Albizia julibrissin was described by Antonio Durazzini.[who?] John Gilbert Baker used the same scientific name to refer to Albizia kalkora written by David Prain, the Mimosa kalkora of William Roxburgh.[clarification needed][citation needed]

Names

Albizia julibrissin is known by a wide variety of common names, such as Persian silk tree and pink siris. It is also called Lankaran acacia or bastard tamarind, though it is not too closely related to either genus. The species is called Chinese silk tree, silk tree or mimosa in the United States, which is misleading—the former can refer to any species of Albizia which is most common in any one locale; and, although once included in Mimosa, neither is it very close to the Mimoseae. To add to the confusion, several species of Acacia, notably Acacia baileyana and Acacia dealbata, are also known as "mimosa" (especially in floristry), and many Fabaceae trees with highly divided leaves are called thus in horticulture.

Its leaves slowly close during the night and during periods of rain, the leaflets bowing downward; thus its modern Persian name shabkhosb (شب‌خسب) means "night sleeper". This tendency also explains the Chinese common name hehuan, which means "shut happy" and symbolizes a happy couple in bed.[3] In Japan its common names are nemunoki, nemurinoki and nenenoki which all mean "sleeping tree". Nemu tree is a partial translation of nemunoki.

Description

Albizia julibrissin is a small deciduous tree with a broad crown of level or arching branches, growing to 5–16 m (16–52 ft) tall.[3] Its bark is dark greenish grey, becoming vertically striped with age. Its leaves are large and frond-like: They are bipinnate, divided into 6–12 pairs of pinnae, each with 20–30 pairs of leaflets. Individual leaflets are oblong, 1–1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) broad. The true leaves are 20–45 cm (8–18 in) long and 12–25 cm (5–10 in) broad.

The flowers bloom throughout the summer in dense inflorescences, which resemble starbursts of pink silky threads. The true flowers have small calyx and corolla (except the central ones), with a tight cluster of prominent stamens, 2–3 cm long and white or pink with a white base. They have been observed to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.[2] Its fruit is a flat brown pod 10–20 cm (4–8 in) long and 2–2.5 cm (0.8–1.0 in) broad, containing several seeds inside.

There are two varieties:

Albizia julibrissin var. julibrissin – the typical variety, described above

Albizia julibrissin var. mollis – differs in the shoots being densely hairy

Habitat, cultivation and uses

Original habitats of the tree include regions from Iran (Persia) and the Republic of Azerbaijan to China and Korea.[4]

A. julibrissin is widely planted as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens, grown for its fine leaf texture, flowers and attractive horizontal canopy. Other positive attributes are a fast growth rate, low water requirements and the ability to thrive planted in full sun in hot summer climates.[5] It is frequently planted in semi-arid areas like California's Central Valley, central Texas and Oklahoma. Although capable of surviving drought, growth will be stunted and the tree tends to look sickly. As such it should be given infrequent, deep waterings during the summer, which will benefit growth and flowering.[5]

The broad crown of a mature tree makes it useful for providing dappled shade. The flower colour varies from white in A. julibrissin f. alba, to rich red-tipped flowers. Variants with cream or pale yellow flowers are also reported. Other cultivars are becoming available: 'Summer Chocolate' has red foliage ageing to dark bronze, with pale pink flowers; 'Ishii Weeping' (or 'Pendula') has a drooping growth habit.

A. julibrissin f. rosea

There is also a form, A. julibrissin f. rosea (pink silk tree) which has, in the past, been classed either as a variety or as a cultivar. This is a smaller tree, only growing to 5–7 metres (16–23 ft) tall, with the flowers always pink. Native to the northeast of the species' range in Korea and Northern China, it is more cold-tolerant than the typical form, surviving temperatures down to at least −25 °C (−13 °F). The selected cultivar A. julibrissin 'Ernest Wilson' (also known as 'E.H.Wilson' or 'Rosea') is a cold-tolerant tree with deep pink flower colour. In Japan, A. julibrissin f. rosea is often used for non-traditional bonsai. The name nemunoki* (ねむの木, Kanji: 合歓木) and its variants is a kigo representing the summer in haiku, especially a sleepy summer evening.[6]

A. julibrissin f. rosea has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit;[7] likewise the cultivar 'Summer Chocolate'.[8]

Other uses

Silk tree wood may be used to make furniture.[9] It is also reportedly psychoactive as well, with the flowers being used to make teas. In Chinese medicine it is considered an antidepressant.[10]

Invasive species

In the wild, the tree tends to grow in dry plains, sandy valleys, and uplands. It has become an invasive species in the United States, where it has spread from southern New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, west to Missouri and Illinois, and south to Florida and Texas. It is cultivated in California and Oregon.[citation needed] Its seeds are wind-dispersed and numerous, and they are fertile even over long periods of drought. Each pod, which resembles a flattened bean pod made of paper, holds about 8 seeds on average. The pod bursts in strong winds, and the seeds can carry over long distances.

Breeding work is currently underway in the United States to produce ornamental plants which will not set seed and can be planted without risk.[citation needed] However, in the eastern United States it is generally a short-lived tree, being highly susceptible to mimosa vascular wilt,[11] a fungal disease caused by a species of Fusarium, though the disease does not seem to have seriously impacted its populations. Because of its invasive tendencies and disease susceptibility, it is rarely recommended as an ornamental plant in the United States, though it is still widely planted in parts of Europe.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_julibrissin

Another one from the damp dark woodlands at Wakehurst Place, Sussex. It's been a good year for mushrooms of all kinds, but these storybook toadstools are still my favourites.

Different stages of this fungus as seen around the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park at Loch Drunkie.

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a basidiomycete mushroom, one of many in the genus Amanita. It is also a muscimol mushroom. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine and birch plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.

Arguably the most iconic toadstool species, the fly agaric is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, and is one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture.

Although classified as poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from its ingestion are extremely rare. After parboiling—which weakens its toxicity and breaks down the mushroom's psychoactive substances—it is eaten in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituents being the compounds ibotenic acid and muscimol. The mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on possible traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in other places such as the Middle East, Eurasia, North America, and Scandinavia.

I don't belive... Someone tried to eat it?! ;-)))

In EXPLORE - 13 September 2006, # 450

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly Amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. It's a symbiont with pine plantations. Deep red mushroom is one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture.

Polish name: muchomor czerwony

'Euphoria (yū-fôr'ē-ə') is medically recognized as a mental/emotional state defined as a profound sense of well-being. Technically, euphoria is an affect, but the term is often colloquially used to define emotion as an intense state of transcendent happiness combined with an overwhelming sense of contentment. The word derives from Greek εὐφορία, "power of enduring easily, fertility". Euphoria is generally considered to be an exaggerated physical and psychological state, sometimes induced by the use of psychoactive drugs and not typically achieved during the normal course of human experience. However, some natural behaviors, such as activities resulting in orgasm or the triumph of an athlete, can induce brief states of euphoria.Euphoria has also been cited during certain religious or spiritual rituals and meditation.

De vliegenzwam (Amanita muscaria) is een opvallende paddenstoel, die algemeen voorkomt in de lage landen. Het eten ervan kan leiden tot vergiftigingsverschijnselen, maar de ernst hiervan valt meestal mee.Vliegenzwammen groeien vaak in nauwe associatie (symbiose) met berk, tamme kastanje, eik, den, beuk en spar. Ze vormen een ectomycorrhiza, wat betekent dat het mycelium niet binnendringt in de wortels van de boom, maar de haarwortels aan de buitenkant omgeeft.

De bekendste verschijningsvorm van de vliegenzwam is een donkerrode hoed met witte stippen. De witte stippen zijn restanten van het algeheel omhulsel (velum universale) waarin de paddenstoel 'opgesloten' zat, voordat hij uit de grond omhoog kwam. Deze spoelen bij regenachtig weer vrij snel van de hoed. De kleur van de hoed is echter variabel en kan variëren van rood tot oranje met gele tinten. De eerste foto in de fotogalerij hieronder geeft een idee van de variatie in kleur bij vliegenzwammen.

De hoed wordt 5-15 cm breed. Het vlees, de plaatjes en sporen zijn wit. De sporen zijn niet amyloïd en elliptisch van vorm (9-12 µm bij 6-9 µm). Op de witte steel zit meestal een duidelijke ring en aan de onderkant een (vlokkige) beurs. Vliegenzwammen kunnen voorkomen vanaf juli tot en met de late herfst, met een hoogtepunt rond eind augustus.

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the southern hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.

The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies with differing cap colour have been recognised, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades that may represent separate species.

Although it is generally considered poisonous, there are few documented human deaths from its consumption, and after having been parboiled it is eaten as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on possible traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia, but such traditions are far less well documented. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed that the fly agaric was the soma of the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; since its introduction in 1968, this theory has gained both followers and detractors in anthropological literature.

The Giant Monkey Frog produces a psychoactive secretion that indigenous peoples of the Amazon use as traditionally to improve hunting capacities. They call this substance Kambô or Sapo and some outsiders enter the Amazon to abuse both the frog and the drug.

Spice - often dubbed ‘fake’ or ‘synthetic’ cannabis - is made from dried plant material, chopped up herbs and man-made chemicals. Some of the ingredients in Spice are similar to those in marijuana, but the substance is often much more potent. It was invented in the US by an organic chemist who was looking for a new way of developing anti-inflammatory medication.

One of the substances included is the synthetic cannabinoid ‘JWH-018’ which was declared unfit for human consumption in 2006, but it began being sold on the internet two years later, advertised as a plant fertiliser.

People thought Spice was simply a mixture of herbs that had a similar effect to marijuana, but many soon found it had much more severe effects.

The JWH-018 compound was banned in the UK in 2010, but its formula was changed numerous times making way for a cat and mouse game to take place between manufacturers and the authorities.

All forms of the substance were banned in 2016 under the Psychoactive Substances Act.

It is not the plant material and herbs that have an effect on users. It is the chemical ingredients sprayed onto it that have an impact.

A blanket ban on legal highs - including Spice - came into force in May 2016, despite this there has been a marked rise in the number of people using the drug and effectively turning them into ‘Zombies’; as they have been called.

The above shows one young man in such a state, one of many that can be found littering the streets of Manchester's City Centre, especially the 'Piccadilly Gardens’ area. This picture was taken in St. Peter’s Square.

Extracts taken from ‘The Manchester Evening News’

P.S. This is not Peter Jackson, he was with me when I took the picture.

NIGHT TRAWLER

Acrylic on canvas 6/2008

Size: 22" x 28" (55.9 cm X 79.1 cm.)

This painting has several other paintings under it's skin. That has caused some interesting "impasto" effects. This canvas has been worked, and re-worked, again and again. Underneath this image sleeps the bones of painted memories that only I can recall, and those memories are passing away as I write this description.

At times this painting has been in my closet, under my table, faced against the wall, and purposefully forgotten. I have been working this canvas on and off for over a year.

The "NIGHT TRAWLER" is the boat of my dreams. I would love to live on this boat. To glide from place to place on still and rough waters. Inside this boat is everything I have ever wanted or loved. In my imagination, I am this boat. It is my sanctuary, my retreat, my hideaway. No one can touch me here.

I want to walk into this picture and disappear. I wish to leave the absurd trials and tribulations of men behind, and become part of my painted world. A more interesting and mysterious world where fish rise up above the water to stare at men. Where fish can fly like birds, and translucent creatures swim across the starry night sky shimmering in moon light.

Many years ago, when I was a young boy my father would wake me before dawn to go fishing in the Ocean. We would drive through the foggy San Francisco streets to "Muni Pier" , buy bait wrapped in yesterdays newspaper, and drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. There my father had moored an old 26 foot inboard with a cabin. To my young eyes a Ship! As the first false dawn light began to color the world, we would board with our gear. Trembling with the morning chill, breathing out hot steam into the cold, he'd start the engine. The smell of gasoline, bait and salt water is a heavenly memory.

We made slowly out the jetty and into the San Francisco Bay to cross the "Potato Patch". This is an area of rough water under the Golden Gate bridge where many a small boat has gone down in a sudden storm. Past this fearful patch of rough water lay the beautiful blue waters off Marin County, California. We would skirt the shore, find a still cove and drop anchor. These coves were always surrounded by high cliffs with wild trees overhanging the edges. The Cliffs were natural wind breaks. The water was blue black with its depth, and still as a mirror. The smell there was pine forest mixed with salt water, morning sun, exhaust fumes and dead fish. When I die, if I smell this, I will know there is a heaven after all.

My excitement to begin was so extreme that my fingers would tremble while I set my hooks and sinkers. My father and I would sit side by side in lawn chairs as the boat gently swayed in the calm morning water. The fog would clear in spots and open holes in the sky. Through these openings rays of white orange sunlight would appear. Someone called these "The Fingers of God".

And what fish we caught! I never knew what monstrous beauty I might pull from those waters! Creatures from science fiction! Things that I was sure no one had ever seen before! Huge green purple kelp fish with bulging eyes and fins that looked more like seaweed than fish fins, mottled with countless of hues of blues, greens and violets and blacks. They were covered with tiny slithering worms and tiny gittering crustaceous fleas. Amazing things that I would stare at with the wide eyed wonder of a seven year old boy.

There were Leopard Sharks with beautiful black spots. Fish that looked like futuristic cylindric space ships, Crabs, giant jellyfish, White sharks as big as our boat! (Very scary!) and so many more! The sea's imagination knows no bounds!

The fish my father wanted were the Salmon and Stripped Bass. He once caught a 50 pound Salmon off the Gate! There were big Bat Rays that might take 3 hours for my father to land. He would never know what they were until it surfaced. He always thought he might have a huge salmon, and would curse in rage when it was only a "F-ING RAY" that he had sweated hours to bring to the surface!

My favorite times were slow and silent. When our lines made the only ripple upon the water. The only sound was the soft lapping of the dark water against our boat, the sound of gulls, and my fathers breathing. I would try to match my breaths to my fathers as we sat in silence. I was a miniature version of him, looking into the dark waters thinking our thoughts. I wonder now what he was thinking. I wanted to be him. He was perfection. It was the perfect harmony of a father and son. It's a precious jewel of a memory.

In my painting are remembrances of the rocky cliffs and the calm waters of these pristine California coves. I wonder if they are still there as they were way back then? (Circa 1958) I think not.

original sold

Sacred Datura is a poisonous psychoactive plant that grows wild (seemingly everywhere) in the Southwest USA.

Tiny brown mushrooms emerging from a fallen tree, along the trail in Great Falls National Park, MD, USA.

Google Lens IDs this as a species from the genus Pluteus.

It is likely Pluteus americanus, and is known to contain psychoactive compounds like psilocybin and psilocin.

Pluteus americanus is found in Eastern North America and grows on the wood of trees like ash, maple, birch, and poplar.

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fly agaric toadstool ~ amanita muscaria

I think I must make this the last of the fungi photos for now, I have so many images this time it must be a bumper year.

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly Amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies, with differing cap colour, have been recognised to date, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolata, guessowii, and formosa, and the pinkish persicina.

ref: wiki

Amanita muscaria poisoning occurs in either young children or people ingesting it to have a hallucinogenic experience. Occasionally, immature button forms have been mistaken for puffballs.[48] Additionally, the white spots can be washed away during heavy rain and it then may seem as the edible A. caesarea.

Amanita muscaria contains a number of biologically active agents, at least one of which, muscimol, is known to be psychoactive. Ibotenic acid, a neurotoxin, serves as a prodrug to muscimol, with approximately 10-20% converting to muscimol upon ingestion. A toxic dose in adults is approximately 6 mg muscimol or 30 to 60 mg ibotenic acid; this is typically about the amount found in one cap of Amanita muscaria.[52] However, the amount and ratio of chemical compounds per mushroom varies widely from region to region and season to season, which further confuses the issue. Spring and summer mushrooms have been reported to contain up to 10 times as much ibotenic acid and muscimol compared to autumn fruitings.

A fatal dose has been calculated at an amount of 15 caps. Deaths from this fungus A. muscaria has been reported in historical journal articles and newspaper reports; however, with modern medical treatment a fatal outcome because of the poison of this mushroom would be extremely rare.Many older books list it as "deadly" but this is a mistake that gives the impression it is far more toxic than it actually is.The North American Mycological Association has stated there are absolutely no reliably documented fatalities in the past century.The vast majority (90% or more) of mushroom poisoning deaths are from having eaten either the greenish to yellowish death cap (A. phalloides) or perhaps even one of the several white Amanita species which are known as destroying angels.

The active constituents of this species are water soluble, and boiling and then discarding the cooking water will at least partly detoxify A. muscaria. However, drying may

I clearly don't know my fungi species well. After checking with a number of sources, these two are clearly from the inocybe family, but what kind? I'd also like to know if they are poisonous or edible, psychoactive or medicinal. Any answers, speculative or otherwise, would be greatly welcomed!

It is an exceptionally good year for Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) in Browndown this year.

According to the Woodland Trust web site www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-w... :

"Fly agaric is poisonous and infamous for its psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties. Reports of human deaths resulting from its ingestion are extremely rare.

Toxicity: due to its psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties, this fungus is inedible. There are records of fly agaric being used as a medicine.

Fly agaric was traditionally used as an insecticide. The cap broken up and sprinkled into saucers of milk. It's known to contain ibotenic acid, which both attracts and kills flies.

Fly agaric has a long history of being used in religion particularly in Asia. It has been used in a sacred and hallucinogenic ritual drink called Soma in India and Iran for over 4,000 years. It has also been the topic of a Hindu religious hymn.

This toadstool has turned up in many fairy tale stories and is famous in the story of Alice in Wonderland where she is given some fly agaric to eat. It has also been shown in TV series like the smurfs and in the video game super Mario Bros.

The 'spots' are remnants of the white veil of tissue that at first enclosed the young mushroom, and are sometimes washed off by the rain.

It was commonly found on Christmas cards in Victorian and Edwardian times as a symbol of good luck and its colours are thought to have been the inspiration for Santa Claus's red and white suit.

Widespread throughout Europe, Asia and North America, it has now also been introduced via pine seedlings to Australia and New Zealand."

I love fly agaric, to me they are the perfect toadstool.

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine and birch plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.

The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies with differing cap colour have been recognised, including the brown regalis (often considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolvata, guessowii, formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades that may represent separate species.

Although classified as poisonous, reports of human deaths resulting from its ingestion are extremely rare. After parboiling—which weakens its toxicity and breaks down the mushroom's psychoactive substances—it is eaten in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. The mushroom was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on possible traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in other places such as the Middle East, Eurasia, North America, and Scandinavia.

Photographed on the Arboretum Walk at Nymans, Handcross, Haywards Heath, Sussex RH17 6EB

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nymans

The greatest enemies of the Brigade, united in an attempt to destroy them...

They are...the MACBETH SOCIETY

Individual origins are coming soon!

From L-R:

Maxi-Charge: She can control electricity. Pretty self explanatory

Zeitpunk: A time traveling, bio-engineered German soldier from WWII

Gatekeeper: Gateway’s nemesis, with a similar pocket dimension to her

Praeligo: The mysterious leader of the MacBeth Society, with the ability to control and extend the fabric tendrils around his neck

Drug Lord: A man hellbent on conquering the black market. His body can excrete a psychoactive drug which he can force people to overdose on just by touch

Altitude: He can make the air thinner around him, suffocating his enemies. A devastating power backed up by a stupid costume

Climate Commander: He can freeze things and fry them with a simple hand gesture, and is determined to end Permafrost’s life

"MICROVERSE 1" ~ 30" x 24", Acrylic on wood panel ~ Jan 2014. One in a series of paintings for my exhibition "The MICRO WORLDS of R.S. Connett"

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a mushroom and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine and birch plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.

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(Lophophora williamsii). South Texas.

Peyote is perhaps the most famous psychoactive plant. It has been utilized for centuries by native peoples for both its medicinal and hallucinogenic effects. Today Peyote is a controlled substance in the United States due to its use as a recreational drug. It is, however, legal for many native tribes to harvest and consume for ritualistic purposes.

Though it may be illegal to harvest or possess, this has not stopped poachers from devastating Peyote populations to sell them on the black market. As a result it is becoming scarce in all but the most inaccessible portions of its range.

In the United States Peyote is known only from extreme southern and western Texas. Here it occurs in desert scrub and arid brushland, typically growing beneath dense shrubs. It is one of three spineless cacti in Texas. We were lucky enough to observe some in bloom on an extensive private ranch in the Tamaulipan Thornscrub of South Texas.

"METAVERSE" or, "The Metaverse Sea"

18" x 18" (45.7 cm x 45.7 cm.), Acrylic on wood panel

This is my most recent commissioned painting, (April 2011) The title is "METAVERSE" or "The Metaverse Sea".

I thought it would be interesting to create a "stage like" outer environment with which to gaze in at inner world I created. This "outer world", like an opening in a cave, is something I have not done before.

Explore #323, Oktober 10, 2013

Closeup of a mature Fly Agaric mushroom in the background and an emerging specimen in the foreground.

Een volgroeide Vliegenzwam op de achtergrond en op de voorgrond komt een nieuw exemplaar al een beetje voor de dag.

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Some of my photos are sold at reasonable prices through various stock photo agencies.

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16" x 16" acrylic on wood panel.

I can see endless possibilities for this "style." Totally imagination generated, no landscapes, no gravity, no perspective, no rules.

Of the three "studies" submitted here (the last 2 submissions included) this is my favorite.

This is a direction that I feel very comfortable with. Very enjoyable to create. I’m happy with the results. I hope to do many more similar paintings in the months to come.