Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala)
Syrian Rue Information
Peganum harmala is the botanical name of the plant more commonly known as syrian rue. Other common names for the plant include harmala, harmal, and africa rue. It is part of the Nitrariaceae family of plants. The Nitrariaceae family is small, it is made up of one genus called Peganum.
In areas where the plant grows, Peganum harmala has often been made into folk medicines. Fruits from the plant were often made into a red dye. This dye was sometimes used as coloring in Persian and Turkish rugs.
Seeds from the plant contain compounds known as harmala alkaloids. They have a long history of use as a psychoactive drug, and for other purposes. More recently, they have been used as an additive in a sacred drink known as ayahuasca.
Actually, ayahuasca made with Peganum harmala is known as an ayahuasca analog. That means it is a form of ayahuasca made with ingredients that differ from those traditionally included in preparation of the drink.
Scientific Classification Of Peganum harmala
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Nitrariaceae
Genus: Peganum
Species: Peganum harmala
The plant originated in Asia, probably in the area stretching between India and the present day Middle East. It can still be found growing wild in these areas, as well as parts of Manchuria, Mongolia, Southern Europe, and Yemen.
The seeds have been used to induce religious visions in Persia (modern day Iran) for thousands of years. In Africa, seeds have been used as incense since ancient times.
As a medicine, Peganum harmala also has a history dating back thousands of years. It has been used to treat many problems including: asthma, infertility, labor pain, menstrual problems, wounds, and some other ailments.
Chemistry Of Peganum harmala
The main active constituents of Peganum harmala are known as harmala alkaloids. The harmala alkaloids also act as MAOI's (monoamine oxidase inhibitors).
MAOI's can stimulate the central nervous system (CNS) by inhibiting the metabolism of serotonin and other monoamines. This inhibition of the break-down of serotonin in the human body makes MAOI's effective antidepressants.
However, MAOI's may cause problems (or even death in rare cases) when certain types of foods or chemicals are consumed while taking them. For this reason, MAOI drugs are not usually prescribed to treat depression.
A large concentration of harmala alkaloids occur in Peganum harmala but the alkaloids are also found in other plants. Banisteriopsis caapi (ayahuasca vine) has lower amounts of harmala alkaloids than Peganum harmala. Other plants like Passiflora incarnata (passion flower) and tobacco contain only trace amounts.
In ayahuasca analogs (newer non-traditional recipes for the preparation of ayahuasca), the plant most often used as a replacement for Banisteriopsis caapi is Peganum harmala.
A plant that contains DMT can be combined with Peganum harmala seeds to make an ayahuasca analog. The DMT containing plants that are most often mixed with Peganum harmala to produce ayahuasca analogs are Mimosa hostilis (jurema), Psychotria viridis (chacruna), or Diplopterys cabrerana (chaliponga).
The reason for combining plants that contain harmala alkaloids with plants that contain DMT is to increase the amount of DMT absorbed by the human body. If the plants that contained DMT were consumed by themselves, the user would feel very little in the way of psychoactive effects.
By mixing Peganum harmala (or other plants that contain harmala alkaloids) with plants that contain DMT, the body is able to effectively absorb the DMT when it is taken orally.
The harmala alkaloids (because they are MAOI's) serve the purpose of potentiating DMT in the ayahuasca by reducing its breakdown in the human digestive tract. This allows more of the DMT to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain.
How To Use Peganum harmala
Peganum harmala acts as an MAOI, any type of MAOI can have negative reactions that might be fatal if combined with foods and other medicines. Always follow these precautions when using any type of MAOI.
You can buy Peganum harmala (syrian rue) from a company that ships from the USA to most parts of the globe here. The most common use shamanic use of the plant is its use when making ayahuasca analogs. For information about making ayahuasca see this.
There are several other shamanic uses of Peganum harmala, besides being used to prepare ayahuasca analogs. When the dry seeds are crushed then mixed with marijuana or hashish and smoked, some consumers report an increase of potency in the marijuana or hashish that was smoked.
Three to five grams of crushed seed can be put into gelatin capsules and ingested in combination with cacti that contain mescaline. Members of the Trichocereus genus and Lophophora williamsii are the most often ingested mescaline cacti. The mixture will deepen the mescaline experience for most people.
For anyone who uses LSD or magic mushrooms (only those that contain psilocybin), you can try smoking some of the dry crushed seeds after you feel the effects of the acid or mushrooms starting to come on. This can intensify the journey and make it last longer.
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Information about almost every plant that has been used for medical, spiritual, or recreational purposes. Includes all the common and most of the less common plant drugs. This is the most thorough plant drug encyclopedia available at the present time. Contains 3 pages of info about Peganum harmala.
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