Peganum Harmala pamphlet Peganum Harmala: The Hallucinogenic Herb of the America

n Southwest by Albert Most Venom Press Copyight 1985 Albert Most All rights Rese
rved A Brief History In the early spring of 1935 a now forgotten farmer planted
a small handful of tiny brown seeds several miles east of Deming, New Mexico. Th
e seed, obtained from Europe in pursuit of an ardent interest in unusual plants
was from peganum harmala, a perennial herb native to the deserts of northern Afr
ica, western Asia, and southeastern Europe, Nurtured by the arid climate, P. har
mala grew well in the sandy sail of southern New Mexico. The plants fluorished,
produced viable seed, and quickly escaped. cultivation. Now, almost fifty years
since its introduction into the American Southwest, P. harmala occurs naturally
in arid region of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. Botany Growing from a p
erennial woody rootstock, Peganum harmala is a bright-green, densely foliaged, h
erbaceous succulent. Although Its smooth many-branched stems may have a spread o
f four feet or more, the plant is rarely over two feet tall and generally appear
s round and bushy in habit. Its leaves are two inches long, born singly and fine
ly divided into long narrow segments. Each year between June and August, P. harm
ala produces many single white conspicuous flowers. Measuring one to one and one
-half inches across, these relatively large and showy blooms have five oblong-ep
liptic petals as well as five narrow sepals of slightly longer length. Each flow
er has the potential to develop into a fruit--a leathery, three-- valved seed ca
psule that stands erect on its stalk. Each capsule measures about three-eighths
inch in diameter and contains more than fifty dark-brown, angular seeds. Chemist
ry The seeds, as well as the roots, of P. harmala contain a mixture of the harma
la alkaloids, harmine and harmaline. These unusual alkaloids are psychoactive de
rivatives of B-carboline, When administered to man, the harmala alkaloids are se
rotonin antagonists, CNS stimulants, hallucinogens and extremely potent, short t
erm MAO inhibitors. Interestingly enough, neither harmine, harmaline nor P. harm
ala is included in the Federal Controlled Substance Act. Present at 3% by dry we
ight, the harmala alkaloids may be extracted from the seeds and roots of . harma
la- and purified as crystalline bases. Hasenfratz described this process in 1927
. ISOLATION OF HARMINE AND HARMALINE The crushed seeds are covered with three ti
mes their weight of water containing 30 g. of acetic acid per liter of water, Th
e seeds swell as they absorb the liquid and form a thick dough which is pressed
after 2 or 3 days. The pressed seeds are once more treated as above with twice t
heir weight of dilute acetic acid and, after maceration, the liquid is again pre
ssed out. To the combined liquors, sodium chloride (100 g., liter of liquid) is
added to transform the acetates of harmine and harmaline into the hydrochlorides
which are insoluble in cold sodium chloride solutions and are precipitated duri
ng cooling. The supernatant liquid is siphoned off, the crystaline residue filte
red with suction and redissolved in hot water. Addition of sodium chloride to th
e filtered solution results in the precipitation of the hydrochlorides as a crys
talline mush and this process is repeated until the hydrochlorides have acquired
a yellow color. The separation of harmaline from harmine is based on the fact t
hat when a warm aqueous solution of the hydrochlorides is alkalinized with ammon
ia, harmaline is liberated only after the decomposition of harmine hydrochloride
is complete. The appearance of harmaline is readly detected under the microscop
e since it consists of plates while harmine forms long needles. The addition of
ammonia, therefore, is stopped as soon as crystals of harmaline are detected, th
e harmine is filtered off and the harmaline recovered from the filtrate by the a
ddition of ammonia, The bases are then further purified by recrystallization of
their hydrochlorides. Ann. chim (10) 7,15l (1927). When administered to man-- in
seed form or as crystalline bases--the harmala alkaloids are serotonin antagoni
sts, CNS stimulants, hallucinogens and extremely potent, short-term MAO inhibito
rs. MAO Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is an important enzyme in the human body. Locate
d in the outer membrane of mitochondria, MAO breaks down Physiologically active
amines and renders them harmless and ineffective in a process called oxidative d
eamination. MAO inactivates biogenic amines like epinephrine, norepinephrine, do
pamine and serotonin. As the amine binds to the enzymes active sight, MAO "attac
ks" the carbon-hydrogen bond adjacent to the nitrogen. In an extremely rapid, en
zyme- catalysed reaction, the amine is converted into a physiologically inactive

metabolite. Any drug which interferes with the function of this catabolic enzym
e is by definition an MAO inhibitor. MAO Inhibitors The harmala alkaloids are es
pecially potent short-term MAO inhibitors. They temporarily prevent biogenic ami
nes from binding to the active site of the MAO molecule and undergoing deaminati
on. Amine synthesis continues but inactivation is blocked. The result is an accu
mulation of physiologically active amines -- dopamine epinephrine, norepinephrin
e, and serotonin -- within the tissues and at the synapses. MAO inhibitors incre
ase the action of these neurntransmitters at their receptors, which may account
for some of the hallucinogenic effects characteristic of the harmala alkaloids.
For 3 to 6 hours, the harmala alkaloids interfere with the protective enzyme MAO
, before their action is reversed and MAO activity restored. WARNING There is a
very real danger in interfering with the protective function of MAO. The harmala
alkaloids like other inhibitors, are non-specific. They prevent the metabolic i
nactivation of many other drugs and biogenic amines in addition to the neurotran
amitters, For example, MAO normally detoxifies barbiturates, alcohol and narcoti
c analgesics. MAO inhibitors prevent their inactivation and can prolong and inte
nsify their central depressant effect to a potentially lethal, life-threatening
level. MAO inhibitors also potentiate the action of many amphetamine-like compou
nds. They are synergistic with most amphetamines, ephedrine, norepinephrine, epi
nephrine, methyldopa and phenylpropanolamine, sometimes precipitating a hyperten
sive crisis. Often associated with sweating, pallor, nausea, vomitting and frigh
t, a hypertensive crisis in a high blood pressure headache which can lead to cra
nial hemmorrhage. A hypertensive crisis can also result from the ingestion of fo
odstuffs that contain amino acids normally metabolized by MAO. The well-known ty
ramine cheese reaction illustrates this danger. Tyramine is formed as a fermenta
tion by-product In many foods. It is a naturally occuring amine normally metabol
ized by MAO. In the presence of an MAO inhibitor, the resulting high levels of t
yramine can produce dangerous increases in blood pressure. Anyone experimenting
with MAO Inhibitors should be aware of the potential for hypertensive crisis. Av
oid all foods or liquids with high amine content. Do not mix MAO inhibitors (i.e
. the harmala alkaloids) with any of the following: cheese, especially aged chee
se, beer, mine, pickled herrings, snails, chicken livers, yeast products, figs,
raisans, pickles, sauerkraut, coffee, chocolate soy sauce, cream or yogurt. The
Harmala Alkaloids The harmala alkaloids are psychoactive in man at oral doses of
25 to 750 milligrams. A small dose (25.50 milligrams) is a CNS stimulant. it in
creases mental activity and produces a pleasant dreamy state for several hours.
The larger doses-- 200 milligrams up to 750 milligrams-- yield the hallucinogeni
c effects. The experience usually begins within one hour and often lasts six hou
rs or more, The initial effects include nausea, vomitting, increased blood press
ure and heart rate, profuse sweating, dizziness and body tremors. During this in
itial period you may hear humming or buzzing noises and you may notice a wave-li
ke movement of the environment. You may feel alternations of hot and cold, You m
ay even experience the feeling of sinking together with the sensation of flight.
These initial effects can be discomforting. They tend to produce anxiety and en
courage a withdrawal from the external world. You will probably perceive environ
mental sights and sounds, especially other persons, as disturbing objects and wi
sh to avoid them. Seek a dark, quiet place where you can enjoy the hallucinatory
trance which follows. The hallucinatory trance consists of three successive sta
ges of hallucinations. You will know stage one when your sense of darkness is in
terrupted by bright flickers of light. These phosphene-based sensations first ap
pear as colored dots, specks, stars or simple flowers. They give way to undulati
ng lines, circles, grids, simple forms, abstract designs and multi-shaped geomet
rical patterns. Relax and enjoy a closed-eye contemplation of the floating, ever
-changing pattern of these little images. In stage two the abstract designs of s
tage one give way to slowly moving masses of shapes and colors. Larger shapes ta
ke form in a slowly developing pattern of hallucinatory images. These images acq
uire a personal character as your unconscious mind projects your fears and desir
es upon the shapes and colors of your visions. Do not be alarmed if the horizon
seems to collapse in a bright flash of light or if your hallucinations turn into
frightening animals. Huge birds of prey, large jaguars and snakes are common ha

llucinations with harmala alkaloids. Observe and enjoy the bright colored imager
y as it changes continually in a flowing transformation of dream-like sequences.
Hours later, in stage three, this panorama of vivid fantasy fades into the slow
movement of shapes and colors. These images disappear, in turn, as the last sta
ge of the hallucinatory trance wears off. If your harmala experiment is part of
a group experience, you may be surprised by the unusual similarity in the conten
t of each other's hallucinations. The harmala alkaloids tend to produce collecti
ve hallucinations--especially archetypal imagery--among group members. This acce
ss to "collective unconscious" is such an extraordinary effect that the harmala
alkaloids have earned the name "telepathines". These unusual alkaloids are prese
nt naturally in harmala, the Hallucinogenic Herb of the American Southwest. Impo
rtant Considerations Every psychedelic experience is chiefly a function of set a
nd setting, of preparation and environment. The better prepared YOU are, the bet
ter the experience will be for you. Consider the following instructions: * Do no
t drink any alcohol or take any drugs or medication when experimenting with MAO
inhibitors (Ie, the harmala alkaloids). REMEMBER: MAO inhibitors interfere with
the bodys ability to detoxify certain drugs and fermented foodstuffs. Narcotics,
barbiturates, tranquilizers, antihistamines, amphetamines, all forms of alcohol
and foodstuffs containing tyramine are potentially LETHAL when used In combinat
ion with MAO Inhibitors. * Provide a comfortable setting which is as free as pos
sible from unforeseen distractions and intrusions. Make sure you will not be dis
turbed for six to eight hours. * Enjoy your trip! Albert Most Pecos, Texas Summe
r 1993 Cultivation harmala can be propagated either from seed or root. Gather th
e seed as the capsules ripen and dry thoroughly in the sun. Store in a cool plac
e until spring. Then sow the seed in flats of half-sand, half-sail and water spa
ringly. Be careful not to overwater the seedlings. Or. you can harvest the roots
in autumn after the tops die from frost.They will keep through the winter if yo
u pack them in damp sawdust and stare in a cool place. In the early spring plant
the roots in the ground or in pots before any new growth starts. Although harma
la grows well in dry, sandy. sail and can stand considerable drought, you will f
ind that richer sail and occasional watering will benefit your plants.