Indigofera tinctoria / Indigo / Leguminosae (Pea family)

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This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

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Indigo has long been one of the most important dyestuffs; this dye was used as far back as 6000 years ago in China. Indigo produces an intense deep blue color. The leaves and branches of the plant are harvested, placed in a vat, covered with water, and permitted to ferment. The sludge of partially rotted plant material which settles on the bottom is collected and pressed into cakes. When dry, these produce a powder that makes a colorless solution. The color only develops when an item is dipped into the solution, removed and then exposed to air.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	dye, finely powdered excellent quality [details] [ view ]		10 g - $ 3.20  25 g - $ 6.90  50 g - $ 12.75  100 g - $ 22.75	x
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Santalum rubrum / Red Sandalwood / Leguminosae (Pea family)

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This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Pterocarpi Lignum. Santalum rubrum. Lignum rubrum. Red Sandalwood. Rubywood. Rasura Santalum Ligni. Red Santal Wood. Sappan

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The chief use of Red Sandalwood is as a dye-stuff. In India it is employed mixed with sapan wood, for dyeing silk, cotton and wool, the shade of red varying according to the mordant used.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	wood (1) shredded India, excellent quality [details] [ view ]		50 g - $ 2.70  100 g - $ 4.90  250 g - $ 10.90  500 g - $ 19.50  1000 g - $ 36.00	x
	wood (1) finely powdered India, excellent quality [details] [ view ]		50 g - $ 2.70  100 g - $ 4.90  250 g - $ 10.90  500 g - $ 19.50  1000 g - $ 36.00  5 kg - $ 162.00	x
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Crocus sativus / Saffron / Iridaceae (Iris family)

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This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Crocus sativus, Crocus officinalis var. Acafrao, Agnishikha, Azafran, Bhavarakta, Croco fiorito, Croco senza, Fan hong hua, Fiori, Fior cuculo, Fuszersafrany, Grogo domestico, Jafran, Kaashmirii keshara, Kashubha, Keshar, Klungumapu, Kruku, Kuma-kuma, Kungumapu, Kunkumapave, Kunyit kering, Kurkum, Mangal, Mangalya, Nghe, Romiet, Saffraan, Safran, Saffran, Safrankrookus, Saffron, Safuran, Sahrami, Sapran, Shafran, Szafran, Zaafaran, Zafraan, Zafran, Za'faran, Zafferano, Zafora.

Historical

Saffron is named among the sweet-smelling herbs in Song of Solomon 4:14. King Solomon's lover is likened to a garden filled with all the choicest fruits and spices, including "Nard and Saffron, Calamus and Cinnamon, with all trees of Frankincense, Myrrh and Aloes." It was used as a perfume in Greek and Roman halls, courts, theatres, and baths. The professional class of Greek courtesans (high-class educated prostitutes) was particularly fond of Saffron as a personal aroma. Nero had the streets of Rome strewn with Saffron for one of his triumphal entries.
The Crocus flower suffused Bronze Age Minoan culture. A famous fresco of that era depicts women with Crocus blossoms woven or embroidered on costumes of Saffron-dyed cloth, wearing Saffron-based cosmetics, picking Crocus flowers and presenting them to an enthroned goddess. Votive pottery and figurines show the Minoan deity Britomartis all dolled up in a hat-and-dress combo decorated with a Crocus motif.
Indeed, the Crocus appears so often on Minoan artifacts that its precise significance to the citizens of Crete can only be speculated upon. There's evidence it was used in sacred rituals associated with menstruation and childbirth. One thing is certain, though: The flower formed the basis of a flourishing overseas trade. Even back then, Saffron must have cost a pretty drachma.
Because of being triploid, Saffron is necessarily sterile, and its beautiful flowers cannot produce any seeds; propagation is possible only via corms. Distribution over larger distance requires human help, and so it's surprising that Saffron was known to the Sumerians almost 5000 years ago. It is not known, however, how the spice was transported from the Mediterranean to Sumer in Mesopotamia.
The history of Saffron cultivation reaches back more than 3000 years. The wild precursor of domesticated Saffron Crocus was Crocus cartwrightianus. Human cultivators bred wild specimens by selecting for unusually long stigmas. Thus, a sterile mutant form of C. cartwrightianus, C. sativus, emerged in late Bronze Age Crete. Experts believe Saffron was first documented in a 7th century BC Assyrian botanical reference compiled under Ashurbanipal. Since then, documentation of Saffron's use over the span of 4000 years in the treatment of some 90 illnesses has been uncovered. Saffron has been used as a spice and medicine in the Mediterranean region since then, with usage and cultivation slowly spreading to other parts of Eurasia as well as North Africa and North America.
In the last several decades, Saffron cultivation has spread to Oceania.
Since the 15th century, numerous attempts have been made to introduce Saffron production to German, Switzerland, Austria and even England. Today, all these Saffron cultivation sites have been abandoned, with the sole exception of Mund, a small Swiss village in canton Wallis. In Mund, a few kilograms of Saffron per year are produced in traditional way, at an elevation of about 1200m.

Plant Description

Saffron is a small perennial plant which is cultivated in many places, but particularly in France, Spain, Sicily, and Iran. After a period of aestivation (rare state of dormancy similar to hibernation, but during the months of the summer) in summer, five to eleven narrow and nearly vertical green leaves, growing up to 40 cm in length—emerge from the ground. In autumn, purple buds appear. Only in October, after most other flowering plants have released their seeds, does it develop its brilliantly hued flowers, ranging from a light pastel shade of lilac to a darker and more striated mauve. Upon flowering, it averages less than 30 cm in height.
Inside each flower is a threepronged style; in turn, each prong terminates with a crimson stigma 25-30 mm in length. Being sterile, the saffron crocus's purple flowers fail to produce viable seeds, thus, reproduction is dependent on human assistance: the corms (underground bulb-like starch-storing organs) must be manually dug up, broken apart, and replanted. A corm survives for only one season, reproducing via division into up to ten "cormlets" that eventually give rise to new plants. The corms are small brown globules up to 4.5 cm in diameter and are shrouded in a dense mat of parallel fibers.

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Crocus sativus - Conjuring Color and Flavor in the Autumn Garden
Crocus sativus - Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages
Crocus sativus - Wikipedia

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Crocus Sativus, also known as Saffron. Saffron has been treasured since antiquity for its aroma (it was used as a perfume), its color (it was used as a golden dye), its flavor and aroma. Saffron has an extremely sensoric quality and is intensively fragrant with a slightly bitter taste. By soaking Saffron in warm water, one gets a bright yellow-orange solution. It is used as a delicate flavouring for several Mediterranean dishes. Saffron's aroma is unique and there is no substitute for it. 150,000 flowers are needed for one kilogram of dried Saffron.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	stigmas (1) Greece, excellent quality [ details ] [ view ]		1 g - $ 13.75  2 g - $ 23.50  5 g - $ 55.00  10 g - $ 99.00	x
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Spirulina platensis / Spirulina / Cyanobacteria (Blue-green Algae family)

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This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

AFA-algae, BGA, Blue-green algae, Dihe, Pond scum, Spirulina, Spirulina fusiformis, Spirulina platensis, Tecuitlatl.

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Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is barely half a millimeter long. Spirulina is one of the oldest forms of life. In Latin the word means "little spiral", referring to the algae’s spiral structure. This primeval nutrition has been growing on earth for 3.5 billion years. It is a traditional food of some Mexican and African peoples and incredibly rich in nutrients. Rediscovered in Africa, these algae were traditionally used by the Aztecs who made maize cookies with it. Spirulina is a very rich source of vitamin B12, essential for vegetarians, but in general: it contains a surprising amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential fatty acids and the like.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	algae (2) powder India, excellent quality [ details ] [ view ]		25 g - $ 2.20  50 g - $ 4.00  100 g - $ 7.20  250 g - $ 16.25  500 g - $ 29.50  1000 g - $ 54.00	x
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Peganum harmala / Syrian Rue / Zygophyllaceae (Caltrop family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Peganum, Rue, African Rue, Syrian Rue, Harmal shrub, Espand, Isband, Ozallaik, Steppenraute.

Scent

Syrian Rue has strong-smelling seeds that are burned in ceremonial fires. Produces a light, distinctly scented smoke when burnt on charcoal disks. It is used as an air as well as mind purifier, perhaps linked to its entheogenic properties, and mostly as a charm against "The Evil Eye".

Contents

Seeds and roots contain b-carboline alkaloids, mostly harmine, as well as harmaline, harmalol, harman, peganine, isopeganine, dipegene, vasicinone and deoxyvasicinone. "B-carboline alkaloids stimulate the brain and may induce visual hallucinations" (1). "These unusual alkaloids are psychoactive derivatives of B-carboline, When administered to man, the harmala alkaloids are serotonin antagonists, CNS stimulants, hallucinogens and extremely potent, short term Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors. Interestingly enough, neither harmine, harmaline nor P. harmala is included in the Federal Controlled Substance Act." (2)
"Present at 3% by dry weight, the harmala alkaloids may be extracted from the seeds and roots and purified as crystalline bases. Hasenfratz described this process in 1927." (2)

Additional Remarks

There is at least one harmala alkaloid found in the pineal gland of both humans and several animals. According to some reports, this compound is more abundant in the pineal glands of highly advanced yogis. This has led to speculation that it’s presence may impart power to the "Third Eye" in mid-forehead where the pineal gland lies. (Stafford, 1993) Harmaline is a compound of special interest because it closely resembles substances that are derived from the pineal glands of mammals. In particular, 10-methoxy-harmaline, which may be obtained in vitro from the incubation of serotonin in pineal tissue, resembles harmaline in its subjective effects. This suggests that harmaline, which differs only in the position of the methoxy group, may derive it’s activity from the mimicry of a metabolite that is normally involved in the control of states of consciousness.

Historical

Syrian Rue has been used since a very long time in Middle East as a poison. It was known to Dioscorides (40-90), Galien (131-200), and Avicenne (980-1037). It is thought to be the famous Haoma, the sacred inebriating plant cited in an ancient Iranian religious text, the Avesta, in part attributed to Zoroaster (Zarathustra) composed in the first millennium B.C. P. harmala has not been reported in the historical records to be used as a ritual inebriant. The main economic value of the plant in historical times has been as the source of vegetable dyes extracted from the seeds, especially in Turkey where the seeds are made into a red dye, much employed for dying ornate rugs, although it has traditional ethnomedicinal uses as well. In Africa, seeds have been used as incense since ancient times.
In Iran, dried capsules (known in Persian as Espand or Esfand-dâneh, mixed with other ingredients, are burnt so as to produce a light, distinctly scented smoke or incense. It is used as an air as well as mind purifier, perhaps linked to its entheogenic properties, and mostly as a charm against "the evil eye". This Persian practice dates to pre-Islamic, Zoroastrian times. In Turkey dried capsules from this plant are strung and hung in homes or vehicles to protect against "the evil eye".

Health Warnings

Harmala alkaloids are short-term Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors. An MAOI acts to inhibit a key enzyme in your body responsible for processes in the brain and throughout the body. It is possible to have severe negative reactions to consuming Rue seeds and preparations. See: MAO Inhibitors - Foods to Avoid.
"Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is an important enzyme in the human body. Located in the outer membrane of mitochondria, MAO breaks down physiologically active amines and renders them harmless and ineffective in a process called oxidative deamination. MAO inactivates biogenic amines like epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. As the amine binds to the enzymes active sight, MAO "attacks" the carbon-hydrogen bond adjacent to the nitrogen. In an extremely rapid, enzyme- catalysed reaction, the amine is converted into a physiologically inactive metabolite. Any drug which interferes with the function of this catabolic enzyme is by definition an MAO inhibitor.
The harmala alkaloids are especially potent short-term MAO inhibitors. They temporarily prevent biogenic amines from binding to the active site of the MAO molecule and undergoing deamination. Amine synthesis continues but inactivation is blocked. The result is an accumulation of physiologically active amines (dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and serotonin) within the tissues and at the synapses. MAO inhibitors increase 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." (2)

Plant Description

Peganum harmala is a weed and wasteland species native to the deserts of India whose range stretches through the Gobi desert into the former Soviet Union. Native to the Mediterranean and central Asia. It is is a desert plant.
Growing from a perennial woody rootstock, Peganum harmala is a bright-green, densely foliaged, herbaceous succulent. Although its smooth many-branched stems may have a spread of 120cm or more, the plant is rarely over 60cm tall and generally appears round and bushy in habit. Its leaves are 6cm long, born singly and finely divided into long narrow segments. Each year between June and August, P. harmala produces many single white conspicuous flowers. Measuring 2 to 4cm across, these relatively large and showy blooms have five oblong-elliptic petals as well as five narrow sepals of slightly longer length. Each flower has the potential to develop into a fruit. A leathery, three valved seed capsule that stands erect on its stalk. Each capsule measures about 1cm in diameter and contains more than fifty dark-brown, angular seeds.
Cultivation is easy. Sow seed in very sandy soil. Provide shade for the first year, then plant out in sunny, dry location. Will tolerate freezing. Space plants 50cm apart. Grows 60cm tall.

Legal Remarks

Peganum harmala is uncontrolled in the United States. This means all parts of the plant and its extracts are legal to cultivate, buy, possess, and distribute (sell, trade or give) without a license or prescription. If sold as a supplement, sales must conform to U.S. supplement laws. If sold for consumption as a food or drug, sales are regulated by the FDA. The Beta-carbolines (harmala alkaloids) contained are not analogs of any scheduled substance. (Erowid)
As of May 3, 2005, France added Banisteriopsis caapi, Peganum harmala, Psychotria viridis, Diplopterys cabrerana, Mimosa hostilis, Banisteriopsis rusbyana, harmine, harmaline, tetrahydroharmine (THH), harmol, and harmalol to the list of controlled substances. See "France Control Ayahuasca Plants & Chemicals". This list includes the Ayahuasca vine itself as well as many of the most common plants and chemicals that make up both traditional and modern Ayahuasca tea. (Erowid)

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Poland
• Australia
• Reunion
• Lithuania
• Ukraine
• France
• Norway

References

(1) Peganum harmala - Lycaeum
(2) Peganum harmala - The Hallucinogenic Herb of the American Southwest - Albert Most

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Ayahuasca Dreams
Ayahuasca Homepage
Ayahuasca to Pharmahuasca to Anahuasca - Jonathan Ott
Banisteriopsis caapi - Vine of the Soul - taken from “Plants of the gods, their sacred, healing and hallucinogenic powers”
Harmaline
Harmine
MAO Inhibiters - Foods to Avoid
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor
Peganum harmala - Erowid
Peganum harmala - The Hallucinogenic Herb of the American Southwest - Albert Most
Peganum harmala - TiHKAL Entry on Harmaline
Peganum harmala - Wikipedia
Pharmahuasca, Anahuasca and Vinho da Jurema - Jonathan Ott
Telepathine
Tetrahydroharmine
Uniao do Vegetal
Uniao do Vegetal - Wikipedia

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Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi)

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Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala) is thought to have been traditionally used for psychoactive effects. (Stafford, 1995) This species belongs to the Zygophyllaceae family. Seeds from the Syrian Rue contain compounds known as harmala alkaloids. Syrian Rue has a long history of use as a psychoactive drug. It has been used as an entheogen in the Middle East for thousands of years, and in modern Western culture, it is often used as an analogue of Banisteriopsis caapi to create an ad-hoc Ayahuasca. Syrian Rue however has distinct aspects from Banisteriopsis caapi and a unique entheogenic signature.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	seeds (1) whole Iran, excellent quality, free product ! [ details ] [ view ]		10 g - $ 0.00  25 g - $ 2.50  50 g - $ 4.00  100 g - $ 6.80  250 g - $ 14.25  500 g - $ 23.25  1000 g - $ 38.50  2 kg - $ 69.00  5 kg - $ 166.00	x
	seeds (1) finely powdered Iran, excellent quality [ details ] [ view ]		25 g - $ 3.00  50 g - $ 5.00  100 g - $ 8.00  250 g - $ 16.75  500 g - $ 28.50  1000 g - $ 47.00  5 kg - $ 206.00  10 kg - $ 378.00	x
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