downwardsfromzero wrote:The other thing to bear in mind here is the LSA, and whatever else you combine it with, is not passing directly to the magic receptor button in the brain. There are innumerable possible interactions in the digestive tract, in the liver and in the bloodstream before these substances even approach the blood-brain barrier.
Exactly, as I also pointed out above, it could be a reaction e.g. similar to cocaethylene, only happening in the liver itself. There are so many possibilities.
E.g. what I find strange, that some people reported different effects, just drinking alcohol alongside with it. If this is placebo, or just the alcohol effect itself, or if there's really something happening chemically, I don't know.
E.g. we do know that traditionally they also did sometimes use alcohol. Maybe they only used alcohol when the shamans themselves used it, to alter the effect? So many unknowns...
And the original usage of these seeds from ancient times, is not really known, as although the Spanish conquistadors even tortured the indigenous people to get more information about these seeds, they didn't comply, as it was too divine for them. We only have very strange reports about their ancient usage, which do not seem very believable and are lacking any detail.
The only more or less conclusive point we have is that LSA really seems to undergo a chemical reaction, when in an alcohol (with only a minimal amount water), and pure acetaldehyde. This was seen by a change in stripes on a TLC. But it isn't known, in what they converted and if these are stable products at all, or if they will immediately again decompose when not anymore under these conditions.
As said, I personally could think it's some kind of semi-(acetal) reaction. But this surely is a far shot.
BTW:It seems some people speculated that putting LSA in alcohol will force an epimerization, leading to mainly the d-epimer. E.g. this is from the famous Hive forum.
I find this very unlikely, as I read quite some works on how to push the balance of ergolines in the direction of a certain epimer, and these works with all kind of equipment, get a bit better ratios, but nothing wild. So I think it would be very strange if just alcohol would tilt the epimer balance, as then this would have been known by chemists and used.
But as you are a chemist, what do you think about this change in epimer balance by an alcohol?
I claim not that this is the truth. As this is just what got manifested into my mind at the current position in time on this physical plane. So please feel not offended by anything I say.