I finally got to extracting and once again it delivered. This time it's definitely more powerful than mid winter (higher 5 meo countent close to auntum levels but falls a little bit short). Used black tea instead of tabacco this time for its compact and coarse shape (burns slower and dosen't clog airflow when the extract melts at the tip of the joint)

Used 50g dry first harvest from early spring (15th February) and 350g fresh of first regrowth yesterday. Combined both cooked and extracted to yeaild somewhere around 300mg eyeballed. Actually its far better yielding than bredgesii fresh weight wise.

First pic is the joint after taking the first inhalation. It was a small toke just to gauge the strength of the joint to give me an idea on how much I should take. It turned to be as strong as a full lungfull of smoke from mid winter Extract!

👏 Wait another month or two for peak potency. Though I am not sure how having been harvested throughout the fall and winter will change the potency course.

Not an issue. Note that I have 50 new clones growing that have never been harvested in 2 months they should be ready for a couple harvests.

After a certain number of experiences I have come to the conclusion that the the potency of the brachystachys I have is slightly higher than Hawaiian psychotria, which is less than my expected 3%. (in dried weight. As fresh it might be much more potent than Hawaiian psychotria but my preference is dried as it feels purified). I have not experimented with harvesting on full moon vs other times. İt could be at it's most potent state on full moon.

I have focused so much on brachystachys in the last two years. While I feel like brachystachys is the ultimate DMT delivering plant, I cannot feel it spiritually as close as phragmites, which is my actual ally, no question about it. Brachystachys is absolutely amazing as an experience and has the potential to deliver profound healing. But it does not feel like it's meant to be ingested often. İt feels too otherworldly for that.

Paradoxa time has arrived here. Along with the city sidewalk dwelling minors, they are the first Phalaris species to flower here.

I have only one experience with paradoxa (and rue) and I had boiled it fresh. I felt quite unwanted effects (coldness, disconnection) and had written it off. Well, now I know drying and simmering go a long way in eliminating unwanted energies in grass. So why not give it another try?

According to the festi and samorini paper, the single strain of paradoxa they studied has "more than a detectable amount" of DMT, higher than one strain of aquatica they studied. İt is understudied compared to aquatica, arundinacea, and even brachystachys. İt could have strains that are as potent as the most potent phalaris. They found no other tryptamines in it other than nmt (in trace amount), which is a warmth and clarity factor, so it is welcome by me. I don't recall any stimulation or increased heart rate from my single experience, and if it doesn't have tyramines, that would be nice also. İt is found virtually in infinite amounts here... So, if I find a space, I think it will be worth giving it a try.

I have focused on brachystachys in the last two years. While I feel like brachystachys is the ultimate DMT delivering plant (as in closest to pure DMT. Chacruna has been said to be so but it has these additional feminine loving green forest aspects. Brachystachys is just otherworldly), I cannot feel it spiritually as close as phragmites, which is my actual ally, no question about it. Brachystachys with rue is absolutely amazing as an experience and has the potential to deliver profound healing. But it does not feel like it's meant to be ingested often. İt feels too otherworldly for that.

Paradoxa time has arrived here. Along with the city sidewalk dwelling P. minors, they are the first Phalaris species to flower here.

I have only one experience with paradoxa (and rue) and I had boiled it fresh. I felt quite unwanted effects (coldness, disconnection) and had written it off. Well, now I know drying and simmering go a long way in eliminating such unwanted energies in grass. So why not give it another try?

According to the festi and samorini paper, the single strain of paradoxa they studied had "more than a detectable amount" of DMT, higher than one strain of aquatica they studied. İt is understudied in the psychedelic context compared to aquatica, arundinacea, and even brachystachys. İt could have strains that are as potent as the most potent phalaris. Festi and Samorini found no other tryptamines in it other than nmt (in trace amount), which is a warmth and clarity factor, so it is welcome by me. I don't recall any stimulation or increased heart rate from my single experience, and if it indeed doesn't have tyramines, that would be nice also. İt is found virtually in infinite amounts here... So, if I find a space, I think it will be worth giving it a try.

Hey Chimp z, thanks for the spark starting off this quest.

I think you would be the only one to ask about differentiating paradoxa and coerulescens which apparently have similar appearances. Could the above and below photos be of coerulescens rather than paradoxa?

Their glumes and spikelets match paradoxa but they also have bulbs at basal nodes which is attributed to coerulescens... Actually it seems they have bulbs at all nodes including higher ones. The very large size appears unusual for paradoxa also.

Some vibrant spring energy for you guys.

An ocean of preflowered paradoxa. And a harvest.

So a little update on my aquatica cultivar.

I performed another harvest with usual protocol. Late morning harvest cooked fresh with citric acid, filtered, reduced based with lye and pulled with chloroform.

First chloroform pull evaporated with a hair drier to an oily residue. Added few drops of chloroform and added a pinch of black tea. Left to evaporate and rolled into a joint.

Same usual potent stuff except for one new side effect that was a little concerning. Faster heartbeat was noted. It wasn't evident enough to not blame it on flight anxiety. This elevated heart effect wasn't consistent with each hit. Sometimes it was evident, other times it was non existent so I sort of blamed it on set and setting rather than suspecting there is some cardio active component being the culprit.

This was my understanding until I made the second pull and took one hit of that. First fit were too small it produced a threshold effects with noticeable high heart rate
Second hit was bigger and wish I didn't take it. Before I even exhaled I knew something was so wrong. Heart rate went CRAAAAAAZYYY! I even exhaled prematurely to stop any further complications. Something was very obviously going wrong with my cardio. My breathing turned into whistling sound. Not unlike the sound coming from someone having a stroke (I did CPR on someone having a stroke and recognise that sound coming from their open mouth.

I was making very deliberate effort to breath in and out. Ordering my body to inhale and exhale. Counting my breaths. That weird whistling sound to my breathing was extremely concerning. Heart beat was overboard high I felt like I could pass out. Must have been high blood pressure. The scariest part was intentionally trying to inhale and feel like it was only in my mind and body not responding. Hand in heart to check heart beat. Am literally processing the idea that I might have really fucked up this time and might be the end for me.

Fortunately these cardio symptoms quickly began to subside and I was gradually coming back to base ground. This is the first time it happens after many experiences with this cultivar.

The only difference with this last harvest is that one of the aquatica specimens was already flowering and had different morphology which I have spoke about and added pictures of in this thread. It came from seeds from the parent aquatica cultivar which is reported to be 98% stable genetically by the agronomic engineer from whome I received the cultivar.

My conclusion so far. Since I never had any cardio toxicity from this cultivar until this last time and since the only new change from past harvests is the inclusion of this new morphology specimen from seed and the fact it was flowering. So either the flowering part was the culprit, or the possibility that this aquatica is toxic during this time of spring.

I lean towards the flowering part as the cause but I'm too hesitant to ever try another extract even if it's non flowering specimens from the parent clone.

Another reflection is that first pull was far less cardio toxic than second pull which suggests that the cardio toxic component is less soluble in chloroform than the tryptamines hence why the second pull was by far more cardio toxic and much less psychedelic.

Perhaps using a more selective solvent like hexane fix this issue? Or perhaps never include flowering specimens in my harvest to extract from?

This is all of course just speculations no matter how logic it sounds in the abscence of a chemical analysis.

So aquatica can be toxic even smoked without any added MAOI! That's the take home lesson for me. I ventured too far this time! Think it's time to quit being a guinea pig


Careful fellow phalaris enthusiasts. Just because one cultivar is reported to be genetically pure and stable and even if it delivers consistent yields and qualities over countless harvests dosen't mean it won't come round and fuck you up some day.

Taking small hits is never a good way to test an extract. That one small hit might as well be your very last!

Rest of the day after the Incident everything went back to normal physically. Except for some heart ache the first few minutes after come down.

An accident like this might convince me to drop aquatica for good in the abscence of a thorough chemical analysis at different time intervals at different seasons and stages of plant growth.

Worthy of mentioning. The first pull was bioassayed by three friends of mine and neither experienced any cardiovascular toxicity. None beside myself tried the second pull. As I always try every pull first before giving it to someone else.

And me was thinking to try this cultivar orally with rue starting small and scaling up the dosage. Bad idea!

Dithy please take the utmost caution bioassaying your paradoxa as it might as well be cardio toxic. Especially that you are trying the oral route ..once it's in your stomach with an a MAOI there's no going back and it takes lot longer to flush out your system than a smoked extract! Please be careful.

On another note column chromatography with TLC plates might be the best feasible route to persue these extracts in the future. Acquiring the control standards for each active component might prove challenging though.

I think I've done my fair share of experimenting with aquatica extracts for now. Might give it another next autumn and winter as those had never caused cardio toxicity.

Winter harvests were the loveliest of them all. Felt the cleanest and most balanced.

Sidhi, relief falls short of expressing what I feel that you made it through the danger, waking up before a possibly unimaginable tragedy.

İts really important to heed the warnings of others. Just like we don't just charge in and chug in datura. We pay attention to the recorded data that this could either end your life or mess you up in various ways for good.

With phalaris there is not really much data, but there have always been rumors of toxicity. I have presented my experience which I also am lucky to survive to share, as I also went through lethally threatening experiences.

I will briefly reiterate:

1) Aquatica seems to be a very risky species to pursue either orally with maoi or as smoked extract, because it either has intolerable side effects (messing with your awareness or annoying stimulation) in the least, or can kill you at worst. I suspect that even purportedly only DMT containing strains like AQ1 either have non alkaloid undesirable components and/or vary seasonally. Aquatica might have a place as drunk as a tea by itself (some maoi activity, as well as the benefits of the tyramines and other components) but nobody really seems to have explored this as we are programmed to go after "breakthrough" blast offs only.

2) İt seems that all grass have a serious seasonal variation, and like sidhi said, when a grass can seem to give you what you want at a point, might disappoint or at worst be lethal at another point.

3) With all due respect to everybody and their own ways, my own stance about smoking is that it is not the way to go. To me it comes from a druggie paradigm that prioritizes being hit by as much isolated active molecules as sharply, as quick as possible. This brings on the most shocking experiences for sure. But health and wholesomeness is something else. Bypassing the natural digestion system which slows down the absorption and filters the material, breaking down potentially toxic components (much more so in the absence of added maoi plant). The amazonian way of dieting a plant by it's own, without a compulsion to attain certain experiences is probably the most grounded way to get to know a novel plant. Getting in a respectful long term relationship. Whoever feels the calling... Analyzing might be a priceless tool but it is inadequate. The presence of DMT or 5 does not automatically make a plant viable medicine. And likewise, the presence of gramine does not automatically make it poison. We just don't know the activity of the countless alkaloid and non alkaloid components and their synergies. Plants are plants, not molecules. They are the way God created them, for a purpose.

4) Drying and ageing for a few months, and then simmering instead of boiling when preparing help a lot with eliminating toxic or clouding components in all grass, in my experience. But for example with an Aquatica strain that I tried it with, these measures did not suffice. You need the right species/strain to begin with.

With drying and simmering, in my experience brachystachys is a species that seems to be consistent both between strains (though I have not come across a 5 strain and according to literature it exists) and throughout the seasons in being safe and DMT active. However its spirit (or chemical makeup) does vary throughout the seasons in my experience. The general phenomenon of the "maturation of the spirit" that I have observed with all grass applies to brachystachys and mature plants in spring are better than seedlings. When mixed with maoi, Brachystachys also has some unwanted components that bring on sedation/drunkenness, or other indescribable effect on awareness but it is less pronounced than with aquatica, and mature grass dried and aged for some time, and then simmered appears viable.

The spirit of brachystachys is a very individual frequency. It cuts deep into the soul and the darkness, very reminiscent of Ayahuasca, and invokes trepidation before drinking. This is in contrast to phragmites which while also is about you, it's more in a flavor of soul journey in context of joyous unity. Though phragmites can also cut deep and leave you weeping out your deepest wounds in the post ceremony.

İt so appears that the only person on earth who has explored paradoxa so far is Chimp z, and he has said that it is the most consistently active species along with brachystachys in his experience. I will report if I ever very cautiously experiment.

Heavy rains has finally come after a long dry spell from September until end of march! It's broadcasted to keep raining for the next 5 days or so.

If this holds true I will finally have infinite supply of brachystachys from the wild. Horray!

Brachystachys is the only phalaris species which am feeling safe to consume with Harmala. From the little experience I had with brachystachys the local strain seems to be a combination of DMT and 5-meo-dmt (edit: this was the case two years ago, this year however the same brachys grown in the garden in partial shade gave what seemed like only DMT experience). 5 seems to hit first with a very quick onset then it subsides within an hour or so to give way to a gentler more visual DMT like experience that lasts for an additional couple hours.

If I drink another dose with Harmala the following day it lasts a solid 8 hours! I'd call asleep and wake up still not sober. I reached a point during the second experience the following day where I couldn't distinguish between dreaming and awoke.

All in all it felt very safe and beautiful just a bit too chaotic and all over the place at the second hour mark.

Really looking forward to harvest brachys again from the wild in maybe two to three weeks. Temperature is in the perfect range these next couple weeks at 21 average during the day. Sunny Warm and humid.

Hey Sidhi!

I remind you that your first experience which you say had 5 was a mixture of 3 different Phalaris species and not just brachy. I suspect that your brachy strain does not have 5 but the only way to confirm is to hear from you, in the case that you continue drinking.

Secondly, you say your second experience was too chaotic. DMT by nature is chaotic and brachy does not seem to modulate it to become more grounded as do some other plants like acacia confusa or phragmites (a lot of DMT containing plants are not grounded. Mimosa is very chaotic. Chacruna is flighty). Also in that experience you ate a high dose of rue seeds instead of drinking a tea, and that also makes the experience more chaotic, as I have observed time and again over the years. I have my own ways to create a brew and an entire ceremony to cultivate the most grounded, centered, integrated experience as possible and some of them I can share.

1) brew a tea with rue instead of eating the rue
2) dry and simmer the brachys
3) after filtering, mix the two teas and boil down for a single medicine instead of drinking them separately.

Note: the mixed brew needs to be boiled long enough for a full homogenization/alchemizing of the medicine otherwise... It will be chaotic. Adding water to enable a longer boiling time also seems to disturb the alchemy in my experience. So just mixing undiluted teas of rue and brachy which were boiled (rue) and simmered (brachy) in large quantities of water is the way to go.

I utilize other ways to balance and enhance the medicine but for now I am not ready to make it public.

And there is the ceremonial aspect, which is the most important factor. Getting into the experience with a grounded, clear, sacred energy and clear firm intentions yourself is the most powerful factor for the quality of the experience.

Congratulations on the return of rain! Let's celebrate 🥳

I have tried dried and simmered paradoxa, 10g on top of rue.

The reasons I got attracted to paradoxa at this point were because it grows so widespread and abundantly, that Chimp z says it's consistent and strong, that it is reported to also have NMT which I like, and that my trial 3 years ago with fresh boiled leaves felt physically safe even though not giving a wholesome experience, and I know that this can possibly change with drying and simmering.

Briefly, it was a very weak experience with mild visuals, euphoria and seemingly no contribution to the guidance delivery force of rue.

It was physically safe and comfortable.

The taste of the brew was similar to brachystachys, with additional saltiness.
It also had the same drunkenness in the head feeling of brachystachys.

It felt warm, clear, upbeat (I associate these qualities with NMT) in contrast to brachystachys' deep, dark, coldness. I was anticipating this.

The unpleasant "disconnection" effect which had put me off in my first experience 3 years ago in which I had boiled fresh leaves with added vinegar was absent, once again as I anticipated from drying and simmering.

However I am not sure if this species has a potent and compatible face for oral rue admixture role. It could, given that grass is so variable depending on time of year and phase of growth, and also that different strains could be different.

One more detail is that I had harvested the plants whole and left it uprooted and alive for a week, hoping that this would stress the plant and make it produce more alkaloids. It could have had the opposite effect. A very long drying process could possibly allow the destructive enzymes to work, and a quick dry could be the right way.

Another possibility is that vaporizing extracts destroys additional unwanted components which block the DMT.

Chimp z noted that paradoxa harvested in June alongside a river yielded 60-70mg alkaloids from 30g dry leaves. İt could be that paradoxa needs warmer weather and insect infestation to produce substantial alkaloids, similar to phragmites.

I have only 2 experiences with this plant and so far it seems to be the second physically safe phalaris species after brachystachys. Given that it's qualitative base also feels promising, I might give it another chance, harvesting only leaves and quick drying.

As for my brachystachys garden of this year... I have accepted that it is a failure. They have started flowering very small seed heads. Both leaves and seed heads are very small due to overcrowded planting. Using farmland soil was also a mistake with many foreign grass species poking through, and some were indistinguishable from brachy for me until now when they started flowering. I have given up on harvesting and will just collect the seed heads.

Update from the pots:

the alluvial soil pots are also growing a cocktail of foreign grasses.

The mountain pine forest red soil, however seems to be working very nice. İt is both rich in nutrients, and also does not have foreign grass seeds in it. The brachys in it, planted sparsely, are growing fast.

İ am feeling very good today after yesterday's paradoxa.

Makes me think about substrate sterilization before adding psilocybe spores, but I guess your pots may be to big for that.

My remaining respect,
Jees.

PS: send you a PM.

Some phalaris scenes from today's walks. I am discovering the local area in which it is my first Spring.

Paradoxa, aquatica, and possibly coerulescens. With phragmites in the background.

Jees, I will get back to you.