Phalaris Soma

Phalaris Grass & St. John's Wort

Citation: Toltec. "Phalaris Soma: An Experience with Phalaris Grass & St. John's Wort (exp9062)". Erowid.org . Aug 16, 2004. erowid.org/exp/9062

BODY WEIGHT: 170 lb

After having considerable experience making extractions for smoking purposes out of Phalaris grass I was wishing to make a new formula for consuming an Ayahuasca like drink that would be effective and readily available from plants that grow in the area that I live. The normal formulas using Syrian Rue and phalaris was not available to me as the Rue does not grow near where I live. Phalaris grass is very abundant and is usually very high in alkaloid content by the end of the summer. This has been especially true this summer due to the extensive drought that we have been experiencing. I researched the data bases for plants that contained Harmine that were found in my vicinity. One was the Russian Olive. I obtained some Russian Olive leaves and harvested some really stressed out Phalaris Aquatica.In the preparation I used 11 grams of Phalaris and 3 grams of Olive leaves along with 1 gram of St. Johns Wort flowers. St. Johns Wort has reputed MAO inhibiting powers, so I decuced that it may allow the phalaris alkaloids to penetrate my bodies defences. I simply took the phalaris, olive leaves and St. Johns Wort and steeped them for 20 minutes in 1 cup of boiled water. I did this 3 times.With my preparation in a water bottle I drove out into the country. The time was about midnight. On the way I drank the mixture. After about 10 minutes I could feel some effect. I was a little surprised. I was not sure if there was enough Harmine in the Olive leaves to potentiate the Phalaris. I stopped in a park near a river that I was familiar with. It was very dark and the sky was filled with a thousand stars. I got out of the car and noticed that there was a red haze that seemed to emminate out of the ground up to the height of the trees. I stood by the front of the truck. It was a little cool and the heat of the engine felt good against my back. I felt truly wonderful. At peace with the universe. I stood for some time there looking around me. Gradually the air became thick with shimmering and flecks of red, blue and orange. Like a swarm of psychedelic insects. I sat back down in the truck and I went into a trance like state. I could not tell at times whether my eyes were closed, or open. I was enmeshed in reality that was non-ordinary.I felt at ease and like I was embraced by something beyond that was comforting. At the same time I could, if I willed, dispell the hallucinations and look at the world in a normal way. After a time the hallucinations diminished and I drove the short distance back into town. About two hours had passed. I lay down and meditated. I went into a profound mental and physical state where I could tap into more primal energies than I could ever normally achieve. I had great and profound revelations about the nature of myself and my connection to the universe and the spirit. I felt that because I was in such an extatic state I would find it difficult to sleep. My other phalaris experiments always made it difficult to sleep. This was not the case. After about 4:00 AM, about 4 1/4 hours after drinking the brew I naturally fell asleep.The next day I felt extremely good. I was a little tired from a mild lack of sleep, but my eyesight was profoundly good. I could see very clearly. The connection that I had made with my body the night before resulted in a great lessening of tension in my body.It has now been several days since my experience and I believe that it is one of the most postive that I have ever had. I have used psychedelic substance since the sixties and I have never found one that was so kind to the body, so enlightening and so easy to go to sleep on. The next time I plan to double the dose. I am sure that this will give a trip to the inner depths.What is interesting about this mixture is that it could easliy have been made by the ancient authors of the Rig Veda. These ancients were supposedly from the Russian Steppes where the Russian Olive and and the Phalaris grow side by side. Besides this provides an experience that is very spiritual and enlightening. Not like the inebriation of the Amanita mushroom as Wasson has suggested.