From: Ray Arachelian <sunder@brainlink.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 06:25:42 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Recreational pharmaceuticals by genetic engineering (fwd)
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.970710181651.22003D-100000@beast.brainlink.com>
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 1997 18:09:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Eileen Tronolone (Pathfinder)" <eileent@pathfinder.com>
To: Ray Arachelian <sunder@brainlink.com>
Subject: Re: Recreational pharmaceuticals by genetic engineering (fwd)

Also Sprach Ray Arachelian:

> Psilocibe mushrooms usually cause vomiting.  Most Amanita species
> have an lethal dosage which is uncomfortably close to the
> effective dosage, not a good thing in a drug.  Amanita muscaria
> however was used by the vikings to help induce their 'berserker'
> state for battle.

Actually - and you can forward this to relevant parties - woad, the
infamous herb used by the Celtic warrior in the form of blue body 
paint, when mixed with urine (which is how they applied it to their
bodies) causes a reaction very similar to cocaine and most amphetamines.
The reduction in pain that is felt from wounds and the ecstacy brought
on can easily be confused with a typical beserker reaction. The term
beserk originates from "bare sark" - the beserkers wore little if no
armor and the Celts are particularily famous for going into battle
"in the altogether" except for the blue war-paint. The feeling of
invulnerability that comes from the woad "high" led to this custom.

Other semi-legal although dangerous "highs" can result from the 
ingestion of too much nutmeg or jasmine, both hallucenogens. 

-- 
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