BURGER, ALFRED
Hallucinogenic Agents
Medicinal Chemistry. Third edition; Part II
The investigation of a third magic drug, ololiuqui, took an unexpected turn. Ololiuqui [also called coaxihuitl (Aztec), badoh (Zapotec), yucu-yaha (Mixtec), xtabentum (Maya), flor de la Virgen, yerba del las serpientes (Spanish), snake plant, etc.] is a green twining herb of three species of the wild American morning glory, with long white blossoms and round brown (badoh) or black (badoh negro) seeds. The priests ate this plant to induce visions and satanic hallucinations, believed to have been messages from the gods. The patients of professional soothsayers (piuleros) drank alcoholic beverages (pulque, aguardiente, etc.) containing the crushed seeds; in the ensuing sleepy-narcotic state they revealed information about themselves that the piulero could use to forecast the client's future or prescribe for his illness. The brown seeds have been identified as Rivea corymbosa; the black seeds, as Ipomoea violacea.
BURGER, ALFRED
Hallucinogenic Agents
Medicinal Chemistry. Third edition; Part II
The investigation of a third magic drug, ololiuqui, took an unexpected turn. Ololiuqui [also called coaxihuitl (Aztec), badoh (Zapotec), yucu-yaha (Mixtec), xtabentum (Maya), flor de la Virgen, yerba del las serpientes (Spanish), snake plant, etc.] is a green twining herb of three species of the wild American morning glory, with long white blossoms and round brown (badoh) or black (badoh negro) seeds. The priests ate this plant to induce visions and satanic hallucinations, believed to have been messages from the gods. The patients of professional soothsayers (piuleros) drank alcoholic beverages (pulque, aguardiente, etc.) containing the crushed seeds; in the ensuing sleepy-narcotic state they revealed information about themselves that the piulero could use to forecast the client's future or prescribe for his illness. The brown seeds have been identified as Rivea corymbosa; the black seeds, as Ipomoea violacea.
DIAZ, JOSE LUIS
Ethnopharmacology and Taxonomy of Mexican Psychodysleptic Plants
Journal of Psychedelic Drugs Vol. 11(1-2) Jan-Jun 1979
Seeds of various Morning Glories contain Ergolines: ergine,isoergine,ergonovine Glucosides: turbicoryn [apparently in Rivea corymbosa only]. Ipomoea violacea seeds called Tlitlitzen (Aztec word for 'The Divine Black One') to the Aztecs, Black is a 'hot' color, a property of psychotropics associated with light...
Osmond, Humphry.
Ololiuqui: The Ancient Aztec Narcotic.
Remarks on the Effects of Rivea Corymbosa (Olololiuqui). Journal of Mental Science 101:526-537. (1955)
SCHULTES, RICHARD EVANS; HOFMANN A
Vines of the Serpent
Plants of The Gods: Origins of hallucinogenic use. (1979) pp 158-163
Another Morning Glory, Ipomoea violacea, was valued as a sacred hallucinogen among the Aztecs who called the seeds Tlitliltzin, from the Nahuatl term for 'black' with a reverential suffix. The seeds of this Morning Glory are elongate, angular, and black, whereas those of Turbina corymbosa are round and brown. ... Ipomoea violacea is used especially in the Zapotec and Chatin area of Oaxaca where it is known as Badoh Negro, or in Zapotec, Badungas. In some Zapotec villages both Turbina corymbosa and Ipomoea violacea are known; in others, only the latter are used. The black seeds are often referred called macho ('male') and men take them; the brown seeds, called hembra ('female') are ingested by women. The black seeds are more potent than the brown, according to the natives, an assertion borne out by chemical studies. The dose is frequently seven or a multiple of seven; at other times, the familiar 13 is the dose. As with Turbina, Badoh Negro seeds are ground and placed in a gourd with water. The solid particles are strained out, and the liquid is drunk. Revelations of the cause of illness or divinations are provided during the intoxication by 'intermediaries' - the fantastical badu-win or two little girls in white who appear during the seance. A recent report of the seeds of Ipomoea violacea among the Zapotec, indicates that Badoh Negro is indeed a significant element in the life of these Indians: '...Divination about recovery in sickness is also practiced by means of a plant which is described as narcotic. This plant ... grows in the yard ... of a family who sells it's leaves and seeds ... to administer to patients ... the patient, who must be alone with the curer if not in a solitary place where he cannot hear even a cock's crow, falls into a sleep during which the little ones, male and female, the plant children [bador], come and talk. The plant spirits will also give information about lost objects.' The modern ritual with the Morning Glory seeds now has incorporated Christian elements. Some of the names- Semilla de la Virgen ('seed of the Virgin', and Hierba Maria ('Mary's herb') - show union of the Christian with the pagan, and clearly indication that Turbina corymbosa and Ipomoea violacea are considered gifts from the gods. (Photo of a Curandera with a girl about 5 years old, and a male patient. The woman burns incense in a clay pot as the girl offers a cup to the reclining man.) CAPTION: 'The shaman administers the infusion to a patient assisted by a young girl. The brew must be taken at night in a secluded and quiet place. The patient's problems will be diagnosed by the shaman from interpretation of what he says during the course of the intoxication.'
SCHULTES, RICHARD EVANS
Indole Alkaloids In Plant Hallucinogens
Journal of Psychedelic Drugs Vol.8(No.1) Jan-Mar 1976
The main constituent of the seeds of Rivea corymbosa is ergine or d-lysergic acid amide. Minor alkaloids present are the related d-isolysergic acid amide (isoergine), chanoclavine, elymoclavine and lysergol. The seeds of Ipomoea violacea have a similar composition, but instead of lysergol, they have ergometrine (ergonovine). Later, very minor amounts of two alkaloids ergometrinine and penniclavine - were found in I. violacea by chromatography. The total alkaloid content of the seeds of Ipomoea violacea is approximately five times as great as that of the seeds of Rivea corymbosa: 0.06% in the former; 0.012% in the latter. This difference in the alkaloid content explains why Indians employ smaller doses of seeds of the Ipomoea than of the Rivea.
SCHULTES, RICHARD EVANS
The Botanical and Chemical Distribution of Hallucinogens.
Journal of Psychedelic Drugs Vol.9(No.3) Jul-Sep 1977
The main psychotomimetic constituent of the seeds of both species [Ipomoea tricolor & Rivea corymbosa] are ergine (d-delta-lysergic acid amide) and isoergine (d-delta-isolysergic acid amide) which occur together with minor alkaloids: chanoclavine, elymoclavine, and lysergol. Ergometrine appears to be present in the seeds of I. violacea, but absent in R. corymbosa. The total alkaloid content of R. corymbosa seed is 0.012% ; of I. violacea, 0.06% - and, indeed Indians use smaller quantities of the latter than of the former. I. violacea, often referred to by it's synonyms I. rubro-caerulea and I. tricolor, is represented in horticulture by a number of 'varieties,' such as: Heavenly Blue, Pearly Gates, Flying Saucers, Wedding Bells, Summer Skies, and Blue Stars - all of which contain the hallucinogenic ergot alkaloids.
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