jacky
10-29-2006, 01:16 PM
I know I have posted about this plant before, but it is an amazing enough plant medicinal, and recently I have been experimenting more with some isolates and whole extracts.
the plant is relevant to "us" as an opioid active, with dopaminergic qualitys as well.
the plant is psychoactive beyond the herbalists description of the plant as a hormonal balancer, sedative etc. The first time I took herbpharms'* tincture of chaste tree(vitex agnus castus) I experienced a glowing stimulation, and my hands felt electrified, pulsing almost.
I became interested in the plant after doing google searches on words like "opioid" etc. I quickly noticed that a group of Swiss researchers attribute the diterpene portion of the plant with kappa, mu, and dopaminergic binding inhibition. particularly the D2 receptors are mentioned. I have also read a report of the delta receptors being involved possibly opposed to the mu opioid agonist effect, or at least the report didnt mention the mu receptors as being involved. I was pretty excited at the time, and quickly went to my local co-op and bought a pound of this "monks pepper".
earlier sources list this plants dried fruit/seed kernel as an ANaphrodisiac, there are plenty of historical references to this, but I have also read the opposite, that the plant can have an aphrodisiac effect as well. One contact of mine, reported the ingestion of an amount of isolated chaste tree diterpene/alkaloid material was quite sexually stimulating.
I would imagine that the opioid activity of the plant over time might have some effect of depressing a persons sex drive, especially if the mu active portion of the plant could be isolated and consumed.
So I was eager to report this to a contact at the time, who was a good enough chemist, with the right equipment and knowhow to do some further studying of the plant material. I sent him 3 pounds of the berries, and waited.
The good chemist was busy, but three years later when he moved into a larger lab space, he asked me if I was still interested."Hell yes". A few weeks later and I had an initial sample of a gummy material. with no other real explanation. I supposed it was the diterpene compounds.
after vaporizing 5-10 milligrams , I experienced a quite and intense rush, stimulant in nature, with some definite nitrous oxide like mental effects, or vaugely cannabis like mental and visual effects.
I was very excited, but as I only had 85 milligrams of this material I wasnt excited for too long.
The next sample was a larger amount of a green powder, the apparent diterpene isolates, and a smaller amount of similiar gummy material, described as an alkaloid, that I had previously tested.
BOTH were psychoactive, though the alkaloid material seemed much more the dopamine stimulant compared to the aromatic green diterpene compound.
Both of the two different isolate types were very divine smoke flavors, and it comes to me that I think somewhere I read that the chaste tree has been used as a tobacco flavoring commercially and historically.
The yields of the plants compounds I do not know, only that the alkaloid seems to be at least 1/3 to 1/10 the yeild compared to the diterpene.
Over time I seem to have built a tolerance to the effect of the diterpene, but it still has some effects on me when consumed in the 20-100 milligram range. I am reluctant to say just what diterpenes are contained in this isolate, as the chemist hasnt done any further quantification of the material that I know of, but a quick google on rotun-difuran should get you a link on the different diterpenes. the alkaloid material might be the described as the alkaloid viticin, but same thing there, the chemist I dont think has done any comparitive analytical work on this compound.
I would expect the dopaminergic qualitys to be described as relating to the alkaloid viticin, but I havnt found anything yet describing that. Most of the sources I have looked over seem to relate the dopaminergic qualitys are being caused by certian diterpenes.
I dont really have an idea of what is going on, maybe the impurities in the two different isolates are mixed, or maybe the opioid activity is also causing dopamine release or stimulation? similiar to the "paradoxical stimulation" effect of certian mu/kappa opioids. I would think the alkaloid material I investigated would be the major dopaminergic. The diterpene material having mainly kappa and other opioid effect.
When taking certian doses of the mixed diterpene/alkaloid isolate material, when vaporized, I notice some relaxation, and what feels like mild nitrous oxide like feelings.
Recently I read that cannabis has some effect on the kappa opioid system, I would think that earlier on when taking cannabis certian mental effects might be attributed to the kappa opioid stimulation, and similiar to salvinorin a's effect that can sometimes in the lower doses be cannabis like, maybe chaste tree's effects could be compared to that of mild cannabis inebriation? I think I have experienced such effects, even with sublingual ethanol extracts that I was taking 2-3 years ago.
This is an exciting plant to research, even though I have never re-experienced the intensity of the first few trials of smoking the alkaloid, I still can feel the plants effects. While I was on buprenorphine awhile back, I noticed late at night that I needed to take more buprenorphine, but I smoked the diterpene material instead, on carrier herbs,(NOT cannabis!) and then relaxed. I completely passed out in a comfort bliss state, and didnt take bup. till the morning!
Lately I forgoe smoking cannabis late at night, especially cause it seems to cause some insomnia/stuffy nose/sinuses. I have instead been smoking a little of the mixed alkaloid/diterpene material that I have left, it is not the same experience as cannabis, but I find it more relaxing. The smoke is pleasant, depending on the carrier, I suggest corn silk/corn silk powder and mullien leaf mixture for some further soothing effects.
I will have more to report on this research, but I am tired of typing for now.
* herbpharm is a company in eugene that makes a real nice, clear chaste tree tincture. you shouldnt pay more than 8$ for a 30 millilitre bottle. This stuff is quite active at a couple of dropper fulls. I also make my own tincture by soaking the chaste berries, ground up, in vodka. I think the high water content might be important here, to loosen cell structures and possibly soak up more psychoactivity...also,one report that I saw, the one by the Swiss research group, states that the aqueous portion of a methanol extract carried more of a mu opioid effect, so I suppose, and this is a big conjecture on my part, that some mu effect might be carried into the water similiarly in an ethanol/water mix.
the plant is relevant to "us" as an opioid active, with dopaminergic qualitys as well.
the plant is psychoactive beyond the herbalists description of the plant as a hormonal balancer, sedative etc. The first time I took herbpharms'* tincture of chaste tree(vitex agnus castus) I experienced a glowing stimulation, and my hands felt electrified, pulsing almost.
I became interested in the plant after doing google searches on words like "opioid" etc. I quickly noticed that a group of Swiss researchers attribute the diterpene portion of the plant with kappa, mu, and dopaminergic binding inhibition. particularly the D2 receptors are mentioned. I have also read a report of the delta receptors being involved possibly opposed to the mu opioid agonist effect, or at least the report didnt mention the mu receptors as being involved. I was pretty excited at the time, and quickly went to my local co-op and bought a pound of this "monks pepper".
earlier sources list this plants dried fruit/seed kernel as an ANaphrodisiac, there are plenty of historical references to this, but I have also read the opposite, that the plant can have an aphrodisiac effect as well. One contact of mine, reported the ingestion of an amount of isolated chaste tree diterpene/alkaloid material was quite sexually stimulating.
I would imagine that the opioid activity of the plant over time might have some effect of depressing a persons sex drive, especially if the mu active portion of the plant could be isolated and consumed.
So I was eager to report this to a contact at the time, who was a good enough chemist, with the right equipment and knowhow to do some further studying of the plant material. I sent him 3 pounds of the berries, and waited.
The good chemist was busy, but three years later when he moved into a larger lab space, he asked me if I was still interested."Hell yes". A few weeks later and I had an initial sample of a gummy material. with no other real explanation. I supposed it was the diterpene compounds.
after vaporizing 5-10 milligrams , I experienced a quite and intense rush, stimulant in nature, with some definite nitrous oxide like mental effects, or vaugely cannabis like mental and visual effects.
I was very excited, but as I only had 85 milligrams of this material I wasnt excited for too long.
The next sample was a larger amount of a green powder, the apparent diterpene isolates, and a smaller amount of similiar gummy material, described as an alkaloid, that I had previously tested.
BOTH were psychoactive, though the alkaloid material seemed much more the dopamine stimulant compared to the aromatic green diterpene compound.
Both of the two different isolate types were very divine smoke flavors, and it comes to me that I think somewhere I read that the chaste tree has been used as a tobacco flavoring commercially and historically.
The yields of the plants compounds I do not know, only that the alkaloid seems to be at least 1/3 to 1/10 the yeild compared to the diterpene.
Over time I seem to have built a tolerance to the effect of the diterpene, but it still has some effects on me when consumed in the 20-100 milligram range. I am reluctant to say just what diterpenes are contained in this isolate, as the chemist hasnt done any further quantification of the material that I know of, but a quick google on rotun-difuran should get you a link on the different diterpenes. the alkaloid material might be the described as the alkaloid viticin, but same thing there, the chemist I dont think has done any comparitive analytical work on this compound.
I would expect the dopaminergic qualitys to be described as relating to the alkaloid viticin, but I havnt found anything yet describing that. Most of the sources I have looked over seem to relate the dopaminergic qualitys are being caused by certian diterpenes.
I dont really have an idea of what is going on, maybe the impurities in the two different isolates are mixed, or maybe the opioid activity is also causing dopamine release or stimulation? similiar to the "paradoxical stimulation" effect of certian mu/kappa opioids. I would think the alkaloid material I investigated would be the major dopaminergic. The diterpene material having mainly kappa and other opioid effect.
When taking certian doses of the mixed diterpene/alkaloid isolate material, when vaporized, I notice some relaxation, and what feels like mild nitrous oxide like feelings.
Recently I read that cannabis has some effect on the kappa opioid system, I would think that earlier on when taking cannabis certian mental effects might be attributed to the kappa opioid stimulation, and similiar to salvinorin a's effect that can sometimes in the lower doses be cannabis like, maybe chaste tree's effects could be compared to that of mild cannabis inebriation? I think I have experienced such effects, even with sublingual ethanol extracts that I was taking 2-3 years ago.
This is an exciting plant to research, even though I have never re-experienced the intensity of the first few trials of smoking the alkaloid, I still can feel the plants effects. While I was on buprenorphine awhile back, I noticed late at night that I needed to take more buprenorphine, but I smoked the diterpene material instead, on carrier herbs,(NOT cannabis!) and then relaxed. I completely passed out in a comfort bliss state, and didnt take bup. till the morning!
Lately I forgoe smoking cannabis late at night, especially cause it seems to cause some insomnia/stuffy nose/sinuses. I have instead been smoking a little of the mixed alkaloid/diterpene material that I have left, it is not the same experience as cannabis, but I find it more relaxing. The smoke is pleasant, depending on the carrier, I suggest corn silk/corn silk powder and mullien leaf mixture for some further soothing effects.
I will have more to report on this research, but I am tired of typing for now.
* herbpharm is a company in eugene that makes a real nice, clear chaste tree tincture. you shouldnt pay more than 8$ for a 30 millilitre bottle. This stuff is quite active at a couple of dropper fulls. I also make my own tincture by soaking the chaste berries, ground up, in vodka. I think the high water content might be important here, to loosen cell structures and possibly soak up more psychoactivity...also,one report that I saw, the one by the Swiss research group, states that the aqueous portion of a methanol extract carried more of a mu opioid effect, so I suppose, and this is a big conjecture on my part, that some mu effect might be carried into the water similiarly in an ethanol/water mix.