American Department of Agriculture : Hemp For Victory
February 26th, 2007Sacred Weeds: Salvia Divinorum
February 14th, 2007Sacred Weeds is a television series of one hour documentaries investigating the cultural impact of psychoactive plants on a broad array of early civilisations. In this episode Professor Andrew Sherratt and associates perform a scientific study on Salvia Divinorum aka Diviner’s Sage.
Salvia Divinorum: The Diviner’s Sage
Shamans of the Amazon - Great Documentary
February 13th, 2007
During the making of this film: * 16 million acres of Amazon Rainforest was destroyed. * 150,000 species became extinct. * In Ecuador, 9 oil spills released millions of gallons of crude oil into the head waters of the Amazon. * Scientists worldwide agreed that Global Warming and climate change is a major threat facing all life on Earth. * Natural disasters including volcanic eruptions increased. * In the Netherlands, the case against the Santo Daime was thrown out of court. The judge found Ayahuasca use was not a risk to public health and their constitutional right to freedom of religion must be respected. * Spain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Belguim and The Netherlands decriminalised most drugs. * The USA gave the Taliban in Afghanistan $43 million dollars for the War on Drugs. * The USA was voted off the United Nations Human Rights Commision. * Humanity stands at the crossroads
Sacred Weeds: Henbane Documentary
January 2nd, 2007Watch the Sacred Weeds television one hour scientific study documentary investigating a plant, Henbane, also known as Devil’s Weed. A powerful hallucinogenic drug used by witches to create the illusion of flying and the cultural impact of this psychoactive plant and early civilisation and mythos.
Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) is a plant of the family Solanaceae that originated in Eurasia, though it is now globally distributed.
It was historically used in combination with other plants, such as Mandrake , Deadly Nightshade, and Datura as an anaesthetic potion, as well as for its psychoactive properties in magic brews. Its usage was originally in continental Europe and Asia, though it did spread to England sometime during the Middle Ages. The use of Henbane by the ancient Greeks was documented by Pliny. The plant, recorded as Herba Apollinaris, was used to yield oracles by the priestesses of Apollon.
Henbane can be toxic in low doses. Its name came from Anglo-Saxon hennbana = “killer of hens”. Hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and other tropane alkaloids have been found in the foliage and seeds of the plant.
Common effects of henbane use in humans include hallucinations, dilated pupils, restlessness, and flushed skin. Less common symptoms such as tachycardia, convulsions, vomiting, hypertension, hyperpyrexia and ataxia have all been noted. Despite this it is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Cabbage Moth.
It was traditionally used in German pilsner beers as a flavouring, until the Bavarian Purity Law was passed in 1516 and outlawed the use of Henbane and allowed only the use of hops.
Henbane or Hyoscyamus was also known to have been used as an anesthetic in the first Arab hospitals.
Henbane is the etymology of the Czech town Plzeň and pilsener beer.
