Drug info - Lobelia Tupa-Devil's Tobacco

[BA]

Lobelia tupa

Family: Campanulaceae (kam-pan-yew-LAY-see-ee)

Genus: Lobelia (low-BEE-lee-a)


Species: tupa (TOO-pa

Category:
Alpines and Rock Gardens
Perennials
Shrubs

Height:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)
Spacing:
Unknown

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade

Danger:
All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested

Bloom Color:
Red-Orange

Bloom Time:
Late Summer/Early Fall
Mid Fall

Foliage:
Herbaceous
Chartreuse/Yellow

Other details:

Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater

Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)

Patent Information:
Non-patented

Propagation Methods:
By dividing the rootball
From seed; sow indoors before last frost
From seed; direct sow after last frost
From seed; germinate in a damp paper towel

Seed Collecting:
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds
Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored

TUPA (Lobelia tupa), a tall, variable plant of the high Andes, is also called tabaco del diablo ("devil's tobacco"). In Chile, the Mapuche Indians smoke the dried leaves of this beautiful red-flowered plant for their narcotic effects. They contain the alkaloid lobeline and several derivatives of it. The same alkaloid occurs in some North American species of Lobelia, especially L. inflata, known locally as Indian tobacco. It has been used medicinally and as a smoking deterrent. There are 300 species of Lobelia, mostly tropical and subtropical, and they belong to the bluebell family, Campanuloceae. Some are highly prized as garden ornamentals.

USDA

[RealGanjaMan]

Quoted from wiki:

Lobeline has been used as a smoking cessation aid,[1][2][3] and may have application in the treatment of other drug addictions such as addiction to
amphetamines[4][5], cocaine[6] or alcohol.[7].

Lobeline has multiple mechanisms of action, acting as a VMAT2 ligand,[8][9][10] which stimulates dopamine release to a moderate extent when administered alone, but reduces the dopamine release caused by methamphetamine.[11][12] It also inhibits the reuptake of dopamine and serotonin,[13] and acts as a mixed agonist-antagonist at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors[14][15] and an antagonist at μ-opioid receptors.[16]

Too bad there isn't more info on the "narcotic effects" of Lobeline. Monkey is interested in this one. Health effects and all that. If risks are few, this might have a some real valuable applications as an enjoyable(?), herbal nicotine / substance cessation aid.

[phenythylamine]

Very very interesting, afoaf was looking for a new substance to research and bioassay, I think he is seriously going to look into this, would be awsome if someone could find some more info, afoaf is definatly going to order some, but first he is going to scour the web for more information on toxicity/mechanism of action, he will post anything cool he finds, he really would love to quit smoking.

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edit: here is some more info I found

Pharmacology of Lobeline, A Nicotinic Receptor Ligand1

1. M. I. Damaj,
2. G. S. Patrick,
3. K. R. Creasy and
4. B. R. Martin

In this study we investigated the pharmacology of lobeline, a high affinity nicotinic ligand with a unique pharmacological profile, in different in vitro and in vivo tests. Although lobeline displaced [3H]-nicotine binding sites in the rat brain with a Ki of 4.4 nM, it did not activate α4β2 expressed receptors in frog oocytes. The in vivopharmacological effects of lobeline were highly complex. Lobeline, at the time of maximal effect, dose-dependently produced motor impairment and decreased locomotor activity and body temperature in mice after s.c. treatment. However, antinociception was present after intrathecal but not after s.c. administration of lobeline in the tail-flick tests. The behavioral effects of lobeline were not blocked by pretreatment with either mecamylamine or dihydro-β-erythroidine. In addition, lobeline given s.c. enhanced nicotine-induced antinociception in a dose-related manner. No acute tolerance developed to either lobeline’s behavioral or antinociceptive effect after s.c. or intrathecal administration, respectively. However, tolerance developed to lobeline’s pharmacological effects after chronic treatment with the drug for 10 days (15 mg/kg, s.c. twice a day). Furthermore, cross-tolerance between lobeline and nicotine developed after chronic treatment with either drug. Although the α4β2 receptor is unlikely to mediate the agonist effects of lobeline, our results indicate that lobeline does interact with the nicotinic receptor in a novel fashion.