Effects - Psychoactive properties of peppermint (Mentha × piperita)

[Richi]

This crazy pot leaf says.... "I've been wondering for some time: does peppermint exhibit any psychoactive properties?

I stumbled upon the idea to smoke peppermint leaves a couple years ago, and have enjoyed a peppermint joint now and then since then, because the menthol is soothing on the throat and it seems to evoke calming and relaxing effects. Many others have said the same.

Certain brands of peppermint tea taste better than others, notably 'Twinings' and 'Irresistables', while others taste like shit (Tetley). The ingredients should list only one ingredient, peppermint leaves.

Rolling it is tricky, because it is so finely ground. However, if the joint is rolled into a sharp cone shape, none of the peppermint should spill out the end being smoked."

[darkbreed]

Not sure about peppermint specifically but a lot of teas are made of plants with psychoactive properties. There are many out there smoking their tea instead of drinking it. Specifically the "calming" and "sedating" and "good for sleep" kind of teas usually have plants with psychoactive properties and these can often be smoked though personally I prefer just drinking my tea. But google "smoking tea" and you'll find some about it I suppose, and look up the herbs in the teas on places like wikipedia and erowid to check for psychoactive properties.

[Richi]

I understand that this may be a dangerous activity. Some plants that are used to make herbal tea may contain chemicals which could be toxic if inhaled.

Some also produce nothing other than a splitting headache. I won't know, I haven't tried.

[readeadamie]

SWIM loves to smoke Spice Artic when on stims. It is a blend of synthetic cannabinoids on a peppermint leaf base. SWIM finds the menthol feels great and opens up his airways.

[baron samedi]

Erowid classes peppermint as an anxiolytic, which suggests it is psychoactive and relaxing.
Apart from this and Chamomille what other psychoactive teas can one find?

[Potter]

Mint is insanely easy to grow, just would like to toss that out there.

Depends on how you define "tea". Most of the common kitchen herbs contain chemicals that could possibly be converted into MDMA like compounds in the body. Nutmeg is one of these, so experiments may be unpleasant.

Consider that the average chewed dose of The Divine Sage, is around 60 leaves. How often have you eaten 60 of anything? One of my botany professors once made a remark on having had hallucinations from breathing in fumes when cooking down Queen Anne's Lace for preserves. She said she had A LOT of it, tens of pounds on the stove. She wasn't the type to say such a thing, it might be an experiment worth repeating. Just know what you're doing in the field, deadly Water Hemlock looks an AWFUL LOT like Queen Anne's Lace, and there's not cure for that stuff, it can be deadly in ANY quantity. It could be easy to get careless when attempting to gather so much of a wild plant.

How many people do you think have ever eaten a pound of basil? thyme? lavender? A pound of poppy seeds can be lethal, less can get you high, what else works like that?

These experiments are not with out their risks, the doktor once had a patient nearly passed out in the office from a tea overdose. This patient is one of those brave individuals willing to go to great lengths for novel experiments and has bitten off more then they could chew on more then one occasion. If you end up in an ER with a basil overdose, what do you think the chances a doctor there is going to know what to do? Don't laugh, there's plenty in your kitchen that can cause difficulties in even relatively small quantities, how many ounces of hot peppers or black pepper do you think it takes to start to regret it? Two tablespoons of nutmeg is more then enough for most everyone whose tried it. Cinnamon oil can cause topical burns, so can ginger or galangal. Galangal is reported to by active, never mention of how much, but if one can get some...

Dale Pendell has an excellent chapter on Nutmeg and other spices with a most excellent potency chart, probably best one has a copy of Pharmako/poeia on hand to start, in /gnosis section, The Cauldron he compiles an extensive list of families and genus of plants that offer potential, many of them are quite lethal, but there are some viable paths through the dense underbrush.

Oh and Russian Tea, zavarka, THAT is a psychoactive tea, but it deserves it's own thread, I'll have it posted momentary.

There is a lot left for us to explore, many, many, untasted alkaloids, even more that have only been tasted, people never diving below the surface. Just make sure to research the hell out of a new plant and approach it cautiously. Try to find analysis of it's constituent chemicals, see what each of them does, make sure you're not about to eat cardiotoxins.

But God Damn! There's nothing like a novel experience to put some zest in life. You might be the first to stumble on something surprising, hopefully you'll live to tell about it!

Love.
Potter.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	An interesting and informative post that provides a good commentary on the possible effects of consuming large amounts o...
	Very interesting speculations. Thanks for sharing!

[baron samedi]

SWIM knows there are myriad herbal teas one can make from various herbs/ethnos. He's made kratom, damiana, skullcap, wild lettuce, sinicuichi, poppies, mulungu, maybe more he can't remember.
When he mentioned others apart from peppermint and chamomile, he really meant those that can be acquired easily in teabags (or other forms intended for tea making), rather than home-made herbal teas. He's had nettle and redbush teas before, but doesn't think either is psychoactive. He's also seen fennel teabags advertised regularly, doesn't know about this.