Spiritual - belladonna: the connection with death and the dying

[planet101]

Hi,

I have read through the erowid experience vaults on belladonna and found it fascinating that there seemed to always be a connection to seeing the dead while under the influence of belladonna. it seems from peoples personal accounts that the experience is "like no other type of trip" and that it is almost a unique experience in itself that it takes the person to another place entirely.

I'm not sure where i'm going with this but I wanted to hear peoples philosophical thoughts on death and how this drug induces a perception of them being connected to a place surrounded by the dead.

there was one post which struck me as quite interesting:

I started to see dead people and talking to people the doctor's could not see. A very beautiful female sillouhette reached out her hand and I took it. We began to fly through the underworld.

...

I was touched by death and atropos (one of the 3 FATES of greek mythology, her task: cut the thread of life/atropa is derived from atropos) spared my life

bit of a morbid deep subject I know but I was interested in hearing what are peoples thoughts are on this?

[planet101]

yea swim doesn't actually have any intention of taking it himself . just hoping to start some philosophical discussion on the drug.

[interlunar]

not sure if this will be helpful or just re-route your discussion, but if you're interested in this take a look at DMT. From what SWIM understands, the drug's produced in your pineal gland, and released (naturally) in only two types of situations: during dreaming and right before death. pretty weird.

this could really account for so many claimed "god-seeing" experiences by people on their death beds, but it really makes you wonder about why in the world it's released then in the first place-- is it a kind glandular "shutting down"? is it a defense mechanism of whatever type?

again, i hope this was relevant, and my apologies if it wasn't.

[barafundle]

i know this is about belladonna but does anyone think there is connection chemically in the brain with belladonna and salvia divinorum since many people have felt death and felt close to death or in another world...which sounds the same as this report on belladonna.I think this would be worth investigating

[corvardus]

Originally Posted by barafundle

i know this is about belladonna but does anyone think there is connection chemically in the brain with belladonna and salvia divinorum since many people have felt death and felt close to death or in another world...which sounds the same as this report on belladonna.I think this would be worth investigating

The active constituent in Salvia is Salvinorin-A. Salvinorin-A is a κ-opiod receptor agonist. AFAIK none of the active constituents in Belladonna is a κ-opiod receptor agonist with them being anticholinergic.

What SWIM might be observing as with a Salvia high is the conscious brain rationalising the process of becoming unconsciousness. Once there there might be simularities to both experiences but that is where the simularities end. This, to SWIM, is the best speculation given what SWIM knows.