MORNING-GLORY SEEDS

COMMON NAMES: badoh negro, blue star, flying saucers, glory seeds, heavenly blues, pearly gates, pearly whites, seeds, summer skies, Tlitiltzen, wedding bells

Those seeking hallucinogenic experiences need go no far ther than the local flower shop or garden center to find a cheap, legal cousin of LSD, morning-glory seeds.

Discovered by South American Aztec Indians, they have been used in sacred rituals for hundreds of years. Morning glory seeds, Rivea corymbosa, made their initial inroads with American drug users a decade ago when scientific journals published a number of articles relating them to LSD. The black or brown seeds contain d-lysergic acid amide, an alkaloid derivative with one-tenth the potency of LSD. While this alkaloid is present in the entire plant, the seeds themselves carry the greatest concentrations.

About fifteen varieties of morning-glory seeds are available to the potential user. Because of their high lysergic content, the two most popular types have been dubbed heavenly blues and pearly gates. Dosage needed for a trip of four to fourteen hours ranges from a minimum of 100 triangular-shaped: seeds to a maximum of 300, or 5 to 10 grams, depending on seed size. This quantity will produce about the same effects as 200 to 300 micrograms of LSD-25.

While morning-glory seeds may be ground and brewed into tea or taken intravenously, the common method of ingestion is by thorough t chewing. This action, before swallowing, permits the seeds' psychoactive chemicals to be easily . absorbed by the body.

In an effort to discourage the use of morning-glory seeds as a recreational 'drug, most commercial WO producers treat their products with a poisonous coating. The poison is not easily removed by washing and can make one quite sick if a quantity of seeds great enough to induce a high is ingested. Thus, even if a somewhat stimulating hallucinogenic effect is experienced, the high may be accompanied by unpleasant side effects such as diarrhea, nausea vomiting, chills, and dizziness, as well as a good deal of, abdominal pain. Although overdose potential is low, high doses can be toxic and may result in psychotic reaction, shock, or heart failure.

Bearing this in mind, unless uncoated seeds are available-either homegrown or from a bulk distributor-morning-glory seeds should be considered only for garden use.