Psychoactive lichens
If you want to know more about this, read this whole thread.
https://www.dmt-nexus.me/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=18193&p=1
below is info from that thread plus some extra collected together, for quick reading.
WARNING: COLLECT LICHEN RESPONSIBLY, AND DO NOT DISSEMINATE THIS INFO TO THOSE WHO
WOULD NOT DO SO. MANY LICHEN SPECIES TAKE HUNDREDS OF YEARS TO GROW TO MATURITY,
AND IRRESPONSIBLE HARVESTING COULD EASILY LEAD TO THE EXTINCTION OF LICHEN SPECIES.
LICHENS ARE ALSO HARDER TO IDENTIFY THAN PLANTS OR FUNGI, AND SOME CONTAIN POISONS.
DO NOT INGEST ANY LICHEN YOU HAVE NOT IDENTIFIED.
Parmelia family syn. Xanthoparmelia
Whole family active as sedatives?
They all contain usnic acid, an antimicrobial that has been used as a weight-control
medication. Usnic acid is toxic to elk, and in humans it is reported to induce liver toxicity
after prolonged oral use and/or very large doses.
Best bet would be to find what the active substances are (can we remove the usnic acid?),
and make an extract - "lichen hash". Here's several articles on usnic acid.
Parmelia conspersa
Traditionally used by the Pima and Papago of South Arizona and North-West Mexico.
Ginkgo reports that the effects are similar to cannabis, although not quite. Effects lasts
maybe two hours, and not very potent.
۩ reports that it is highly active and on par with good cannabis, see the post below. Personal
differences or difference in content of active constituents?
Contains usnic acid, salazinic acid, stictic acid and norstictic acid.
Parmelia molliuscula
Used by natives in Canadian Rocky Mountains as a narcotic.
Parmelia cirrhata
Used in India to produce the drug 'chharila', an Ayurvedic aphrodisiac, analgesic & calmative.
Parmelia furfuracea
0.63% methyl-ß-orcinolcarboxylate & atranorin and 1.13% 5-chloroatranorin.
Parmotrema menyamyaense
Known as rock blooms and sold in many ethnobotanical shops.
Said to be psychoactive and to increase the potency of psychedelics.
Collema family
The family with the fabled Icelandic hallucinogenic lichen?
In Collema flaccidum and Collema fuscovirens, insignificant small amounts of bufotenine and
5-Hydroxy-N-methyltryptamine have been found, at top respectively 14.2 μg (0.0000142%)
and 18.3 μg per 100 g (0.0000183%). Collema cristatum and Collema callopismum were
devoid of these alkaloids, but had some tryptophan, tryptamine and serotonin.
The fact that the enzymes for bufotenine and other tryptamines synthesis are present may
mean that other species in this family, or special growing conditions, produce high enough
quantities for it to be active.
Dictyonema family
An unidentified species of this family, possibly Dictyonema sericeum, is used in an infusion
by the Huaorani of the Amazon jungle of Ecuador. Reported to cause intense hallucinations,
supposedly used for malevolent shamanism, and to cause sterility (!). Could be typical
western fear for indigenous people and their culture.
Nephroma articum
An infusion of this lichen is used in Alaska and West Canada to give strength to someone in a
weakened state.
Lobaria pulmonaria syn. Sticta pulmonaria
Used to increase appetite, combat asthma, and as anti-inflammatory.
Reports of highly intoxicating beer brewed with this lichen from Siberia and Russia.
Contains stictic acid, desmethyl stictic acid, gyrophoric acid, tenuiorin, constictic acid,
norstictic acid, peristictic acid, and methylnorstictic acid.
Gymnocolea inflata - liverwort
Traditionally used as a vomit-inducing drug. One secondary source says it is active as a
hallucinogen.
Contains the bitter diterpenoid gymnocolin A, which causes vomiting. May be
hallucinogenic, like salvinorin A (see post below).
Radula family - liverwort
172 species covering next to all areas with moderate humidity and moderate to subarctic
temperatures.
At least three species contains the cannabinoid (!) perrottetinene and related substances.
Radula marginata
Found to contain 0.56% of the cannabinoid perrottetinene and 0.087% of perrottetinenic
acid, with unknown potency at cannabinoid receptors.
Said to be active, but not very potent.
Endemic to New Zealand.
Radula perrottetii
Also contains perrottetinene.
Endemic to Japan.
Radula laxiramea
Also contains perrottetinene.
Endemic to Middle America.
Radula complanata
By experimentation has cannabinoid effects (toluene extract), likely perrotetinene
Endemic to north America and Europe
“Lasts around 2-3 hours, peak at ~20 minutes”
Lycopodium clavatum - clubmoss
Contains 0.1-0.2% alkaloids, lycopodin and many relatives.
Active, likely acetylcholinesterase inhibititor and NDMA antagonist, but may be poisonous,
especially in large doses.
Used medicinally for a broad range of purposes, but not commonly used.
“I smoked maybe 0.5 gram and notice definitive effects.”
Additional species
Here's a long list of medicinal lichens.
And here's another one.
The holy grail of psychoactive lichens:
Icelandic stone soup
"It was the most intense hallucinogenic experience that I've ever had, and I've done every trip there
is," says Icelandic writer Smari Einarsson. "DMT, peyote...you name it. We have these magic
mushrooms here that grow wild. I've eaten those more times thank I can count. They cannot even
come close to the effect of these rocks." Volcanic rocks, which cover the Icelandic landscape, have
been getting local kids high for five years now, ever since a local artist did a performance piece called
Rock Soup. Jon Sigmundson's art piece was meant to make a commentary on Icelanders' high
standard of living, which he believes relies on taking for granted third-world suffering. He made rock
soup, he said in a written statement, to "try and live on nothing." The serendiptous discovery he
made is that these rocks get you fuggin' wasted.
It is actually the lichen that lives on the rocks that gets you off. You take a few stones, boil them in a
pot of water, strain it all through a colander, and drink it down like tea. Some people add ginger and
honey, but it has a nice taste undiluted. It's very earthy. People who have "taken stones," as it's
called, share strikingly similar stories. "Trolls," says a young Icelandic girl who was interviewed at
local Reykjavik bar Sirkus.She'll only give her first name, which is Essa. "Every time we do stones, we
see the same group of trolls. They are no unkind, but they aren't overly friendly either," she says.
"Mostly what they do is advise you. You always come away from a stones trip with a question that
you had on your mind answered. You also the most vivd colors ever. It's like living in Fantasia!"
(attested by other sources not available, originally part of a 2006 vice article)
