rpascazi@engws3.ic.sunysb.edu (Robert R Pascazio) writes:

> Has anybody heard stories about Arundo donax (aka "Giant Reed") ? It
> is rummored to contain DMT and other exciting Alkaloids.
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
>                  Bob Pascazio
>         Rpascazi@Libfs1.sunysb.edu
>         Rpascazi@SBCCVM
>         Rpascazi@ccnova.sunysb.edu
> 
> 
>         

Yes. It contains some DMT, but not very much. Someone told me the other 
day that a friend of theirs that is investigating this (solicited samples 
from interested parties, and used thin layer chromatography to assay the 
root stocks, from what I was told) says there's "little or no DMT" in 
Arundo donax rhizomes. 

The paper that first found DMT and a few other indole alkaloids in Arundo 
donax (Ghosal) working in India (River Reed is used in Ayurvedic 
medicine) also found only trace amounts. You'd have to extract several 
kilograms to get a psychoactive dose of DMT. There are also several 
cardioactive glycosides and other substances that would produce annoying 
side effects if a crude extract were consumed - the effect of Arundo 
donax extract on heart muscle (another paper by Ghosal et. al.) gave me 
the impression that crude Arundo extracts are potentially dangerous.
You'd have to resort to solvent extraction followed by column 
chromatography to extract pure DMT from the roots - a process probably 
requiring several liters of solvent just to produce one dose of DMT.

I'll shell to DOS here and see if I can find my notes about Arundo 
donax...

ok... here's a good starting point if you want to look into this:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
DMT in Arundo Donax / Giant River Reed
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SMITH TA
"Tryptamines and Related Compounds in Plants"
Phytochemistry, 1977, Vol.16 pp 171-175
 
ABSTRACT: The occurrence of the tryptamines and related compounds in 
fungi
          and higher plants is listed on a taxonomic basis. Several of 
these
          amines have considerable physiological activity in higher 
animals.
 
Gramineae:
 Arundo donax L.                  (Leaf,Flower,Rhizome)    [27-30]
   Methoxy-N-methyl-Tryptamine
   DMT
   DMT-Methohydroxide
   Bufotenine
   DMT-N-oxide
   Bufotenidine
   Dehydrobufotenine
   Gramine
   Gramine-N-oxide
   Gramine methohydroxide
 
[27] OREKHOV AP, NORKINA SS (1937) Zhur.Obsch.Chem. 7,673
[28] GHOSAL S, BANERJEE PK, BANERJEE SK (1970) Phytochemistry 9,429
[29] GHOSAL S, CHAUDHURI RK, DUTTA SK (1971) Phytochemistry 10,2857
[30] GHOSAL S, CHAUDHURI RK, DUTTA SK, BATTACHARYA SK (1972) Planta Med. 
21,22
--------------------------------------
 
Tryptamines in the Graminacea:
 
Arundo donax - Giant River Reed
Phalaris arundinacea
 
 
_A Handbook of Alkaloids and Alkaloid Containing Plants_
Wiley Interscience, Raffauf  QK898.A4 R34 (1970)
 
 
N,N-DMT        GRAM-028A   refs:1946, 573
N,N-DMT-5-MeO  GRAM-030A   
Bufotenine     GRAM-030A   refs:1945
Gramine        GRAM-016A
 
 
573 Aus J. Chem 17:1301 (1964)   [Phalaris]
416 Aus J. Chem 19:893  (1966)   [Phalaris]
 
1946 Dutta,SK;Ghosal,S  _Chem.Ind._  (1967)  p2046
1945 Moore,RM; Williams,JD; Chia,J  _Chem.Abst._ 68:75704v (1968)
 
574 Ghosal,S; Mukhergee,BB   _Chem.Ind._ (1965), 793
575 Morinato,H; Matsumoto,N  _Am.Chem._ 692 p194 (1966)
 
464 Legler,G; Tschesche,R  _Naturwiss_ 94 (1963)
 
===============================================================
 
REFERENCES:
 
_Tryptamine and related compounds in plants._      SMITH, TA.
"Phytochemistry." vol.16 pp.171-175. (1977) QK861.P45
 
_The Occurrence of Indolealkylamine Alkaloids in Phalaris tuberosa L. and
P. arundinacea L._ , Culvenor,Dal Bon & Smith
"Australian Journal of Chemistry" 1964, Vol.17 pp.1301-4
 
_Heterocyclic Compounds, Indoles, Part 2_ Houlihan, Wiley Interscience, 
pg264
 
_Indole alkaloids in plant hallucinogens_  Schultes, Richard Evans
"Journal of Psychedelic Drugs" Jan-Mar 1976 p17
 
_Plants of the Gods_  Schultes & Hofmann
 
_Narcotic Plants_  William Emboden
 
_Tryptamine and Related Compounds in Plants_
Terence A. Smith. "Phytochemistry" Vol. 16 pp. 171-175
 
_Alkaloid Bearing Plants and Their Alkaloids_
US Dept. Agriculture Technical Bulletin No. 1234 (1961) Willaman & 
Schubert
 
Erspamer _???? Drug Res._  1961,3,151
 
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