September 8, 1976

New Ways To Cripple The Mind

"The root seller gets you high six different ways!"

That's the advertising come-on for a flourishing new industry unknown to that majority of Americans over 30.

The younger generation looking for "kicks" now find a variety of legal herbs available through youth-oriented magazines and underground newspapers.

Here are just a few ad headlines gathered by journalist Dave Palermo who keeps an eye on the avant garde set:

"Our dealer's sampler includes Kola Nut Powder, Kava Kava, Yohimbe, Chia Seeds, Gotu Kola..."

"Ten psychedelic mescaline-like capsules plus one ounce each of Chia Seeds, Kola Nut Tea and legal pot..."

"Legal high (lettuce extract).  Free information on source, also study showing excellent test results.

A few years ago it was discovered that the strings in banana peel would stupefy the mind.  Since then anti-social youngsters have discovered a wide range of plants that partially numb the brain.

This development in U.S. culture has at least one man particularly concerned.

Dr.  Ronald Siegel of the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine believes herbal cigarettes, teas and similar products can cause serious physical and mental reactions because they contain psychoactive substances.

The use of herbal cigarettes, teas and capsules is growing.  They are designed to be smoked or taken for health reasons and are often promoted as legal mood-modifiers and marijuana substitutes Siegel said.

In the Aug.  2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Society, Siegel says these "herbal highs" are readily available in health food stores and by mail order.

There are 192 herbs commercially available and used as smoking substances, be says.  These substances often contain ingredients which have no mind-altering properties, such as yerba santa, rosemary, thyme, mullein and spearmint.

However, about half do contain herbs with known mind-altering effects, Siegel says.  Two men experienced severe hallucinations and unpleasant physical emotional reactions after smoking "Mint Bidis": or "Hare Rama Bidis" imported from India, he says.

The Mint Bidis were analyzed and found to contain high amounts of mind-altering substances, including some found in the thorn apple.

The Hare Rama Bidis contained many times more nicotine than ordinary cigarettes.

All together, there are 396 herbs and spices commercially available.  They are used alone or in mixtures as herbal tea, Siegel says.

Forty-three of these contain psychoactive substances, but usually in such small amounts as to have little or no effect on behavior, he says.

But intoxication may result from large doses, he notes, citing the physical and mental problems suffered by a man who drank tea made of kava roots and a woman who drank tea made from two ground nutmegs.

Herbal capsules sometimes are used in conjunction with herbal teas, he says.  A vegetarian experienced difficulties after taking kola capsules, advertised as "brain food," according to Siegel.  The product, made of ground kola nut, contains high amounts of caffeine.

"Non-medical experimentation with herbal intoxicants is enjoying a recent revival as users search for legal alternatives to the ever-increasing list of restricted drugs," Siegel says.

"The ready availability of these substances and their marketing in the context of health food represents a potential abuse problem."

It is hard to understand why so many people will work so hard to experience a drowsy feeling or lights in the head - but there it is.

Once the addiction, or habit, is established the steps to hard drugs are inexorable.

As the drug culture spreads we wring our hands in desperation.

Drugs destroy the effectiveness of vital human being.  We hate to see this, and government more and more is involved in protecting us from ourselves.  Yet, we live in permissive times when unbridled sex and self indulgence is approved for "consenting adults" 18 or over.

The net result is a drift to decadence.  Such weak character at the national level is a symptom of collapse.

Though we do not know the answer to this problem, its seriousness requires constant awareness.  One suspects that the solution begins with the family, requires school participation and ends with government.

Finding the proper mix is our urgent goal.

Author: Lindsey Williams