Psychedelic Fish-Sarpa salpa

I don't know whether this has already been posted or not, but I'm pretty sure many will find this interesting.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=911

and

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/ea...s-hallucinations-found-off-British-coast.html

Both are related, but different, articles.

 

Wow cool, I wonder if they can synthesize it.

 

I like how they say that DMT is more potent than LSD in a round about way! Not to say it is not the most MIND BENDING, but not the most potent.

 

Well, they also called LSD a "hallucinogen," which is, in all honesty, a misnomer. Is it really that difficult for people to say "psychedelic"?

Of course, it's not uncommon to find news articles with erroneous drug information.

 

I read about these fish in Shrooms: A Cultural History. Interesting, to say the least.

 

I wonder if you could boil the heads to make a tea/soup type hallucinogenic mixture.

 

This makes me wonder how these fish perceive reality, given that they have a psychedelic substance in their heads.
Maybe this is a species on the brink of developing a higher mental awareness, possibly even a consciousness.

So these 'hallucination'-(who is able to say what's real)causing chemicals are actually produced by algae or microorganisms? hmm I would love to live in a symbiosis with a psychedelic producing organism

For me as a molecular biology student this is especially interesting. I will definitely try to write my next paper about these microbes together with extensive lab studies. What do you guys think are the chances of getting a small testing culture of these organisms/algae? From the article it seems that it is not certain which organisms exactly produce these substances. Does anybody no any more details? Scientific names?

I hope no psychedelic microbes escape my trustworthy hands and spread the gift of enlightenment in the world... :-O

 

human beings and many animals and many plants have DMT in their brain.

 

thats your biggest problem with that section?

how about the fact that unless it contains a fast-acting MAO inhibitor, even if it contained significant quantities of DMT it wouldn't be orally active? or that there is no way a DMT experience could last as long as described, even when taken orally with an MAOI?

 

I was just about to post a thread about this too!

Very interesting.

If you read closer, It informs that it is the plankton and other small organisms the fish are eating that cause the hallucinogenic effects, not the fish itself.

 

i find it hard to believe in the evidence for such claims if they can't even identify the psychoactive substance(s) responsible to begin with.

despite the common assumption that DMT is produced in the pineal gland in human beings, unless significant research into this matter has been done since the 90s this is as yet unproven and only a reasonable hypothesis based on some research in the 90s - which was inconclusive. they know it exists in people, but cannot figure out how or why, despite the extensive research done on the human organism.

but they can't even figure out what substance(s) in the fish are responsible for the effect, but they know where it comes from? given that these are wild fish we're talking about, i find it extremely implausible that such a claim could be made.

 

bump?

 

I was looking back on this, and I know this thread's about a year old, but I think it could use a bump to get some more exposure. More views, more posts, just keeping things lively, you know? Why not?