“Powerful Grace Lies in Herbs and Plants”

Morning glories

Ipomea purpurea and tricolor
(Convolvulaceae)
Morning glories.

The seeds of morning glory had been known for centuries to induce hallucinations. “As noted by early Spanish writers: ‘when the Aztec priests wanted to commune with their gods and to receive a message from them, they ate this plant to induce delirium during which time a thousand visions and satanic hallucinations appeared to them.’ ” (Lewis, Medical botany).

It was not until 1960, however, that A. Hofmann and H. Tscherter proved that an ergot alkaloid D-lysergic acid amide is responsible for this quality of the morning glory.

KÖHLER, FRANZ EUGEN [PUB.]; PABST, GUSTAV ,[ED.]. KÖHLER’S MEDIZINAL PFLANZEN.
Gera-Untermhaus: Köhler, 1887.
(Missouri Botanical Garden)

 
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