DOSE:	20 mg	oral	Pharms - Citalopram	(daily)
	2 capsls	oral	Various	(capsule)
	1 cig.	smoked	Various	(plant material)
	1 cig.	smoked	Damiana	(plant material)

BODY WEIGHT:

78 kg

I am 33, weighing 78kg, or 160lbs.
Dose: oral (capsules branded as Dionysos); packet’s only reference to dosage was ‘mix of herbs 2200mg‘)
Regular medication - SSRI antidepressant Celexa, 20mg per morning
Had drunk approx 10 cups of strong tea and coffee in the 9 hours before consumption, SSRI taken 8 hours beforehand

I have no previous experience of hallucinogens, having used only generic weed from a local source and one weak ecstasy tablet, which had little effect other than a good night‘s sleep and feeling buzzy the next day.

I bought 10 gelatine-encased tablets from an onliner retailer for £10 sterling (/about$16US at time of writing), which contained morning glory (ipomoea convulvulaceae), baby woodrose (argyria nervosa) and guarana (paulliana cupana). Little information was provided by the Dutch supplier other than this.

My friend who I often smoke with was not around so I had no sitter, which I regret because I would have liked to have chatted about the experience. The instructions said to take three or four, half an hour before the trip, avoiding drink and smoke, and to chill in a darkened room with candles. However I swallowed two capsules with only a bit of water before heading to a small drum n bass music festival/funfair in a park during late afternoon, where I quickly smoked a 110mm-long joint containing half generic cannabis buds, and half herbal mix (papaya, hazelnut and eucalyptus supplied commercially) while sitting under a tree and collecting my thoughts, away from the crowds. Then I smoked one of damiana and tarragon leaf. I had no MP3 player and instead enjoyed the bass notes from the dance tents about 500 yards away.

It must have been about an hour after I dropped the pills (there was no nausea whatsoever, so I forgot about them) and 10 minutes after the smoke that I felt acutely aware of birdsong and the music, although neither sounded significantly altered. I had a magazine with me but was unable to concentrate on the words, while my attention was drawn to my peripheral vision. The sunlight, into which I faced, appeared glowing but not harsh.

Then I felt heavy, drowsy and twitchy all over, but my vision quickly became distorted like a wideangle lens tilted towards me - the trees flattened, and people stumpy, their heads outsized in the way a baby‘s would be in proportion to its body. My heart rate surged and I felt a clammy chill, but dismissed this as nervousness at the prospect of my first authentic trip.

I saw no visuals other than brief sparkles of white light in the first five minutes, while closing my eyes briefly. It was euphoric and my head started to feel like it was being sucked to the left. This swirling effect moved to my whole body, which was a bit intimidating until I started breathing deeply, reminding myself that all was well and that the point of taking the substance was to undergo the trip.

Then I became obsessed with staring at dogs and bicycles, both of which seemed bendy and tall, the cycles bulging and their wheels seeming ovoid, the dogs large though friendly. When I tried hard to focus, the effect diminished but it was slightly stereoscopic - the ‘proper‘ image and the distorted one overlapped. I have no idea whether some of the machines were in fact customised bikes.

My body felt stretched and floating as if wafted by a current, and I ‘zoomed in’ on some objects, mostly in the mid-distance in front of me. This made me wary as I was dressed less casually than most of the people at the event and I did not want to be seen staring, in case people thought I was a plain clothes cop.

The most striking effect was time slowing down. I felt like I had been at the event for several hours though the sun's position told me it was probably still early evening - I was not wearing a watch. I reminded myself on several occasions where I was, that the effect would be temporary, that I was not feeling alarmed or ill, that my surroundings were enhancing the effect, and that I could easily summon assistance if the need arose.

Going across the park and then back down side streets appeared to take twice as long as normal, the ground seeming unnaturally spongy. I was feeling as if I was only partially conscious. One way of describing it would be like being wakened suddenly from deep slumber while on a airplane or car journey, and struggling to make sense of one’s environment as sounds and shapes swim into focus. I became a little dazed on route but moved according to reflex.

Colours did not seem much brighter, which was a disappointment. Despite the dreaminess, I was always aware of where my wallet and house keys were. When at home I checked the time and from dropping the tablets to returning to the house was about two hours. Rationally I believed this, but it felt like six. By this time the effects were fading, which was a relief as I didn't want my housemates to be aware of me being stoned, particularly the visual distortion. I had bright big pupils and red eye, plus was dehydrated. I also felt tingly/numb, particularly my forearms and hands. This could be due to the skunk, which usually makes me sedated.

I have been typing this review while still rather high at three and a half hours after swallowing the caps, and I am listening to some nature sounds (rainforest, ocean, rain) - these seem appropriate as a gentle return to earth. Time has been getting back to normal but occasionally I feel trapped in a 'pocket' of space-time. There are no obvious munchies, cottonmouth or hangover. Though neurological rather than outright esoteric, I shall use the substances again with interest, but without weed and with more water.

Exp Year: 2006	ExpID: 52739
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Sep 4, 2007	Views: 23,140
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Morning Glory (38), H.B. Woodrose (26), Guarana (117), Damiana (107) : First Times (2), Music Discussion (22), Combinations (3), Alone (16)