Paullinia Cupana (Guarana):
The fruit’s eyelike shape is interpreted as a kind of signature for a mystical vision. Because of this, the plant has certain significance as a shamanic plant and is ingested when diagnosing diseases. For this reason, the Indians do not pick the guarana berries until the first “eye” has opened. Some Amazonian Indians also use guarana for ritual fasts.
Kanna:
The South African Bushmen (San) use the same name for sceletium tortuosum as they do for the eland antelope: Kanna. The eland is regarded as the “trance animal” par excellence, since prehistoric times, it has played a central role as a magical ally in many ceremonies and was closely associated both with the rain-makers and with divination, healing, and the communal trance dances. Kanna appears to have been used as a part of these rituals.
Mandrake:
The most important source about the use of mandrake in the Orient is the Old Testament, where the fruits (love apples) are mentioned numerous times under the Old Hebrew name dûdû’îm and namely as an aphrodisiac. It is possible that the mandrake, which according to kabalistic principles is a symbol for becoming one, may have been used in secret mystical rites in ancient Israel.
Syrian Rue:
In Baluchistan (Pakistan), the seeds are used to neutralize the enchantments of a jin and to banish all evil spirits in general. A person who has fallen under the spell of or has been possessed by a jin is urged to inhale as mush as possible of the smoke rising from the crackling seeds on the charcoals…. Harmel is also used as a fumigant in Turkey to counteract the effects of the evil eye.
In North Africa, Syrian rue has been regarded as a magical and medicinal panacea since ancient times. The seeds are used as incense, both alone and in combination with other plants. The seeds are scattered over charcoal to dispel evil spirits. The smoke is inhaled to treat headaches, the consequences of the evil eye, and venereal diseases. In Morocco, an incense of Syrian rue seeds, alum, and olibanum is burned during the wedding night to fan the flames of desire.
In the Himalayas and neighboring regions, shamans use the seeds as magical incense. The shamans of the Hunza, who live in what is now Pakistan, inhale the smoke to enter a clairvoyant trance. The shamans (bitaiyo) then enter into a close, lusty, sexual contact with the divining fairies, who give them important information and the ability to heal.
And this text describing the Sacred White Lotus put a smile on my face:
Often used as an example of divine beauty, Vishnu is often described as the ‘Lotus-Eyed One.’ Its unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul. The growth of its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual promise….
[I]n Buddhist symbolism the lotus again represents purity of the body, speech, and mind as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. It is also to be noted that most Buddhist, Chinese, Hindu, Japanese, amongst other Asian deities are often are depicted as seated on a lotus flower.
If those phrases sound familiar, it’s because they’re copied from Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi:
The lotus flower is an ancient divine symbol in India; its unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul; the growth of its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual promise.
Amazing where that book turns up, eh?
In Canada, harmala [is] listed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as a schedule III substance, but the vine is not. (Note that Canadian scheduling laws are very different from their United States counterparts.)
Hmm, good to know….