So you might have noticed, I’ve been taking a small break from tripme. Well in my time off I got to know some ethnobotanical plant friends better. One, ive tried before, the fabulous but subtle, blue lotus. One was a stranger to me, fresh chewed saffron. I also re-aquinted myself with flavored tobacco shisa, and chocolate, fish and nuts but thats another story, lol.

Blue lotus is a nice soothing tea, a great smoking additive, but comes into its own with the addition of booze, and good company. Ive never had it socially before, and it works great to lower those inhibitions. Really shines here, the effect on social interaction is perhaps more obvious than the effects themselves, if your unfamiliar with them. If you make a tea, the extract is much better tasting for this use than the flowers. Would love to try this socially more often. Seems the perfect match, drinks, friends and lotus tea. Its also great for just chilling. Beats chamomile any day for anti-stress.

Saffron is an odd experience to chew. It tastes strongly spicy, though not in a chilli way more minty. But a few balls of good thread, well chewed, you do get a noticeable effects. Not bad for cheap at the Iranian dairy. It also lightens the spirit, like lotus, but its a slightly inebriated feeling, more heady and less serene. Sort of a mild drunk feeling, with high spirits. Seemed to add to already present drunkness. Theres even slight motor co-ordination issues noticed after some consumption. Warrants further experimentation, and the saffron we tried wasnt really very high quality at all.

Both are mild yes, so not for hard-heads, but worth a go, in my opinion. And interesting as common legals.

Will have more news, articles & intellectual masturbation for you all now I’m back again!

A lot of people panic at the end of semester when exams come round. The amount of effort put into study is a highly individual thing, and often doesn’t change much over time! What you can easily change is the stuff you put in your brain, easing the process somewhat, stepping up your focus and motivation.

The obvious nutritional basis is important. B vitamins and omega-3’s are both linked to improved cognition, and b vits are vital to a vast range of brain processes. DL-phenylanine, and l-tyrosine, the precursors to dopamine help with alertness and motivation - I would definitely include these in a study stack because of how crucial motivation and attention can be. Inositol, is a messenger subsystem, and is also a good choice for a nutritional clear thinking and alertness.  Vegetables, fruit (b vits), fish (omega’s and tyrosine) and nuts (inositol) are good sources for these. You also probably know about iron already.

Read more HERE.

The UNKLE duo did some kick ass ninja-tune stuff back in the day along with DJ Shadow who was once in the band, as some of you may remember. And admittedly they have struggled to find a new sound direction since then. Here, we see a venture into the realm of slightly indie vocal stylings, mixed with a much more organic sound.

The electronic composition, is well, it's not exactly like the old ninja-tunes stuff. Its similarly heavy on organic sounds, but there aren't really any breaks here. The bit of guitar really adds to the organic sound also, and the drums, while programmed, are all the real sounding kind - A very rolling, upbeat, rocky, almost tribal rhythm. Very different from their older stuff.

Absinthe is a very strong, green colored distilled liquor, made from wormwood, anise, fennel and other herbs. It’s unique because the wormwood provides some “added” effects, via a chemical called Thujone, and very cool because of the ritual of drinking it, and its “bad boy” history with Bohemian artists, writers, poets and such (The likes of Hemmingway, Van Gogh, and Crowley). To drink it properly, there are two little rituals, the French method, and the Bohemian method.

The French Method is as follows: You put the Absinthe into a glass. You put a spoon, with holes or slots, on top of the glass, and put a sugar cube in it. Then you pour chilled water over the spoon (ordinary temperature still works) - until its fairly diluted with the water. With a true Absinthe, this will turn the drink cloudy, which is essentially some of the flavors precipitating out - making it nicer to drink. These are the other herbs, so if a liquor is made from wormwood only, or not made properly, this process doesn’t do anything at all, and it won’t turn cloudy.

Read more HERE.