Morning Glory – 300 seeds

1. Morning Glory — 300 seeds

A 300-seed pack of morning glory, Ipomoea — a fast-growing annual climber that is grown across Europe as an ornamental and, in Mesoamerica, has a documented history of ritual use going back centuries under names including tlitliltzin and ololiuqui.

The seeds contain LSA (ergine), the same ergoline alkaloid found in Hawaiian baby woodrose. The difference between the two plants is quantitative rather than qualitative: morning glory carries considerably less LSA per seed, which is why accounts of its use talk in dozens or hundreds of seeds where woodrose accounts talk in twos and threes. A 300-seed pack is therefore a sensible size for a garden, and it is worth being clear that most of the people who buy it are growing it.

Reported effects follow the LSA pattern: heightened sensitivity to colour, texture and sound, an introspective and meditative quality, and a duration commonly given as six to eight hours with onset anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours. Set, setting and activity levels are described as making an unusually large difference — the same amount is reported quite differently by someone lying still and someone out walking.

2. Specifications

3. Growing morning glory from seed

This is a genuinely easy plant to grow, with one caveat that catches people out: it climbs aggressively and it will use whatever is nearest as a support, including your other plants.

1. Soak first. Twenty-four hours in water softens the hard coat and improves germination noticeably.
2. Sow shallow, in warmth. Press the seed into moist soil in a sunny position after the risk of frost has passed. Morning glory dislikes cold soil.
3. Give it something to climb, away from everything else. A fence, trellis or cane wigwam. Left to its own devices it will wind through neighbouring planting and smother it.
4. Water regularly through summer. Containers dry out fast and flowering suffers quickly if it does.
5. Expect flowers, then seed. The blooms open in the morning and close by afternoon — hence the name — and a healthy plant sets plenty of its own seed for the following year.

One practical note if you are growing rather than only sowing: Ipomoea self-seeds readily and is treated as an invasive nuisance in warmer climates. In a Dutch or northern European garden it is killed off by winter, but it is worth knowing before you plant it out.

4. Before you use it

4.1 Preparation

• Have a sober sitter present. Someone who stays sober, stays in the room and knows what you have taken.
• Sit or lie down before you start. Do not stand, walk or handle anything.
• Clear the space. No open flames, no stairs, nothing breakable within reach.
• Have a trip stopper to hand. Knowing it is there matters even if you never use it.
• Nothing else alongside it. No alcohol, no cannabis, no other substance.

4.2 Do not use this if

• Not for anyone under 18.
• Not for anyone pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Do not use if you or a close family member has a history of psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or another serious mental health condition. Psychedelics can precipitate episodes in people predisposed to them.
• Do not use alongside alcohol, cannabis, SSRIs, MAOIs or any prescription medication without medical advice.
• Do not drive or operate machinery for the rest of the day.
• Legality varies widely by country and changes. Check your local law before ordering.
• LSA narrows blood vessels. Do not use it with any cardiovascular condition, high blood pressure or circulatory problem.
• Commercially sold horticultural seed is sometimes treated with fungicide or other coatings intended for sowing only. Never assume garden-centre seed of any species is fit to consume.

Onset can be anything from fifteen minutes to two hours. Almost every account of taking too much begins with someone deciding, after forty minutes, that nothing was happening.