Morning Glory Seed Reaction

Abstract

DURING the past 18 months, there have been sporadic references in the literature and in the popular press to the ingestion of the lowly morning glory (Ipomoea) seed. This phenomenon is apparently one more evidence of man's search for substances that will profoundly affect his thinking and his feeling. For centuries mankind has sought new experiences by deliberate ingestion of substances having mind-altering properties. The early discovery of herbs or plants with the ability to alter perceptions or states of consciousness was entirely accidental and the search for such substances purely on a trial and error basis. It was soon learned that vegetable alkaloids contained in plants having such properties were responsible for the production of psychic phenomena. An impressive list of such plants, including cahobe, betel nut, muscari, soma, peyote, and the seed of the morning glory is now available as a result of scientific investigation. One of the