Mysterious Plant Chewers

Former Member

My friend did his erasmus exchange on the Island of Reunion (lucky shit - beats being sent to Lille for half a year anyway) and he was telling me about some drug the locals chewed upon and had an effect similar to acid/weed mixed together.

Apparently you could take it a thousand times and you would trip, come down and carry on as normal but every now and again people would have a bad trip on it and never recover again. They were walking around completely zombified.

Now I'm wondering (2 years later) if he was talking complete shite which I fell for.... or if this substance actually exists.

Anyone have any ideas?

For those with poor Geography, Reunion is one of the french overseas départements in the Indian Ocean. Nice place I hear...:D

Former Member

it could have been khat... ill see if the site have a fact sheet on it

Former Member

no its not khat... im getting confused. I think i know what you mean though just cant think what the name is

Former Member

Kava Kava (piper methysticum) maybe?

Former Member

Doesnt sound like Khat and I'm preaty sure that it doesnt grow around there anyway.

As for Kava Kava, its possible but doesnt really fit the effects that you describe, that and I thought it only grew in the pacific region, I might be wrong though.

It could be some type of mushroom but I'm not sure why you would chew that.

Former Member

I think to be honest with you, your mates having you on, but I dunno, could exist.
The only substance I know capable of making people fall into a completely zombified state is a mixture of blowfish toxin among others in a mixture called Zombie's Cucumber, but that was mainly used in Haiti by Shamans etc etc.
There must be hundreds of kinds of plants that will have some mind-altering effect on you, but I doubt it very much that, after using that substance hundreds of times, one random time you would just fall into a zombified state. Doesn't seem to add up.
As for what it could be, Lion's Tail apparently grows around those regions which is a relaxant similar to cannabis...possibly?

Former Member

This crazy teacher we had used to go on about his trips around the world, and he told us about this tropical place where he went (cant rememebr where it was sorry..) but people took this plant on this beach, and he said that some people got trapped in this permenant crazy state of mind if they couldnt handle the drug, and so it just sent you insane. But whether its true or not is a different story..

Former Member

The whole crazed mind thing may mean it's a deleriant, like Datura or Belladonna or Nightshade, etc? Something containing atropine/scolpamine or something similar.
I really haven't got a clue!

Former Member

Originally posted by its meeeee
This crazy teacher we had used to go on about his trips around the world, and he told us about this tropical place where he went (cant rememebr where it was sorry..) but people took this plant on this beach, and he said that some people got trapped in this permenant crazy state of mind if they couldnt handle the drug, and so it just sent you insane. But whether its true or not is a different story..

Yep, that sounds like the stuff he was talking about. I must ask him the name next time I see him.