''Silene undulata'' (—"white ways/paths", also known as ''Silene capensis'', and African dream root) is a plant native to the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Cultivation

In cultivation, ''S. undulata'' is an easily grown, but moisture hungry herb. It is tolerant of extreme heat, >, and moderate cold, . A moisture retentive seedbed is essential. The fragrant flowers open at night and close in the day. It is a biennial to short lived perennial and the root can be harvested after the second year.

Uses

''Silene undulata'' is regarded by the

Xhosa people The Xhosa people ( , ; ) are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group that migrated over centuries into Southern Africa eventually settling in South Africa. They are the second largest ethnic group in South Africa and are native speakers of the Xho ...

as a sacred plant. Its root is traditionally used to induce vivid (and according to the Xhosa, prophetic) lucid dreams during the initiation process of traditional healers, classifying it a naturally occurring oneirogen similar to the more well-known dream herb '' Calea zacatechichi''.

Constituents

''Silene undulata'' has been found to contain β-carbolines such as norharman,

harmalol Harmalol is a bioactive β-carboline and a member of the harmala alkaloid Harmala alkaloids are several alkaloids that act as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). These alkaloids are found in the seeds of ''Peganum harmala'' (also known as ...

, and harmaline, and harmine, as well as

ibogaine Ibogaine is a psychoactive indole alkaloid derived from plants such as '' Tabernanthe iboga'', characterized by hallucinogenic and oneirogenic effects. Traditionally used by Central African foragers, it has undergone controversial research ...

. In addition, these constituents were predicted to act as

serotonin Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...

5-HT_2A receptor

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...

s. These components, and in turn serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor activation, may be involved in the

psychoactive A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, mind-altering drug, consciousness-altering drug, psychoactive substance, or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that alters psychological functioning by modulating central nervous system acti ...

effects of ''Silene undulata''.

References

External links

{{Serotonin receptor modulators Entheogens Herbal and fungal hallucinogens Oneirogens Psychedelic drugs Hallucinogens undulata

Cultivation

Uses

Constituents

See also

References

Further reading

External links