''Ipomoea corymbosa'' (''Rivea corymbosa'', ''Turbina corymbosa'') is a species of

morning glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

, native throughout

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

from Mexico as far south as Peru and widely naturalised elsewhere. Its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s include Christmasvine, Christmaspops, and snakeplant.

Description and names

Known to natives of north and central

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

by its

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

name, coaxihuitl and by the south eastern natives as xtabentún (in Mayan), it is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

climbing

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

with white flowers, often grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

. Its flowers secrete copious amount of nectar, and the

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

that bees make from it is very clear and aromatic. It also grows in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, where it usually blooms from early December to February. It is considered one of the main honey plants of the island. This plant is often used for purposes other than recreation, as natives of Mexico consider the flour produced from its seeds (distinguished as ''ololiuhqui'' (''ololiúqui'', "round things")) a tool for divination and communion with spirits. Because of the widespread use among native tribes, Colonial rules initially feared ''ololiuhqui'' and banned it introducing harsh punishments for users.

Chemical properties

The

word ''ololiuhqui'' means "round thing", and refers to the small, brown, oval seeds of the morning glory, not the plant itself, which is called ''coaxihuitl'' (“snake-plant") in Nahuatl, and ''hiedra'', ''bejuco'' or ''quiebraplatos'' in the

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

. The seeds, in Spanish, are sometimes called ''semilla de la Virgen'' (seeds of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

). While little of it is known outside of

, its seeds were perhaps the most common

psychedelic drug Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluc ...

used by the natives. In 1941,

Richard Evans Schultes Richard Evans Schultes (''SHULL-tees'';Jonathan Kandell ''The New York Times'', April 13, 2001, Accessed April 26, 2020. January 12, 1915 – April 10, 2001) was an American biologist, considered to be the father of modern ethnobotany. He is kno ...

first identified ololiuhqui as ''Turbina corymbosa'' and the chemical composition was first described in 1960 in a paper by

Albert Hofmann Albert Hofmann (11 January 1906 – 29 April 2008) was a Swiss chemist known for being the first to synthesize, ingest, and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Hofmann's team also isolated, named and synthesi ...

. The seeds contain

ergine Ergine, also known as lysergic acid amide (LSA or LAA) as well as LA-111, is a psychoactive compound of the ergoline and lysergamide families related to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Ergine is an ergoline alkaloid found in fungi such as ...

(LSA), an

ergoline Ergoline is a core structure in many alkaloids and their synthetic derivatives. Ergoline alkaloids were first characterized in ergot. Some of these are implicated in the condition of ergotism, which can take a convulsive form or a gangrenous for ...

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

which is also present in ergot of rye and is similar in structure to

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

. Ergot of rye was part of the

Kykeon Kykeon (, ; from , ; "to stir, to mix") was an Ancient Greek drink of varied description. Some were made of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. Others were made with wine and grated cheese. It is widely believed that kykeon refers t ...

, the drink which was a component of the

Eleusinian mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries () were initiations held every year for the Cult (religious practice), cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis in ancient Greece. They are considered the "most famous of the secret rel ...

. The psychedelic properties of ''Turbina corymbosa'' and a comparison of the potency of different varieties were studied in the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

MKULTRA MKUltra was an illegal human experimentation program designed and undertaken by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to develop procedures and identify drugs that could be used during interrogations to weaken individuals and force confes ...

Subproject 22 in 1956.

Distribution

This species is an

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

to the United States, Europe (Spain), and Australia, where it has become more naturalized.

References

External links

Erowid Morning Glory vault

Erowid Corymbosa Vault
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133545 5-HT2A agonists Convolvulaceae Entheogens Herbal and fungal hallucinogens Natural sources of lysergamides Flora of Cuba Flora of Mexico Flora of Peru Flora without expected TNC conservation status Plants described in 1759 Project MKUltra Psychedelic drugs Serotonin receptor agonists

Description and names

Chemical properties

Distribution

See also

References

External links