Lab Tests of Drugs Purchased Online Reveal Risks

Psychoactive herbs such as salvia and kratom may be legal in most states, but are they harmless? For every positive experience reported by someone who ingested a legal mushroom, smoked prickly poppy leaves or drank ayahuasca tea, it's easy to find a horror story about the same substance.

"If you want to try this drug [datura], please consider what the effects of this on others will be … a $20,000 hospital bill … [a visit to an] ICU for days, a CAT scan, ambulance and specialists. Please take warning," wrote someone identified only as Karrie in a comment on Erowid, a clearinghouse site for information on psychoactive drugs.

Most of the items we bought turned out to be essentially what the packaging advertised. The NCNPR's lab found that some of the items -- including Amanita muscaria, Datura inoxia and Mexican prickly poppy -- contained toxins whose effects may be mild or deadly depending on the dose and sample strength. Other substances, such as kratom, Khan says, are known to be addictive. According to the lab, another substance, kanna, is a weak narcotic similar to marijuana.

One product, however, wasn't quite as represented: A substance billed as the powerful hallucinogen 5-MeO-DMT (short for 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine, according to Wikipedia) turned out to be a benign muscle stimulant called 5-Methoxytryptamine, UM researchers said.

All of the sites where we bought products for this story displayed disclaimers stating that their merchandise was not for human consumption. The site Bouncing Bear Botanicals, for example, states in its easy-to-find disclaimer: "All of the Ethnobotanicals available from this site are sold for research, education and propagation purposes only. None of the Ethnobotanicals sold are for human consumption. Some of the Ethnobotanicals available are poisonous. The Herbals available have not been evaluated by the FDA. Research all Herbals before using. Use at your own risk."

Nevertheless, comments elsewhere on some of the sites we visited seemed to predict that buyers might not draw the line at research, education and propagation. Though SalviaSupply.com says that its products are not for human consumption, its description of the Amanita muscaria mushrooms we bought there focused on their effects on a person who consumes them: "The Amanita trip typically begins with feelings of euphoria and peaceful bliss. As the muscimol sets in, individuals can experience intense psychedelic effects, such as auditory and visual hallucinations."