A friend tells me that coleus Blumei and Pumilus, together with Salvia Divinorum were used together traditionally by Mazatecs in Mexico. This friend lives surrounded by coleus plants of various kinds, sizes, colors, textues, whatever. They are popular, colorful plants cultivated extensively in my fried's garden.

What can you tell me about coleus, either by itself or in combination. Is this a worthwhile experience? Sublingual? Chewed like coca? Smoked? Blumei covers countless varities. How do you tell which one to try?

Very interesting.

There is no evidence of it's use aside from a nice plant the mazatecs like to grow in their gardens..there has been speculation that maybe they use it for some sort of medicine since its related to salvia..Ive grown various strains and tried many times..never got psychoactive effects.

Thanks for your insights.

How did you go about trying it?

"Plants of the Gods" (Schutes, Hofmann & Ratsch,1992)speaks as thought it was used traditionally with similar effects as salvia d. They say it is chewed and held in the mouth instead of swallowed, or sometimes smoked for stronger effect.

I defer to one who's actually tried it, though.

I've done few experiments with C. blumei, but nothing happen.
I tried to smoke it, chew it, to make a water extraction, I had with this method a little rush and definetly some little sensation, but I had to concentrate and was short duration.

It can probably be that you have to find the right c. blumei strain, since on erowid there are people who seems to have found it pretty nice. Maybe all the strain crossing plants made lose an original effective plant.

Thanks. I will check into that.
Perhaps a "native plant" society will be able to identify the most "original" strain.

I'll post any info I find in that regard.

I spent all day yesterday glued to the computer, searching out the history of coleus as a possible ethnogen. The literature I reviewed mentioned their use together in contemporary accounts, but it called into question the ancient use of coleus and S. divinorum in Mexico, as the natives were not using them to their utmost advantage, as if they were not really that familiar with the plants. There was a broad "hint" that the plants were cultivars introduced from somewhere else, but when, where and by whom is apparently a mystery.


According to the internet, there are two kinds of coleus: the colorful ones and the green ones (which may or may not actually be coleus). This may account for the lack of consistency/potency in coleus trials. They both apparently have the potential for containing ethnogens, but the green ones win out in traditional uses.


The major "green" coleus, Coleus (Plectranthus)Amboinicus, also called Cuban Oregano or Indian Borage, is used as a medicinal herb in India, called Pashnabhedi,and is considered an ethnogen there.

The colorful varieties have been hybridized by plant breeders for centuries, looking for interesting color combinations, and that could account for the lack of potency or conflicting information there. My search for "heritage" plants (the original breeding stock) which might still have the reported potency turned up some varities claiming to go back to Victorian times, but no mention of traditional ethnogenic uses.

I guess my question now is, anyone tried Cuban Oregano?