Lichen came up again in the chat today.
Someone speculated that
http://jlcheype.free.fr/.../Parmelia_conspersa0.jpg
could be active.

There is an abundance growing on the mountains here overlooking the valleys of forest. These things grow directly on sandstone that has had shelves and bowls carved out into it (by natives I am guessing) directly underneath acorn trees on cliffs that are mesmerizingly beautiful.

I will soon collect some. I have contacted someone about possible lab analysis. I plan on allergy testing a very very very tiny amount orally and smoked. I will up my doses with days in between as to not cause any potential tolerance. I do not recommend anyone doing this because we are dealing with unknown and potentially toxic territories, this is why I am doing a standard allergy test. I will cease exploration upon the first hint of toxic effects.

Who knows if its anything worthy of exploration, but I figure the only way we are ever going to learn anything is by testing these things safely and intelligently one species at a time.

The reason I feel called to explore this particular lichen is because I have had some of the most profound experiences of my life in this area and I feel a tremendously deep connection with it. In fact, I moved across the USA to simply be near this environment. I find it rejuvenating more than anything. The longer I stay away from this kind of nature, the more stir crazy I get ;] I just think, WHAT IF, there was something psychedelic growing in this incredibly sacred space... With the way life goes, it would make sense to me.

Updates on microbioassy and hopefully possible lab analysis soon. If you or someone you know is interested in running samples, please PM me. Thanks. I sincerely apologize if moderators have a problem with this proposal.

Most lichen are edible, the ones that are a bright yellow are generally the toxic ones.

Dictyonema huaorani (Agaricales: Hygrophoraceae), a new lichenized basidiomycete from Amazonian Ecuador with presumed hallucinogenic properties

Michaela Schmull, Manuela Dal-Forno, Robert Lücking, Shugeng Cao, Jon Clardy, and James D. Lawrey
The Bryologist Winter 2014 : Vol. 117, Issue 4, pg(s) 386-394 doi: 10.1639/0007-2745-117.4.386

Dictyonema huaorani, a new species represented by a well-developed specimen found in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, is described in this paper. The material was collected during a Harvard ethnobotanical expedition in 1981 and originally determined by Mason E. Hale Jr. as belonging in the genus Dictyonema (D. sericeum s.lat.) and possibly representing an undescribed species. The species is morphologically distinctive in forming densely woven, semicircular thalli, closely resembling those of the paleotropical D. ligulatum but lacking clamps and with hyphal sheath around the photobiont filaments that resembles those of Cyphellostereum species. The species was reported to have hallucinogenic properties and chemical analyses suggest certain substances present that are shared with the hallucinogenic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis. Due to our inability to use pure reference compounds and scarce amount of sample for compound identification, however, our analyses were not able to determine conclusively the presence of hallucinogenic substances.

http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1639/0007-2745-117.4.386

Chemical analyses.The preliminary analysis performed on an Agilent 1200 Series HPLC showed a peak with the same molecular weight (160 Da), UV spectrum and retention time (12.6 min) as tryptamine. Trace amounts of tryptamine can be found in mammal brains, where it is considered to play a role as a neurotransmitter and serotonin-releasing agent (Jones 1982). The subsequent, refined analysis on the Waters showed tryptamine (tR2.69), 5-MeO-DMT (tR6.14) and psilocybin (tR5.79) with identifications based on database values.

...

The alternative analysis on the Agilent 6530 QTOF LC/MS with dual spray ESI source showed the likely presence of 5-methoxy-N-methyl-tryptamine, 5-methoxy-dimethyl-tryptamine, and 5-methoxy tryptamine, but again these identifications were based on database values, not authentic samples. All together, the results are suggestive of the presence of tryptamine and psilocybin in Dictyonema huaorani, but comparison of larger amounts of fresh material of this species with authentic standards are necessary to confirm these tentative findings.

I contacted Michaela Schmull at the Harvard Herbarium, who was able to forward me this magnificent scan. Now I can share the story here!

This is a scan of the thallus, or vegetative structure, of Dictyonema huaorani. This specimen was collected in 1981 by Wade Davis and Jim Yost, two explorers in eastern Amazonian Ecuador conducting ethnobotanical research with the Waorani people. Yost had heard rumours of this lichen for seven years before finally locating this individual. To date, this is still the only known specimen in existence. As you can see by the label, this lichen was found growing on rotting wood near the confluence of the Quiwado and Tiwaneo rivers in Napo state. Known as nɇnɇndapɇ by the Waorani, the lichen has been used by "bad" shamans to curse others and also been noted to cause severe headaches. It was reputed to potentially have hallucinogenic properties.

The unidentified specimen was forwarded to Dr. Mason Hale, who suggested that it might be a species of Dictyonema, perhaps similar to Dictyonema sericeum. A conclusive identification would not be made for another forty years--this past November! A team of scientists sampled the specimen's DNA and found it to be an as-yet unrecognized species, which they named Dictyonema huaorani. Even more fascinating, they were able tentatively ascertain the presence of psychoactive compounds: tryptamines and psilocybin. Psilocybin is notably found in the infamous Psilocybe cubensis (though also in least 200 other species of fungi), but this is one of the first publications indicating psychoactive compounds in lichens!

http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/potd/201...ma-huaorani.php

Now to find the full paper...

“It was the most intense hallucinogenic experience that I’ve ever had, and I’ve done every trip there is,” says Icelandic writer Smari Einarsson. “DMT, peyote… you name it. We have these magic mushrooms here that grow wild. I’ve eaten those more times than I can count. They cannot even come close to the effect of these rocks.” Volcanic rocks, which cover the Icelandic landscape, have been getting local kids high for five years now, ever since a local artist did a performance piece called Rock Soup. Jon Sigmundson’s art piece was meant to make a commentary on Icelanders’ high standard of living, which he believes relies on taking for granted third-world suffering. He made Rock Soup, he said in a written statement, to “try and live on nothing.” The serendipitous discovery he made is that these rocks get you fuggin’ wasted.

It is actually the lichen that lives on the rocks that gets you off. You take a few stones, boil them in a pot of water, strain it all through a colander, and drink it down like tea. Some people add ginger and honey, but it supposedly has a nice taste undiluted. It’s very earthy. People, who have ‘taken stones’, as it’s called, share strikingly similar stories. “Trolls,” says a young Icelandic girl who was interviewed at the local Reykjavik bar Sirkus. “Every time we do stones, we see the same group of trolls. They are no unkind, but they aren’t overly friendly either,” she says. “Mostly what they do is advise you. You always come away from a stones trip with a question that you had on your mind answered. You also have the most vivid colours ever. It’s like living in Fantasia!”

Alex Shulgin also references to psychoactive lichen, in PiKAL (1991), as a source of synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Shulgin, however, is talking about a different species of lichen to the one referenced in Stoned on Stones. Shulgin, in this case, is referring to lichen known as Evernia prunastri. The different psychoactive effects of Parmotrema menyamyaense and Evernia prunastri would be detectable upon reflection after reading both the quoted trip report above and Shulgin’s reference to THC within PiKAL.