Marihuanilla #
| Binomial / Botanical Name | Leonurus Sibiricus |
| Street Names | Siberian Motherwort; Honeyweed |
| Major Active Compound | Unknown |
| Indigenous Source | SE Asia; Siberia; S America; Mexico |
| Form | Gritty Plant Matter |
| RoA | Smoked |
| Personal Rating On Shulgin Scale | + |
SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE #
At the time of research, leonurus sibiricus was a widely available legal botanical, and was largely sold as a mild relaxant. Internet descriptions like the following were commonplace:
“Leonurus sibiricus, commonly known as Siberian motherwort or Marihuanilla, is an herbaceous plant native to Asia, including southern Siberia, China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. It grows wild in the coastal regions of Brazil as well as Chiapas (Hofmann et al. 1992, 47)” ~ entheology.com
“In South-America and Mexico Leonurus sibiricus has been used as a substitute for cannabis. That’s why the plant was nicknamed Marihuanilla (“little marijuana”). It induces a state of relaxation and has a pleasant taste” ~ herbsofthegods.nl
“The effects of Marihuanilla can be described as mildly narcotic, though not especially pronounced; thus it is sometimes mixed with other herbs and smoking blends to heighten its potency” ~ entheology.org
Despite these positive references, my expectations were not high, which is the reason this experiment had been hanging around on my to-do list for months.
The vendor I finally sourced from provided the following description:
“Leonurus Sibiricus (Marihuanilla) A popular herbal preparation in South America and Mexico. Famous for having a delicious flavor and a calming, full bodied relaxing effect. Mildly narcotic in effect, it is often used as a substitute for illegal drugs.” ~ potseeds.co.uk
With the promise:
“Each gram of our extract is equal to 50 Grams of dried herb. A lot of vendors offering 50x extract, but it’s very common to take 50g of fresh material and sell it as 50x. Again, we use 50g of dried material to get 1g real 50x extract” ~ potseeds.co.uk
The substance arrived in the small packet pictured on the previous page, and had a gritty quality to it. It had a distinctive odour, which is difficult to put a name to: a sort of stale fruity spicy smell, but not unpleasant.
I placed a large pinch of it into a bong, lit up, and inhaled.
There was no particular burn, and it was not especially unpleasant to smoke. I took three hits, and returned to my desk.
Almost immediately there was a noticeable psychoactive effect. It was absolutely nothing like as strong as cannabis, but nonetheless it was there. It was quite sedating, but I was in no way stoned.
As I had expected nothing at all, this was a pleasant surprise. It was mild, offered a strange mental clarity, and had a distinct calming effect. There was no nausea or anything of that nature.
I ought to add that I had not consumed any psychoactive materials for a week or two, so I was very detoxed. This probably helped, but regardless, the chilled feeling, which lasted an hour or so, wasn’t a placebo effect.
One final observation is that this was followed by a restless night’s sleep, during a period in which I had generally been sleeping well. This could be unconnected, but is worth bearing in mind.
ADDENDUM #
Some of the sources I consulted during preliminary investigation referred to marihuanilla’s use as a potentiator for cannabis and other substances. The general feel I experienced during the experiment suggested that this may indeed be an interesting area of exploration.