Posted by Q (198.64.206.92) on September 22, 2000 at 01:09:15:
Chemically--there are no particular synergies between muscamol and cannabis, whereas harmala A) inhibits metabolization of the melatonin spike that occurs with first use of cannabis in pre-sensitized users, intensifying and prolonging the psychoactivity; and B) the three-ring structure of harmaline/harmine plugs into different receptors than the two ring structure of serotonin, LSD and the psylocibe mushroom. It fits like a key in a lock at the NMDA receptor, which opens up the REM circuits, because in order for "paradoxical sleep" (being awake/asleep, as in lucid dreaming) to occur and to remember it at all, it is necessary to activate the NMDA while just tweaking waking "serotonergic" consciousness, which is what occurs when the pineal gland dumps endogenous norharmans and melatonin into the bloodstream during REM.
Popik charactereized Ibogaine and its cogeners including harmaline as noncompetitive" NMDA antagonists [binding only one micron more to the MDA receptor, according to Mollivar, than [Ibogaine binds] to the kappa piate receptor]. In effect they are more like nor-harman , the neurotransmitter associated with REM, eidetic memory and the NDE, as pposed to the serotoninergic indole ring alkaloids like LSD.