DOSE:

20 mg

oral

2C-B

(capsule)

BODY WEIGHT:

160 lb

I have heard many great things about this compound. Everything from it being an ecstasy replacement in the 1990s, to it being an aphrodisiac, to it helping supplement MDMA psychotherapy sessions. I had heard it was Shulgin's favorite, and I think I can understand why it was. As usual, I took diligent notes. Most of all, I have heard it being described as similar to LSD and MDMA, but different from either.

Compounds most relevant I found to this review were things such as MDMA, MDA, LSD, 2C-I, and to some extent, 2C-E, as well as 25I-NBOMe and 25B-NBOMe.

0:00 - Before I take the capsule containing 20mg of 2C-B, I sample a small taste of the compound. Having tasted pure phenethylamine powder before, I know what taste to look for. The powder, a lighter grey-brown, and fairly clumpy, tasted very similar to pure phenethylamine hydrochloride. Nothing abnormal, if anything, it had a slightly sweeter taste than its parent backbone. I proceed to take the capsule after this short, impromptu, likely inaccurate litmus test.

0:30 - There was a slight warmth that had spread throughout my body. It was hard to discern any effects otherwise at this point. I'd consider it the first alert in a sense. There were some warm tingles here and there, first felt in my hands when I stretched, but it could be placebo. Maybe a slight increase in tactile sensations too, but again, hard to really tell at this point. +/-

0:50 - I feel slightly lethargic, and find myself yawning. I tend to do this on phenethylamine come-ups as well as 4-AcO-DMT, but this was unmistakably different for 4-AcO-DMT. It had none of the feelings of the tryptamine, and reminded me of times I was on 2C-I, 2C-E, and 2C-T-2. So far, so good - feels like a phenethylamine, tasted like a phenethylamine. I took a quick ten minute nap on the come-up, which I had only ever done with 2C-I before. +/- to +

1:00 - As I was laying down, after my nap, I wrote down the following: 'I am now an hour into the experience and I am STILL not sure if I am feeling it. Tingly? Yes. Clear-headed? Certainly. Am I supposed to not be clear-headed? I don't know. Are colors brighter? Tough to say. My pupils aren't even dilated at this point.'

But yet... when I stood up, and moved around, it suddenly started to hit. It was weird, as I have never really experienced that before. Just the sensation of going from being relatively sober to a + to ++ within the matter of 5 minutes was something worth noting. Now colors and lights are brighter. Now there are tracers. Now I am very warm and tingly.

1:10 - I recalled a time earlier when I had done 25B-NBOMe, and noted its effect on music. I hypothesized about a similarity between 2C-I and 25I-NBOMe as well in a previous report, in terms of their visuals, if the same held true between 25B and 2C-B. In many ways, I would say it was true... what 2C-B does for music is among one of the most interesting things about the compound that I found. To me, it was like LSD or MDMA, but uniquely different. Vocals were crisp and clear, bass was stronger and heavier and hit me more deeply. Hearing every part of the song clearly like LSD does, and feeling the groves of MDA/MDMA. Synaesthesia was also present around this time, where I could feel sounds, and this remained a central theme to the experience.

As all of that was happening with music, I noticed that time dilation also starts to increase. ++

1:30 - Effects are unmistakably unique. It shares a lot of similarity with 2C-I, where the comeup seems to take FOREVER , but it is different in that the comeup is faster overall. It is also warmer than 2C-I, without nausea present. The comeup was smoother as well. 2C-I took until this point to begin to show where 2C-B already was 30 minutes ago.

Unmistakably, the classic phenethylamine feeling. The one that gives me that giddiness, restlessness, body buzz... and yet there's a weird, slightly metallic smooth feeling, which reminds me of the trippier elements, which I can only name as 'crook-shankedness' or 'twerkiness.' (I should note that this is a word I have arrived to independent of the already existing slang word, 'twerk'). These are most prevalent on LSD for me, and the sound of an acid synthesizer featured in psychedelic trance songs reminds me of the feeling... and yet, these are brought out in this particular phenethylamine!

As I was typing with the bass from my speakers eminating, I could feel very clearly and distinctly the keyboard beneath my fingertips vibrating. This, also, was new to me. As such, with me discovering this as well, I found myself typing to the beat of the bass. I recall typing on 25B-NBOMe, and found myself finding another similarity... how good it felt to actually type things. However, I noted that at some points, music felt like it was just TOO much. ++ to +++

2:00 - I see why Shulgin likes this compound. He and Ann would say they appreciate compounds that are 'not too stoning.' This compound, Shulgin's favorite, fits the bill very much. It is very clear-headed. I found myself thoughtful, spacey sometimes, and very insightful. My thoughts would find themselves on tangents upon tangents, almost in a fractaline sort of way, with an overarching theme. Topics first thought about were how many variations of the 2,5-dimethoxy-phenethylamine parent molecule have been created, all with uniquely rich and interesting effects. How organic chemistry can refine crude products, and create beautifully pure experiences. How deep do those valleys of thought and my mind go?

2:30 - I find myself reclining and playing with the tracers of whatever objects are fixated in my hands. In this case, it was an electronic cigarette, and the silvery top to it was reflecting the sunshine slightly. I waved it around, and noticed beautifully long rainbowy tracers. There was at least a 3 second delay for when the tracers finally caught up with a the still object. While this compound can be used in social settings, it is teetering on those settings and being introspective and introverted.

3:00 - Shower time. This proved to be wholly beneficial for the experience. I gained many insights, and thought about many problems in my life in a sort of 3rd-person, detached perspective. Analyzed them. Picked them apart. It was even lightly spiritual in some ways, but not nearly in the way that Shrooms or LSD are.

And while doing so, the water washing over my skin reaffirmed how tactile this compound really was. I could even see patterns in the droplets that formed in the condensation on the walls of the shower. As water ran down the walls, patterns had formed in that too! Patterning was strong at this point, and presented itself everywhere, and the patterns could only be described as a mix between geometric and organic in shape. Tree branches didn't stand out for me like they do on LSD or DMT, but they were a minor point of interest. Things in my vision felt as though they were vibrating. +++

4:30 - Peak begins to wane. Starts at about a solid +++, but over the course of the next hour wanes to a ++. While the body tingles began to fade around here, color enhancement and tracers remain, as well as insightfulness. Good humor could be found in this compound, too. Music also began to lose some of its magic around this point.

+++ to ++

6:30 - This is when the experience would be about 95% over. Very few parts of the trip remain. + to Baseline.

I recall listening to Shpongle on the comedown of this compound, and it still seemed pretty groovy. There was a lot of play between with what was heard and felt and perceived. Colors and textures popped with sounds.

Overall commentary:
It was a bit shorter than I would prefer in terms of overall experience, but maybe that's a good thing. It is wholly worthwhile regardless. It is the kind of compound I can take at 5pm and be fine to sleep around midnight or 1am. No problem. At the end of a day's work, or maybe an afternoon on the weekend, it is a solid choice. Music festivals? Sure! Raves? Why not! Kicking it with friends, or maybe a hookah bar? That'd be cool too. The peak lasted about 3 hours, and comes down as quickly as it comes up... I wish I would have lasted just another hour or so longer though. That would have been nice.

All things considered, I had a royally rich experience... 2C-B blows a lot of things out of the water. But yet, I feel like if one were to go into this experience thinking of it as a replacement for LSD or MDMA, they might be missing what really makes this compound unique. On the other hand, I think it's practically impossible to ignore what makes this compound unique. It is in your face about it! It shows you what it does, and doesn't hold much back. But it's gentle in its comeup and comedown, and best of all, there is no hangover from it. No post-MDMA blues. No headache. Nothing. It is clean, in and out, like LSD.

Exp Year: 2015	ExpID: 106241
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 23
Published: Jun 9, 2018	Views: 11,223
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2C-B (52) : Glowing Experiences (4), First Times (2), Unknown Context (20)