DOSE:

8 leaves

smoked

Coleus

(dried)

BODY WEIGHT:

115 lb

I have smoked coleus a few times, and hope to try ingesting it in in the future (aka when I have 50-70 leaves). I grew my coleus plants from seed (the package claimed to contain coleus hybrids, so I do not know the specific species name), which I do not recommend as it takes forever. No fertilizers or insecticides were used.

For my third coleus trip I picked eight leaves, each about 3 cm wide and 4 cm long. These were then dried by placing them on top of a radiator (various sources claim drying the leaves destroys their psychoactivity, but I have not found this to be the case - besides which, how do you smoke fresh leaves?). I put the dry leaves in my bowl and finished them in three large hits, holding each hit for 30 seconds. The taste of coleus is slightly reminiscent of salvia, although not as bitingly chemical as salvia extract. About 10 seconds after inhaling I began noticing effects - a slight tingling spread out through my body, and a rapid change in mindset - suddenly everything becomes dream-like, and I feel slightly disconnected from my body. There is also a visual component, composed of blotches of colour, lines and spots in front of my vision. These are not brightly coloured, but are more like the afterimages you see after looking at a bright light, in shades of pastel green, pink and purple. I also find that flat surfaces (walls, ceilings etc) breath and wave, reminding me of a low dose of psilocybin.

The perception of depth on coleus is significantly altered - the space between me and objects seemed to expand infinitely, even though I know logically that depth still exists. Overall, coleus reminds me of a low dose of salvia (not reaching breakout experience), except that coleus is more controllable and gives a greater mood lift. The mood lift isn't really euphoria, it is more of a feeling of calm and serenity. Total effects last for about 2 hours, with the peak coming between 15 and 30 minutes. I found a source which says coleus contains 'neo-clerodane diterpenoids and having a chemical structure similar to Salvinorin A' so perhaps the resemblance to salvia makes sense. However, coleus is certainly not a substitute for S. divinorum.

One final note on combining coleus with other substances - in combination with marijuana, it seems to potentiate the dreamy and visual qualitites of the marijuana. In combination with salvia, it extends both the peak and duration of the experience. In both cases, however, the distinctive coleus effects are difficult to distinguish.

Exp Year: 2003	ExpID: 23200
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Oct 7, 2004	Views: 50,018
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