DOSE:

909 g

oral

Poppies - Opium

(seeds)

BODY WEIGHT:

200 lb

Surprising Little Poppy Seeds?

I am a nineteen year old male, 6'3, 200 lbs. I swim regularly, have an active summer job, and am a student of chemistry in Berkeley. I am no stranger to psychotropic chemicals, though I have done very few opiates. (Only prescribed hydrocodone and codeine.) I read from a reliable source that the seeds of Papaver somniferum, depending on the country of origin and the source, may contain anywhere from 2 to 251 micrograms of morphine per gram of seed. That is, one kilogram of commercial seed may contain from 2 to 251 milligrams of morphine. A considerable amount, by my standards!

I obtained two pounds of poppy seeds (0.909 kg) from a health food store, and steeped them in hot water and some rum for twenty minutes, strained the oily yellow brew, and repeated the process two more times. The resulting liquid (about ½ gallon) was reduced by a rapid boil to about four or five cups, and there was no more alcoholic smell. There was a considerable amount of oil on the top of the 'tea.' The flavor was bitter, oily, and sort of soapy. I hadn't anticipated such an awful flavor.

At 4:30 pm I drank it all down on a totally empty stomach. (Remember that by the figures given, there could be from around 1.8 to 227 mg morphine.) After about 20 minutes, my stomach was queasy, my limbs felt weighted, and my neck felt stiff; I felt that I had been poisoned. I tried to eat a steak quesadilla, but nearly threw it up.

5:30 pm: The effects are now pronounced. The heaviness remains, and I feel very 'intoxicated' - I choose this word because I wasn't sure yet if I was enjoying the sensation, or if I simply felt 'toxic.' I need to lie down, because I have no sense of equilibrium. Slight movement throws me off balance, and I feel nauseous.

6:30 pm: My God, I feel quite drunken now. Lying down, I am overwhelmed by the opiates. Sinking into the couch, numb but coherent. BUT, when I move I feel I will vomit.

About 7:30 pm: Sure enough, I puke everything up. Still, though, I feel sea-sick and am very wary of ANY movement. This is unpleasant. Awful. But is it? Feel so numb, floating on air, morphine, in all its glory. AGGH! But I can't bear to move, almost like alcohol poisoning. I'm beginning to become quite sleepy, yet I still feel so sick that I am afraid to go to sleep. I brew strong coffee, and drink a large cup. I also snuff some tobacco, trying to perk up my mind. It sort of works, but now my mouth is bone dry, my head aches (though it is simultaneously detached and careless) and I am jittery. Good lord, I think, I have poisoned myself, and now I must not fall asleep!

At about 9:30, I begin to settle into bed with The Lord of the Rings though I cannot keep my eyes open for more than a few words. All of my will cannot beat back this drowsiness. I give in, and my head falls to my pillow as is, and I drift off?

I do not sleep, because amidst the extreme sedation, wild images and dreams fuse with my nausea (stupid caffeine!). If morphine's effects did not so strictly induce euphoria and painlessness, I imagine this would be absolutely unbearable. Yet as it is, I cannot separate and quantify my pleasure from my simultaneous pain. I puke again. Ahhhh that really helped. But now that the opiates are waning, the caffeine seems to be holding me awake. I drink some grape juice, and some water. Urination is very difficult (weird!? it just doesn't come out!). Still no equilibrium. I fight to sleep, and I think I cross the line into real sleep at about 1:00 am. Each hour feels like the passing of an entire night of dreams, and I know because I wake up every hour to urinate.

Drove to work early this morning for a meeting. For the first few hours, I still feel soaked in opiates, drowsy and queasy. This afternoon I recover, and I feel OK. I will not repeat this experiment as is. Perhaps a chemical extraction is in line, and probably half of this dose would be sufficient. Needless to say, I was thoroughly surprised by the profundity of this experience.

Exp Year: 2003	ExpID: 24436
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jun 12, 2003	Views: 55,209
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Poppies - Opium (43) : Alone (16), Difficult Experiences (5), Preparation / Recipes (30), General (1)