Following on the foetid footsteps of the Worlockian one's Ephedra Nevandesis (?) excursions into the dangerous washes and foothills found in the Sonoran outback, I have sniffed and snorted in various places looking for truffles of an un-ordinary type.
In my meanderings hither and yon, an interesting possibility arose to my wondering eye: and 4 months before Xmas, at that!
Available in 10% tinctures (or infusions: I know not which) by weight of blended active ingredient, "bitter orange" or Chinese Zhi Shi (?) may in fact be of interest to those of reduced capacity, or reducing intent: a claim to both categories is herein made by your writer.
Although tyramine is if I recall of no great fondness to those with a predeliction towards MAOI's, the others display a characteristic which inspired me to request consideration of those with greater knowlege than I of the following question:
Is this material one which could be a reasonable starting material for derivation of exhilerating substances not unlike those derived from it's cousin, the waif-bush referred to above in Worlockian terms??
Has anyone experience in this regard??
Is there a possibility of making poison should one employ simple acid base extraction, and electro-reductive processes?(ALWAYS careful to take care of the test-monkey!)
Thank you for your consideration.
dwarfer
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Citrus fruits contain trace amounts of a substance known as synephrine. The highest concentration is found in two Chinese varieties of citrus fruit known as Citrus aurantium and Citrus unshiu.
Citrus aurantium is known to Chinese herbalists as zhi shi, or bitter orange, and has been used for centuries to relieve allergies, asthma, colds and inflammatory conditions.
The pharmacological actions of synephrine include direct alpha-adrenergic agonist action and possible indirect beta-adrenergic action (both to be discussed later).
Synephrine functions as a decongestant, and is known to maintain normal blood pressure levels. At a certain stage of maturity, Citrus aurantium contains a rare combination of five adrenergic (resembling Adrenaline or epinephrine which occur naturally in the human body) amines: Synephrine, Octopamine, Hordenine, Tyramine, and N-Methyltyramine.
Both synephrine and octopamine have been shown to occure naturally in tissue of mammals (including human tissue) synephrine is found only in the adrenal gland while octopamine is found in several organs including: heart, spleen, vas deferens, intestine, kidney, liver, lung and brain.
