View source for Lion's Ear/Lion's Tail

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<td valign="top" width="50%">This South African bush bears orange blossoms

and is purported to have hallucinogenic effects

(Schultes and Hofmann 1980, 367*). In Africa, it is

known by the names dacha, daggha, and wild

dagga, "wild hemp" (cf. Cannabis indica). The

Hottentots (Khoikhoi; Heusaquas) and Bushmen

smoke the buds and leaves as inebriants (Schleiffer

1979, 93 ff.*; Schuldes 1995, 48*). This bush may

be one of the inebriating plants subsumed under

the name kanna (cf. kanna, Mesembryanthemum

spp., Sceletium tortuosum). The resinous leaves

and the resin rubbed off or extracted from them

are smoked either alone or mixed with tobacco

(Nicotiana tabacum) (Grubber 1991, 44*). In

northern California, many people now smoke the

leaves and orange flowers. Chemical studies are

lacking (Ott 1993,411*). The rather bitter-tasting

smoke of flowers grown in California has a mild

psychoactive effect reminiscent of that of both

Cannabis and Datura. In eastern South Africa, the

closely related species Leonotis ovata is reportedly

used for the same purpose (Schleiffer 1979,93*).

Another closely related species, Leonotis

nepetaefolia (1.) R. Br., is used in Caribbean folk

medicine. The leaves and flowers of this species have yielded bound oils, bitter principles, diterpenes,

coumarins, and resins (Argueta V. et al.

1994, 229*; Puroshothaman et al. 1974a, 1974b;

Wong 1976, 136*). In Mexico, this plant is known

as flor de mundo, "world flower;' or mota. The

name mota is normally used to refer to marijuana

(cf. Cannabis indica); this may indicate that the

plant is used as a marijuana substitute. The extract

of this plant has antispasmodic effects and appears

to inhibit acetylcholine and histamine (Argueta V.

et al. 1994,229*).</td>
<td valign="top" width="53%"><strong>Literature</strong>

Puroshothaman, K. K., et al. 1974a. 4,6,7trimethoxy-

5-methylchromon-2-one, a new

coumarin from Leonotis nepetaefolia. Journal of

the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1 (1):

2594-95.

---. 1974b. Nepetaefolinol and two related

diterpenoids from Leonotis nepetaefolia. Journal

ofthe Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1 (1):

2661.</td>
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