Buttercup

In ancient China, a species of the genus RanuncuIus

(perhaps Ranunculus acris 1. var. japonicum

Maxim.) was known by the names shui lang and

maoken. Unintentional consumption was said to

result in a kind of delirium (Li 1978, 24*). The

genus contains glycosides (protoanemonin)

(Frohne and Pfander 1983, 173*; Schultes and

Hofmann 1995, 54*). Whether there really is a

psychoactive species is questionable.