Mirabilis Multiflora

Synonyms Quamoclidion multiflorum Torr.; cf. Schultes and Farnsworth 1982, 189*] The so-called Hopi hallucinogen belongs to the four-o' clocks, those amazing flowers whose blossoms always close at the same time each late afternoon. Known as so:'ksi or so'kya, the plant produces red flowers and a long, deeply penetrating root. Hopi medicine men chewed the root or drank the juice pressed from it in order to obtain diagnostic visions (Whiting 1939, 75). Twenty-eight to 57 g of the root is said to result in a "half-hour of gaiety:' The Zuni Indians bake a bread using flour made from the root and, interestingly, use the bread as an appetite suppressant (Moerman 1986, 293*). The active principles are unknown (Ott 1993, 413*). The botanical name Mirabilis nyctaginea is also sometimes applied to this questionable hallucinogen (Moerman 1982,81 f.*). On the basis of this information from the older ethnographic literature and the superficial similarities between this genus and the nightshades, many closet shamans believe that another four-o'clock, Mirabilis jalapa 1., is also psychoactive. The seeds of this plant, which is now cultivated throughout the world as an ornamental, are used ethnomedicinally as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent (Kusamba et al. 1991). It is unknown whether the tuberous root has psychoactive effects. The Pima Indians of northern Mexico use the leaves to brew a tonic for the elderly (Pennington 1973,221*).

Literature Kusamba, Chifundera, Kizungu Byamana, and Wa Mpoyi Mbuyi. 1991. Antibacterial activity of Mirabilis jalapa seed powder. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 35:197-99. Whiting, Alfred F. 1939. Ethnobotany ofthe Hopi. Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin no. 15. Flagstaff.: Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art.