From Sceletium to Aptenia, one promising class of antidepressants is the mesembrine-type alkaloids. Mesembrine and Mesembrenone are thought to be the major alkaloids, as the former is confirmed to be a potent serotonin reuptake inhibitor (other sources say releaser) in vitro whereas the latter is a dual serotonin reuptake inhibitor and PDE4 inhibitor. The crude Sceletium plant is said to have a variable range of 0.05-2.3% alkaloids by weight The traditional preparation is fermentation. I'd like to share a bit on Aptenia. This is for research purposes only. Beware of risk of oxalates. While I grow Sceletium and had lots of different experiences with that, this is one that still speaks to me - the abundant, fast growing Aptenia cordifolia, used by Zulu healers. I did some work with it in very low moods at high doses and developed some respect for it's potential. It's one to revisit at some stage. Unfortunately larger scale fermentations (w. roots) were prone to contamination and foul products. I've found you seemingly want to maintain anaerobic conditions, keep it well sealed and use fresh clean material. I've also experimented with ethanol resin extracts. It also contains compounds with non-alkaloid anti-inflammatory activity. "Aptenia cordifolia may contain significant levels of mesembrine-type alkaloids, as compared to other Aizoaceae, though still only 13.6% of the levels found in Sceletium tortuosum. Mesembrine [c. 9.7% of the extract], 4'-O-demethylmesembranol [c. 14.4% of extract] and three unidentified indole compounds were observed." - The Garden of Eden, 2009
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