Spud media

by Shaman Chad

Take notes, your friendly neighborhood shaman bro is here to help you get the most out of your Roll. I’m taking a break from psychedelic philosophy to share some practical advice.

MDMA – there are a lot of unconfirmed rumors floating around about ‘losing the magic.’ Which is to say, frying your serotonin receptors so that MDMA doesn’t work anymore. Yikes, what an awful thought. Unlike psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA puts off a lot of free radicals that are neuro-toxic. This is why alcohol (which is also neuro-toxic) is discouraged whilst rolling. You can’t just take it willy-nilly over the course of a whole music festival without a major hangover.

The general rule of thumb put forward by Alexander and Ann Shulgin (the creators of MDMA), is to wait a minimum of three months between rolls. This was never rigorously tested however. My experience, and that of many ravers, suggests that you can get by a little more frequently (1-1.5 months). Here’s my completely anecdotal prescription.

• Don’t take more than 2 points (.2 mg) in one night. More than that is just diminishing returns. I usually start with 1 point and then another about an hour and a half later. Don’t mix with alcohol.
• The day you plan to roll, take some vitamin C and Alpha-Lipoic-Acid (ALA). These are powerful antioxidants that will buffer the free radicals put off by MDMA. ALA is the stuff in asparagus that makes your pee smell funny.
• When you dose MDMA, take a 500mg tablet of Vit C, a 600 mg capsule of ALA, 2 grams of Ginger, 400 mg of Magnesium, and optionally, 200 mg of Grape Seed extract. Also, I recommend taking a cannabis edible; just whatever is your average dose or less.

The Ginger is to curb the oft-reported nausea that MDMA may cause. The Magnesium will help with muscle cramping and what is commonly referred to as ‘gurning.’ The Grape Seed extract helps ensure that your MDMA dose digests properly without losing any of its potency. Cannabis is a neuro-protectant! This means the edible will also help protect your neurons from oxidative stress.

• Every hour you’re rolling, take another Vitamin C and ALA. Drink lots of water and get some electrolytes through salt or Gatorade.
• The next morning, take another Vitamin C and ALA. Although the effects of your roll are done, it’s still in your system for a couple days.
• Post roll recovery: The night after your roll, start taking N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) and 5-HTP, as directed on the bottles.

5-HTP is pretty well-known amongst ravers and ecstatics for rebuilding the serotonin stores you just busted in one huge load. NAC on the other hand, is another over-the-counter supplement for detoxing. NAC especially helps re-sensitize your receptors to MDMA. This stuff is a godsend, and I’m actually wondering if it may also be lowering my cannabis tolerance too (report your own findings to SPUD).

All of these supplements are over-the-counter. This supplement stack will be more expensive than the MDMA dose itself, but try it. I promise you’ll notice a huge difference.