The harmala alkaloids are found in a variety of plants, the most notorious of which is a vine native to the Amazon region that is used as an ingredient of a visionary brew. The most concentrated source of Harmala alkaloids is the seed of Peganum Harmala, commonly known as Syrian Rue. These seeds contain about 2% of mixed Harmala alkaloids.

WARNING: MAOI's interfere with the action of the MAO enzymes and stops the breakdown of toxic substances. This can make certain foods and medicines to become toxic. It can cause nasty or even life-threatening side-effects. Not for human consumption!

It was the powerful effects of its bitter seeds that gained it esteem from Asia Minor, across to India and Northeast Tibet, as a medication and a love potion. According to one theory, Harmala was the base for the ''Drink of the Immortals'' in ancient times. Before Islam, the Harmala plant was worshipped by communities that lived along the caravan routes who associated it with the moon deity Asfand.

Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo both claimed that, owing to rue's metaphysical powers, their eyesight and creative inner vision had been improved. Branches of rue were used to sprinkle holy water before High Mass, and it was an important strewing herb and anti-plague plant. Today, it is used as a beautiful dye.

 

In "The God who Comes: Dionysian Mysteries Revisited", there is an entire section devoted to "Peganum Harmala: Seeds of the Soul", and they write this about this curious entheogen:

 

“P. Harmala, a.k.a. Syrian Rue grows throughout the Mediterranean, the Near East, and the Himalayas.  In addition to being used to make a dye known as Turkish Red, it has a long history of being used as a medicinal and magical plant.  A Greek herbalist suggested that “moly” – the famed yet unidentified magical plant that Hermes gave Odysseus to defend himself against the magic of Circe – may have been Syrian Rue, although scholarly and experiential research indicate that Syrian Rue by itself, is a mild psychoactive, which produces a sense of relaxation and time-expansion.

 

However, there have been reports of other entheogen explorers using P. harmala as a substitute for the harmaline-containing vine Banisteriopsis caapi, they key potentiating agent of South American Ayahuasca brews.  Although not very psychoactive itself, the harmaline found in B. capii performs a vital function in the Ayahuasca potion, making it possible for the intestines to absorb other psychoactive alkaloids that would otherwise be neutralized by monoamine oxidase enzymes.

 

One of the most intriguing aspects of P. harmala used as a potentiating agent is that it seems to generate a sense of communicating with spirits. As an anonymous individual quoted by D.M. Turner verifies: ‘I began to feel as though my room was filled with spirits of musicians, artists, and visionaries who genius had most strongly affected my life.  And I felt as though I was amongst friends.’  This is one of many accounts of such sensations.”