Mimosa Hostilis: Benefits, Side-effects, Dosage & Legality

Mimosa hostilis is one of the 400 species of genus Mimosa. It is also called Mimosa tenuiflora and Jurema Preta. The natural areas of its growth are Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela.

By appearance, Mimosa hostilis seems similar to a tree or a shrub. The average height is up to 8 meters, and it has bright green compound leaves. White flowers of Mimosa hostilis are fragrant and appear like a fern. However, the primary reason behind Mimosa hostilis’s popularity is its root bark.

This root bark of this tree has high amounts of tryptamines (DMT and various phytoindoles), tannins and micronutrients. Mimosa holds numerous medicinal and health benefits.

The leaves, stem, and bark of this tree especially used to treat bronchitis and speed up wound healing. The root bark contains DMT, which forms nearly 1% of the dry weight and is a famous natural hallucinogen.

Working of Mimosa Hostilis

The effects of Mimosa hostilis are mainly due to the presence of DMT (N, N-Dimethyltryptamine), a natural psychedelic compound.

However, it is not active when taken orally. It is advised to take DMT along with any monoamine oxidase inhibitor (also called MAOI), for example, Peganumharmala(commonly called Syrian rue), to bypass this effect.

DMT is a serotonergic psychedelic by action. This means that it activates itself by acting as strong partial agonists at the 5-HT2A receptors. This process elevates the natural serotonin levels of the body.

It may be hard to believe, but the effects of Mimosa hostilis are comparable to those of LSD and psilocybin mushrooms. But the effect of Mimosa hostilis is much lower in terms of potency.

At high doses, however, all three substances mentioned above bring out very similar results. However, it is not recommended to consume high doses because of the likelihood of side effects like nausea and diarrhea.

Legal Status of Mimosa Hostilis

Due to its robust nature, Mimosa hostilis is much likely to be misused. However, it is not a controlled plant in many major countries. This shows that it has no legal constraints and buying, selling, and using Mimosa hostilis is legal.

However, DMT, a derivative of this plant, is in the controlled substances list. For this reason, it makes the legal status of Mimosa hostilis somehow ambiguous.

The legal status of Mimosa hostilis in some major countries of the world is as follows.

• United States; Here, Mimosa hostilis is not a controlled plant but DMT is under schedule I substance and hence, illegal. Though there is no news of an arrest for dealing in Mimosa hostilis, it is not commonly available here.
• United Kingdom; The plant is not illegal, but DMT and powdered bark are banned. However, shredded products are available.
• Australia; All plants including Mimosa hostilis that contain DMT are illegal. Even the Mimosa extraction and powdered bark are in the banned list. However, the seeds of Mimosa hostilis and the plant itself are freely available everywhere.
• France; Mimosa hostilis and all plants containing DMT are illegal.
• Germany; The plant Mimosa hostilis is not illegal and is available everywhere. Extracting DMT from Mimosa hostilis is, however, illegal.
• Netherlands; The plant is freely available, but the extraction of DMT is banned.
• Canada; Only the extraction of Mimosa hostilis is illegal. The plant itself is available for sale and purchase.

What is DMT?

The main compound in Mimosa hostilis is called as DMT. If anyone eats it directly, DMT will not produce any effect. This is because an enzyme, known as monoamine oxidase (MAO) found in the gut works on it and deactivates it.

This metabolism of DMT in user’s gut ensures its unavailability to enter to bloodstream or brain. So the visionary effects fail to manifest. Due to this reason, all DMT-containing plants must be co-administered with MAO inhibitors (MAOIs) to bypass this effect.

Beneficial Effects of Mimosa Hostilis

Several parts of Mimosa hostilis are used in medicines. For example, the tea made from its leaves is helpful for pains and quitting smoke. An infusion of Mimosa hostilis in water makes a natural cough syrup against a chronic cough. It is even beneficial in bronchitis.

The root bark extract of Mimosa hostilis makes a brew that has various health benefits. That’s why this brew is a part of several spiritual activities as it opens the visions of a mystical or religious world.

About the DMT extracted from the plant; many people consume DMT without any MAOIs. But the psychedelic effects of DMT when used without MAOIs are very mild and short spanned. Some significant effects of Mimosa hostilis are as follows.

1) Physical Effects

Two important physical effects of the plant are stimulation and sedation. It depends on setting and how much dosage someone is taking. In an ideal environment, the effects relax the body and other times it stimulates any physical activity.

Some people may find Mimosa hostilis a little purging. It may cause vomiting and diarrhea, especially to new users. Even this effect is beneficial for the health as it purges both body and mind.

Visual effects may enhance such as color clearness, pattern recognition, and others. But in extreme high dosage, it may make objects distorted, melting, dragging or changing. It leads to a full hallucinating state.

2) Cognitive Effects

The cognitive benefits by Mimosa hostilis are highly desirable. They make their user very clear-headed, active and energetic. This effect is much higher than controversial substances such as at least LSD. The effects of Mimosa hostilis induce a sense of mindfulness and interconnectedness.

The effects of Mimosa hostilis are selective as per user. For many people, some users may feel a spiritual rejuvenation as well as a stronger personal belief in spirituality. This effect is highly positive mainly covered by a strong sense of peacefulness and love.

On the other side, using Mimosa hostilis will make them forget their egos and a partial loss of the surrounding world from an impersonal point of view. For others, it may cause unusual effects like Déja Vu and short-term memory loss. People also report negative experiences, i.e., fearfulness, stress, anxiety or insomnia but none of them is lethal.

After Effects of Taking Mimosa Hostilis

Mimosa hostilis is highly dose-specific. The effects depend on how much does a person is taking. Ideally, these effects relax the body or relax the body physically.

A few users may find Mimosa hostilis a little purging causing undesirable vomiting and diarrhea. On high doses, it may cause extreme stimulation and hallucinations.

The duration of these effects is between 4 to 8 hours. After the effects of using it cause a powerful sense of mindfulness. Some users may experience vivid and lucid dreams.

Side Effects of Mimosa Hostilis

Mimosa hostilis may have some unwanted effects some of which show up initially and vanish. While for others it may last for a longer time. Major side effects of using Mimosa hostilis are vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Some users may also feel stress and anxiety at extreme doses.

Interactions of Mimosa Hostilis

The only possible interaction of Mimosa hostilis with other substances is when someone takes the DMT extract along with MAOIs. Some of the plants used for this reason are Banisteriopsis caapi and Syrian rue.

Best ways to use Mimosa hostilis

The most common way to use Mimosa hostilis is by smoking or using the brew to form an anahuasca. However, both these methods produce mild effects as compared to when a user takes it with an MAO inhibitor.

The anahuasca brew requires two ingredients; One is DMT source (Mimosa hostilis) and an MAO, i.e., Syrian rue. Shred and pulverize the Mimosa hostilis root and brew it in vinegar without boiling.

Once infusion this completes, take out the root and add more water. Wait for the water to evaporate, leaving behind liquid fits in a small glass. To reduce nausea, people like to add egg whites to this mixture. But remove them before drinking it.

To consume it; Take the Syrian rue first. The suggested way is to crush the seeds and fill in a gelatin capsule or mix it in water and drink. Take the root bark brew 15-20 minutes after Syrian rue. The effects will show up in 30-60 minutes.

The Standard Dosage for Mimosa Hostilis

Many users share their recipes where the perfect dosage for Mimosa hostilis was between 5 to 10 grams as well as 2g of Syrian rue. If the user is taking Syrian rue method, even one gram may be sufficient. If no effects show up, increase the amount of MAOIs. Retaking the whole dose is not recommended.

The effects of Mimosa hostilis are variable among users. The first time the user will feel more mindful and cautious effects. The regular users of herbal derivatives may not feel it the same way.

The experienced users need more dosage to enjoy the benefits of Mimosa hostilis. However, a dose over 20 grams is considered very strong, and no one should consume it.

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