In recent years, interest in non-conventional drugs has increased. The so-called “herbal highs” are substances derived from natural plants with effects on the central nervous system (Halpern, 2004; Bilgrey, 2016; Zuba et al., 2011).
These drugs are called “legal highs”, underlining the fact that they have easy accessibility, low cost, and are not illegal (Aoun et al., 2014).
Lisergamide (Juszczak & Swiergiel, 2013), ergine or LSA is the basis natural drugs, which are contained in brown seeds of Rivea Corymbosa, of Ipomoea violacea also known as Morning Glory and of Argyreya Nervosa known as Hawaiian Baby Woodrose. These plants are members of Convulacee family and are infected by a kind of clavicipitaceus fungus that is responsible for the biosynthesis of alkaloids. The most important alkaloids are ergine and isoergine, which is ergine enatiomer. In these seeds, other bases especially chanoclavine, elymoclavina, and lysergol can also be found.
Studies on seeds of Morning Glory began in 1955 when a psychiatrist published notes on self-experimentation with Rivea seeds, showing that they provoked hallucinations. This announcement prompted chemists to analyse this plant, but until 1960 they failed to identify the active substance. At that time the chemist Hoffmann Albert (Hofmann, 1963), who discovered LSD, analysed the plant and found several alkaloids closely related to that powerful synthetic hallucinogen.
The discovery of ergot alkaloids in seeds of Rivea Corymbosa, Ipomoea violacea and Argyreia nervosa in the early 60s was rather unexpected and of particular interest from a phytochemical point of view, since the lysergic acid alkaloids, until then, were isolated only in the genus Claviceps fungus, Penicillium or Rhizopus (Steiner et al., 2006).
The ingestion of Ipomoea violacea seeds produces effects comparable to those produced by Argyreia nervosa seeds. These effects, although minor, are similar to those of LSD.
In general, seeds are ingested whole or broken and immersed in water. Data in literature suggest that in order to have the hallucinogenic effects, 10 seeds Argyreia nervosa (Al-Assmar, 1999), and from 150 to 200 seeds of Morning Glory are typically ingested (Schultes, 1960).
Ergine hallucinogenic activity (LSA) is carried out starting from the assumption of 2–5 mg (Schultes & Hofmann, 1980). LSA effects, lasting about 4–8 h, are associated with feelings of tranquility, dysphoria, psychedelic visual effects, color visions. In humans, the lethal dose is 14 mg / kg.
In addition to desired effects, LSA has several side effects (Juszczak & Swiergiel, 2013). In a recent review, different symptoms following the ingestion of these seeds were reported: the most troubling of them was suicidal ideation. In literature, anorexia, nausea, memory loss, dissociative reactions and schizophrenic relapse are the major psychotic adverse effects that may occur as a result of ingestion of the seeds. Furthermore, in the past fatal cases occurred after taking seeds containing LSA have been described (Gertsch & Wood, 2003; Cohen, 1964; Brady, 1968; Ingram, 1964; Flach, 1967; Whelan et al., 1968). The ingestion of seeds was frequently associated with taking drugs such as cannabis and hashish (Hofmann, 1963). Interactions due to ingestion of Argyreia nervosa, Ipomoea violacea or Rivea Corymbosa and other drugs are still unknown. However it has been shown that the metabolism of LSD analogous is inhibited by drugs used in HIV therapy. This suggests the possibility that patients, treated with antiretroviral drugs, taking LSD or Argyreia nervosa, Ipomoea violacea or Rivea Corymbosa, may manifest an increase in the toxicity induced by such hallucinogens (Klinke et al., 2010).
In our study we tried to analyse the presence of lysergic acid amide in seeds of Ipomoea violacea seized by Italian Police, in others purchased through the Internet, and in other varieties of Ipomoea sold for ornamental purposes, to assess whether the actual intake of ornamental seeds could contain hallucinogenic doses of LSA. In addition we also evaluated and described the most suitable methods for the extraction and the quantitative determination of LSA (Mussof & Daldrup, 1997).