Smith M T, Crouch N R, Gericke N, Hirst M
Botany Department, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
J Ethnopharmacol. 1996 Mar;50(3):119-30. doi: 10.1016/0378-8741(95)01342-3.
The use by the Khoisan of South Africa of Sceletium plants in psychoactive preparations has often been alluded to in the literature. However, much of it is fragmentary and contradictory. The current review reassembles the historical data recorded over a 300-year period, describes techniques for the preparation and use of "kougoed' from plants of Sceletium and documents the subjective experiences of a number of contemporary users. Apart from chewing the dried product, after "fermentation', there are reports of uses as tinctures for sedation and analgesia, chewing the material directly and smoking the residue after chewing. The symbolic connections of Sceletium with eland antelopes, the "trance animals' par excellence of the San hunter-gatherers is noted. Observations by Paterson (1789) and reports of contemporary users indicate a synergism and potentiation with smoked Cannabis. There is no evidence to support the view that "kougoed' or Sceletium alkaloids are hallucinogenic. The alkaloid distribution in Sceletium and other members of the family Mesembryanthemaceae are considered. Chemical studies have indicated as many as nine alkaloids in Sceletium which fall into three distinct structural categories. Mesembrine, the alkaloid first isolated and named is not the dominant constituent of plants and is weakly narcotic. Evidence is assembled to suggest that traditional and contemporary methods of preparation serve to reduce levels of potentially harmful oxalates, which are found in Sceletium and other Mesembryanthemaceae. It is concluded that there is a need for further pharmacological studies on these alkaloids, based on their narcotic-anxiolytic properties, strong synergism with other psychomimetics, moderate toxicity and anti-cancer activity.
南非科伊桑人在精神活性制剂中使用斯凯利蒂姆属植物的情况在文献中经常被提及。然而，其中大部分内容支离破碎且相互矛盾。本综述重新整理了300年间记录的历史数据，描述了用斯凯利蒂姆属植物制备和使用“kougoed”的技术，并记录了一些当代使用者的主观体验。除了咀嚼干燥后的产品，“发酵”后，还有用作镇静和镇痛酊剂、直接咀嚼材料以及咀嚼后吸食残渣的报道。文中提到了斯凯利蒂姆与大羚羊的象征联系，大羚羊是桑族狩猎采集者中典型的“迷幻动物”。帕特森（1789年）的观察以及当代使用者的报告表明，它与吸食大麻有协同增效作用。没有证据支持“kougoed”或斯凯利蒂姆生物碱具有致幻作用的观点。文中考虑了斯凯利蒂姆属植物和番杏科其他成员中的生物碱分布情况。化学研究表明，斯凯利蒂姆属植物中多达九种生物碱可分为三个不同的结构类别。首次分离并命名的生物碱美登木碱并非植物的主要成分，且具有微弱的麻醉作用。有证据表明，传统和现代的制备方法有助于降低斯凯利蒂姆属植物和其他番杏科植物中潜在有害的草酸盐含量。得出的结论是，基于这些生物碱的麻醉抗焦虑特性、与其他拟精神药物的强协同作用、中等毒性和抗癌活性，有必要对其进行进一步的药理学研究。
