I found this sentence entertaining:<p>> Hallucinogenic fish can be contrasted with psychedelic fish. Psychedelic fish do not produce hallucinations if eaten, but look as if they were the product of a psychedelic hallucination.
This fish is quite common on the markets in Tunisia. We actually avoid it in the hallucination season because it mostly causes bad trips. It tastes good.
> The active agent(s) that cause hallucinations in humans, and the origin of these agents, are not clear. Some authors think they could come from toxins associated with macroalgae that accumulate in the flesh of the fish.<p>does anyone know why we can't tell what substances cause the hallucinogenic effects? to a complete layman (i.e. me) this seems like the kind of thing modern science should be able to determine
There was an episode of Hamilton's Pharmaopoeia about hallucinogenic fish that was quite interesting. I can't find the whole episode on YouTube, but here is a clip from it:<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N3j5g066CU" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N3j5g066CU</a>
It's really surprising to me that psychoactive chemicals are so common in the natural world. Why do so many chemicals designed for pretty unrelated roles have effects on human brains? I would naively expect that to happen approximately never.
> Ingesting the dreamfish Sarpa salpa can result in hallucinations that last for several days.<p>I wonder why this fish hasn't been 'mined' for its hallucinogenic properties yet. Surely some of the more adventurous drug users would jump at a chance to try something this powerful? The article on the fish itself seems to state that it was available in restaurants, so it's not exactly a rare find, I assume.
Even dolphins like to trip: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msx3BAhIeQg" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msx3BAhIeQg</a>
Toad licking is also a thing<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_River_toad#Entheogenic_uses" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_River_toad#Entheogeni...</a>
>Ingesting the dreamfish Sarpa salpa can result in hallucinations that last for several days.<p>As someone that did a lot of stuff in their youth [1], I strongly say <i>no thank you</i>.<p>[1] I mentioned some of the good and bad experiences recently in this comment <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22225541" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22225541</a>
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Blue trout eating Algae off the floor of the Ocean.
I watched Seabass glitter in the moonlight near the Tannhäuser Gate.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to fly.
It's not especially relevant to this link, but I think this conversation needs a voice in favor of these "hallucinogenic" fish. All fish are living beings who should not be subject to exploitation for your personal benefit.