Deliriants: The Unpopular Hallucinogens

Of the three main categories of hallucinogens, deliriants are the least-known and least-commonly used. Compared to dissociatives and psychedelics, most deliriants are legal to possess and use, and many are naturally occurring. If deliriants are easy and legal to procure and have the potential for hallucinogenic effects, then why don't more people commonly use them?

There are a number of reasons for this, but probably the strongest reason why most people don't use deliriants are the side-effects associated with use. The reason deliriants were given that name is because many of their effects on the central nervous system manifest themselves in symptoms of delirium. These include levels of confusion, agitation, and uncoordination that are much higher than those associated with psychedelics, though similar to those produced by dissociatives. Also, deliriants are different from psychedelics in that they are toxic in high enough doses and can produce life-threatening physical reactions. Although seizures and coma are possible, very high doses must be ingested in order for the danger of these events to become a reality.

Other, less-severe side-effects include extreme xerostomia (dry mouth). Dry mouth due to deliriant use has been cited in numerous trip reports and most users have stated that the xerostomia was much worse than that produced by marijuana. Going hand-in-hand with xerostomia is a drying of the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract, mouth, and nose, which can cause irritation, coughing, and sneezing. As with many psychoactive drugs, tachycardia (increased heart rate) is also prevalent with deliriant use, as is photosensitivity due to enlarged pupils.

Most deliriants are also known as anticholinergics; substances that block acetylcholine receptor sites in the brain. Deliriants are actually considered a sub-category of dissociatives due to their effects on the brain. In high enough doses, deliriants can divide perceptions of sensation from conscious thought much like dissociatives. This can create the potential for out-of-body experiences, astral projection, or numbing of sensation. Furthermore, deliriants are more apt to produce true hallucinations, ones that are not merely a molding of existing elements but creation of visuals and sounds that do not exist or have any basis in reality. A user taking high doses of a deliriant might begin to have conversations with a non-existent entity or start to hear sounds that do not exist as mere distortions of occurring sounds in the environment.

Deliriants are found in many places in nature, primarily in botany. The most common deliriants include deadly nightshade, mandrake, herbane, and datura. Nutmeg is also a common deliriant and is one of the most-frequently used due to its ubiquitous appearance in kitchens around the world. In general, deliriants (especially nutmeg) are used in the United States when a person is not inclined to pay for, or endure the risk of purchasing psychedelics. However, the uncomfortable side-effects of most deliriants make it unlikely that the drugs will reach a scheduled status any time soon in the United States. For most, deliriants create an experience that they are not enthusiastic to repeat.