Test Drive: Wild Dagga

Wild Dagga is a "marijuana substitute" of South African origin. Much like marijuana, humans have been using the plant in dozens of applications for several thousand years. (Apparently, Dagga is such a grave threat that even the Nambian government has created a cautionary webpage warning of the dangers.)

"Many traditional uses of wild dagga have been recorded. Wild dagga foliage is commonly made into a medicinal tea, which is favored for the hypnotic focus it gives. Wild dagga leaves or roots are widely used as a remedy for snakebite and also to relieve other bites and stings. Decoctions of dried wild dagga leaf or root have been applied externally to treat boils, eczema, skin diseases and itching, and muscular cramps. Wild dagga extracts are also used to relieve coughs, cold and influenza, as well as bronchitis, high blood pressure and headaches. Wild dagga leaf infusions have been used to treat asthma and viral hepatitis. Wild dagga tea is also used to treat headache, bronchitis, high blood pressure and the common cold. This species is also important in Chinese/Vietnamese medicine as an euphoric, purgative and vermifuge." --from wiki

For the record, I had no clue what "vermifuge" meant when I read that, either. Apparently it's the proper name for medicinal compounds that expel worms and parasites from your body -- and we can all agree, that's a good thing. However, most of Wild Dagga's medicinal properties are derived from extracts, or from the ingestion of the plant itself. For today's Test Drive, we're going to take a different approach: I'm gonna smoke this shit.

Effects

The immediately noticable effect is physical -- the face feels notably warmer and there is a certain (unpleasant) dryness around the eyes. Unlike many other "legal" compounds, I gotta say, I really enjoyed the psychoactive effects of Wild Dagga. It is a very subtle and distinct high, quite unlike anything I'd experienced before, so perhaps what I enjoy most about this plant is the novelty of the sensation. The "high" is smooth and calm, and it lasts for 2-3 hours, tapering off slowly and evenly. Although I haven't put it to any rigorous A/B testing, I feel as though Dagga is more dehydrating than marijuana, but that is my sole complaint.

Access

If you're interested in trying this perfectly legal plant out for yourself, we recommend ordering through the good people at Bouncing Bear Botanicals. I recommend them because they've proven themselves as trustworthy to me. I once lost $78 ordering a half-pound of Salvia from a company that disappeared the next week before, so don't assume I'm making a paid plug or part of an affiliate program. Good folks can be hard to find.