Scotch Broom, Cytisus scoparius

Scotch Broom is planted by the roadside to prevent
erosion, but it regularly escapes to the neighboring
areas. When I was about 19, I heard that if you dry
the flowers and smoke them, they will get you high.
What I got was a sore throat, a headache, and a
hangover, but no real psychoactive effects.

As the years went by I researched it further. Merlin
smoked it in a legend, but he must have done
something to it. I finally found out about a curing
process. Put the freshly picked flowers directly into
a jar and seal it. Let it cure about two weeks. It
should turn brown and look like scat. If not, open the
jar for a minute and close it up again. It'll turn brown
in a moment. When it's ready it will smell putrid;
however, when you dry it, it will have a very
pleasant aromatic aroma. Don't dry it to a crisp;
leave it slightly moist. It will have the most amazing
flavor. I tried this curing process and smoked it. It
gave me a mild altered state with a minimum of a
headache. I then tried curing it for eight months. The
resultant product is a hallucinogen, although mild.

Even cured it is still harsh on your body. It will cause
nausea along the altered states. It can also cause a
loss of motor control in larger amounts, with no
major hangover if you are healthy. People with liver
problems should probably stay away from this herb,
and most other organic hallucinogens as well. Many
people are allergic to Broom, and should not smoke
it. It is not an everyday blend to replace Marijuana
smoking. The effect is nothing like Cannabis, and it
feels as if it will cause damage to your body with
long term use.

I sometimes teach this process in my
apprenticeship. It depends on the students'
attitudes. If they're looking for highs ... forget it. I
won't even mention it. If they really understand
about "power plants" then I will. Broom to me is a
very powerful spirit that enters your body when you
take it internally in the described fashion. When
harvesting it, one has to be careful to pay attention.
The plant forcibly stops some students from
harvesting it. It will actually warn them to stay away,
and then hurt them through rashes, hives,
headache, sneezes, and nausea. All from just a
harvest; it is a very powerful plant indeed.

I harvest Broom in the spring and cure it throughout
the year. In the fall it's dried and mixed with a
number of other plants harvested as the seasons
cycle. I blend it in small amounts with the other
herbs to make a special smoking mixture that is mild
and pleasant. One that gives a feeling of our
connection with the earth and the fine gifts we've
harvested, and the fine gifts we've given back to
nature. This is my smoking blend used for special
purposes in times of meditation and retreat.

I regularly make a blend like I this. I only gather a
small amount each year, enough for a few times of
smoking. I don't always add Broom. Broom will make
it so I don't feel like walking. I like to walk. In
contrast, to smoke Broom regularly just to get high is
to invite bodily damage. If you're looking for a daily
Marijuana replacement use Skullcap or Pedicularis.
They won't give you a hangover.