What is Wild Dagga??
Leonotis leonurus (spp.)— also known as wild dagga, lions ear or lions tail is a fascinating plant. We don’t come across it often in North America because it’s native to southern Africa where it is found more readily. Wild dagga is in the mint family (Lamiaceae) and this plant is unique with its orange tubular blossoms that grow in tiered whorls. I often find they remind me of blood as they slowly emerge into bloom, something I’ve personally never witnessed in another plant.
The use of the name “dagga” is sometimes used to refer to cannabis in South Africa, and is given to this plant as well due to its mild psychoactive effects that some describe as similar to a “mild” cannabis.
Interestingly enough wild dagga is illegal and classified as a schedule 1 drug in Latvia, and is also banned in Poland due to it’s psychoactive effects.
IS WILD DAGGA EDIBLE?
Yes! But it is nuanced. Wild dagga isn’t a plant I would recommend to most, and it isn’t meant to be consumed often.
This plant is often consumed as a tea, essence or smoked. The flowers are the plant part chosen most often for its desired effects.
Before consuming any plant its critical to know your source to ensure there has been no adulteration of the plant being ingested. The marketing and distribution of all herbal products, but especially ones with purported psychoactive or medicinal benefits warrant extra caution in an unregulated global market.
Traditionally different parts of the plant are consumed to treat various pathologies internally and externally, but there isn’t much information on this unless you’re working with a healer local to where the plant grows.
PHYTOCHEMISTRY
It’s commonly reported that the psychoactive effects of wild dagga are due to its constituent known as leonurine, but it is debated if this is true. Leonurine has been attributed to effects similar to the herb valerian and its affinity to the GABA(A) receptor.
The diterpenoid Leoleorin C. may be responsible for the plants psychoactive properties due to its binding affinity to the sigma-1 receptor. These receptors can be responsible for the action of some psychotropic drugs due to the involvement with various neurotransmitters.
Marrubiin, a diterpenoid lactone, is another notable constituent reported to be responsible for the plants reported analgesic, antioxidant and cardioprotective properties amongst many.
Overall, wild dagga is a fun plant to play with for occasional use. If you do source wild dagga, make sure it is from a reputable source to prevent the possibility of adulteration and cross- contamination!
A;, N. B. G. (2015, August 15). “Wild cannabis”: A review of the traditional use and phytochemistry of Leonotis Leonurus. Journal of ethnopharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26292023/
Hunter E;Stander M;Kossmann J;Chakraborty S;Prince S;Peters S;Loedolff B; (2020). Toward the identification of a phytocannabinoid-like compound in the flowers of a South African medicinal plant (Leonotis Leonurus). BMC research notes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33172494/
Par Krimināllikuma Spēkā stāšanās UN Piemērošanas Kārtību. LIKUMI.LV. (2002). https://likumi.lv/doc.php?mode=DOC&id=50539