Okumelo

Okumelo is a plant with hallucinogenic properties that originates from the nation of Van'Gende. Consumption of this dark purple sea weed was first recorded as a cultural practice for some of the earliest Kuroko tribes. The common practice was to dry the leaves, grind them, and finally boil the sea weed to make syrup-like reduction. This practice usually took weeks, and was the overseen by someone trained to prepare okumelo. At any stage, the plant could easily break down if any step in the process was done incorrectly. The completed syrup was then consumed, usually with a small amount of hot water to help consumption. The resulting effects were intense, sensory hallucinations. This concentrated version of Okumelo is a practice that still persists to this day, but is quite less common.
In the present day okumelo is commonly consumed raw. Chewing on the plant is found to release some of the active compound, though far less concentrated than if processed properly. The taste is reported to be fairly mild, but is found to cause extreme dry mouth. The effects of consumption in this way are mildly visual and auditory hallucinations. It should be noted that Venkata that have consumed the plant in this way, do not experience the visual component of the hallucinogenic effect. It is believed that the strength of visual perception in Venkata negates any visual hallucinations from taking effect.
Okumelo can only be grown in warm environments, and is much less commonly found in the cold sea waters around Estrella. As the plant must be consumed shortly after harvesting, the most common places to find the plant are coastal settlements. While it has been recorded around Shenadese settlement, it is considered illegal. Most commonly the plant is found in the Gan'Vende, Krysaton, and some settlements in Bakiaph where it is either legal in the case of Gan'Vende and Krysaton, and decriminalized in Bakiaph.
The common consumption method, and resulting mild hallucinations, have not been noted for many short term side effects. Both the concentrated version, as well as the ingestion method have had noted long term effects of dissociative episodes. These episodes are far more common when consuming okumelo the original way, due to it's concentrated state.

Item type

Drug / Narcotic / Medicine

Subtype / Model

Drugs