Could you describe the nature of cilantro hallucinations? Visual? Closed eye or open eye? Auditory?
I've never heard of someone having this kind of reaction to cilantro and find it fascinating.
I've never heard of someone having this kind of reaction to cilantro and find it fascinating.
I have independent verification by friends who are scientists and medical doctors at one gathering who have conducted observations that my pupils dilate, my eyes become bloodshot and, in the words of one observer, "I become more whoo-whoo. Whooo! Whoooooooo!" whatever that means. As my normal demeanour flips between "I don't want to be around people, you're all so tiring, I just want to be quiet" and a hyperactive Robin Williams amped up on caffeine and sugar, I am guessing I become even more "Whoooo! Whooooooooooooo! Let's par-tehhh!" I am probably over-compensating for something. The video recordings are cringeworthy.
We've done independent blind tests of "is this psychosomatic" or do I truly have a reaction. Multiple blind tests of a single subject (me) by multiple qualified observers over the course of several days do indeed bear out that I have an unintended reaction to cilantro, the oils from cilantro and the active ingredients in cilantro. Direct contact of the cilantro on my skin makes my skin itch and become red and bumpy. When I imbibe even small amounts of cilantro, no more than you would get in a standard serving with a meal, to me, it feels like I am drunk and whoozy for about 20 or so minutes before the effects pass. Again, to reiterate, I suspect my extreme reaction to cilantro is genetic and gives me a sensitivity and reaction that most of the population doesn't have, much like some of the population also detects cilantro tasting of soap. Though I suspect these are very different genetic markers.
Could be interesting (if so inclined) to try chewing on sprig of Thuja cedar - it has very high thujone content, so could confirm that thujone is the active chemical causing this effect.
You didn't mention any hallucinatory symptoms. If you eat cilantro before laying down in a dark room and closing your eyes, do you get hypnogogic imagery (dreamlike visualizations experienced before falling asleep)? I think thujone can promote that for me a bit, but I'm not very thujone sensitive.
I hadn't thought about thujone sensitivity being so variable between people: certainly an interesting lens to view the historical popularity of absinthe.
Thanks for the thorough reply!