Morning glory tea is a preparation made from the seeds of certain morning glory species, used to extract LSA (lysergic acid amide), a psychoactive compound chemically similar to LSD. The seeds are crushed and steeped in water, but the process carries significant health risks that anyone considering it should understand fully before proceeding.
Why Morning Glory Seeds Are Psychoactive
Not all morning glory seeds contain psychoactive compounds. The alkaloid LSA is found primarily in “Heavenly Blue” cultivars of Ipomoea tricolor and Ipomoea purpurea, as well as in Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds. LSA is an ergot alkaloid with a chemical structure very similar to LSD, producing hallucinogenic effects that are generally described as milder and more sedating, but with more pronounced physical side effects.
LSA concentration varies dramatically from seed to seed. Analytical testing of Heavenly Blue morning glory seeds found ergine (LSA) concentrations averaging around 260 to 300 micrograms per gram in bulk samples. But individual seeds ranged from undetectable levels all the way up to 537 micrograms per gram. This extreme variability means two batches of the same number of seeds can produce wildly different experiences, making consistent dosing essentially impossible.
The Basic Preparation Method
The standard approach involves grinding seeds into a fine powder, then soaking that powder in cool or room-temperature water for several hours. Most people who prepare morning glory tea follow some variation of these steps:
- Grinding: Seeds are crushed or ground as finely as possible using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Finer particles allow more LSA to dissolve into the water.
- Soaking: The ground seed material is added to distilled or filtered water. Cold water is preferred because LSA degrades with heat. Soaking times typically range from two to four hours, with occasional stirring.
- Straining: The liquid is filtered through cheesecloth, a coffee filter, or fine mesh to remove the solid plant material. Removing the solids is important because much of the nausea associated with morning glory consumption comes from the seed matter itself, not just the alkaloids.
Some preparations use an acidic liquid like lemon juice mixed with water, based on the idea that a slightly acidic environment helps extract LSA more efficiently. Others wrap ground seeds in a damp cloth and squeeze out the liquid rather than doing a full soak.
The Serious Problem With Commercial Seeds
This is where preparation becomes genuinely dangerous. Morning glory seeds sold at garden centers and hardware stores are almost always treated with chemical coatings designed to protect them during planting. These coatings commonly include systemic pesticides like neonicotinoid insecticides and fungicides such as metalaxyl and difenoconazole. The coatings are not meant to be ingested.
Consuming treated seeds, whether whole or in tea form, introduces these chemicals directly into your body. Washing or rinsing seeds does not reliably remove systemic treatments, which are designed to be absorbed into the seed itself. Even seeds that appear uncoated may have been treated. Some older seed treatments historically included organomercury compounds, which are extremely toxic. The only seeds that could reasonably be considered free of these treatments are those specifically sold as untreated or organic, and even then verification is difficult.
Physical Side Effects
Even with untreated seeds and a well-strained tea, the physical side effects of LSA are substantial and almost universal. Clinical reports describe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea as the most common reactions, often severe enough to dominate the first hour or more of the experience. Beyond gastrointestinal distress, users commonly experience dilated pupils, increased heart rate, numbness in the limbs, and muscle spasms.
These side effects are not occasional or dose-dependent in the way some drug effects are. They are a core part of how LSA interacts with the body. The nausea in particular is so consistent that many people who try morning glory tea describe the experience as primarily unpleasant, with any psychoactive effects overshadowed by hours of physical discomfort. Straining out the seed material reduces but does not eliminate these effects, because the alkaloids themselves contribute to the gastrointestinal response.
Legal Considerations
Morning glory seeds themselves are legal to buy and possess in the United States. They are sold openly as garden supplies. LSA, however, occupies a gray area. While it is not explicitly listed as a Schedule I controlled substance, LSD is. The Federal Analogue Act treats any substance “substantially similar” to a Schedule I or II drug as equivalent to that scheduled substance if it is intended for human consumption. Since LSA is chemically similar to LSD and produces similar effects, possessing or consuming morning glory seeds specifically for their psychoactive properties could potentially be prosecuted under this provision.
In practice, enforcement targeting morning glory seed consumption is rare. But the legal framework exists, and the distinction between “bought seeds to plant flowers” and “bought seeds to make psychoactive tea” is exactly the kind of intent-based distinction the Analogue Act was designed to address.
Why Dosing Is Unreliable
The seed-to-seed variation in LSA content makes this one of the least predictable psychoactive preparations available. Laboratory analysis of Heavenly Blue seeds from the same batch found individual seeds containing anywhere from zero detectable LSA to over 500 micrograms per gram. A tea made from 200 seeds could contain a threshold dose or a very strong one, with no way to tell beforehand.
This unpredictability is compounded by the fact that LSA degrades when exposed to light, heat, and air. Seeds that have been stored in a hot warehouse or clear packaging for months may have significantly reduced potency compared to freshly harvested seeds. There is no practical way for a home user to test alkaloid content, so every preparation is essentially a guess.