LSA Seeds vs. LSD Tabs Trip Report

For illegal LSD tabs you have to look for a reliable dealer, while you can just order LSA seeds in our smartshop. Yet the banned stuff is more popular than the safe, legal alternative. Is that right? Is it a worthy alternative? So what is the difference between these psychedelics? We put it to the test. Using two trip reports, we're going to explain to you what to expect from both.

Before we take you on both trips, we want to briefly explain what exactly LSA and LSD are. We will also name the main differences between the two substances.

What is LSA?

LSA stands for Lysergic Acid Amide, or lysergic acid amide. This is an alkaloid with a psychedelic effect found in plants, seeds and some fungi such as the claviceps (ergot). For this reason, the substance is also called ergin. The best known LSA seeds are Morning Glory, Ololiuqui and Hawaiian Baby Woodrose. Morning Glory and Ololiuqui have been used for centuries, while Hawaiian Baby Woodrose - which is many times stronger - only became known much later among LSA enthusiasts. You can experience a trip by eating the seeds or making an extract from them. A trip can last up to 8 hours.

What is LSD?

LSD stands for lysergic acid di-ethylamide and is also known as LSD-25. Among users, the drug is known as acid. It was discovered in 1943 by Albert Hofmann, who was experimenting with a synthetic form of ergot alkaloids. LSD is one of the strongest psychedelic drugs on earth. Just 25 micrograms is enough to trip for up to 12 hours. The psychedelic is usually used by placing LSD tabs (blotters) on the tongue. It also occurs in liquid form.

LSA and LSD both have entheogenic properties. That means they have psychoactive effects that can trigger spiritual experiences. Besides being used to have a nice recreational trip, the drugs can also be used for self-development.

The chemical formulas of LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) and LSA (Lysergic Acid Amide).

LSA vs. LSD: The Main Differences

As you can see from the picture above, the chemical formulas of LSA and LSD are incredibly similar. The main component from LSD is also found in LSA. So are the effects the same and what about the side effects? Here are the main differences.

• LSD is a semi-synthetic drug, meaning it is artificially made from natural raw materials. LSA originates unprocessed from nature.
• When you take an LSD tab, your body only has to break down the LSD (and the paper, of course). There are many other substances in LSA that have an effect on your body. There are all kinds of other alkaloids in LSA seeds that can have side effects. For example, a morning glory trip has been known to cause headaches and nausea. If you want to ingest only psychedelic substances, go for an LSD tab.
• LSD can be contaminated. In that case, you may also suffer from (sometimes dangerous) side effects. So you have to trust that your dealer is selling real and pure LSD. LSA seeds are much more reliable in this regard because they are natural products that you can legally buy at a smartshop. But be sure to buy them at the smartshop and not at a garden center. There are stories going around that they deliberately endow these seeds with a substance that makes you nauseous when you take them to discourage drug use. Want to make sure there's only LSD on your seal and no nasty substitutes such as 25x-NBOMe, DOI and DOB? Use this handy LSD drugstest.
• LSA is legal in most countries and LSD is not. So you can get in trouble if you buy, carry or use LSD. Ergine, as a lysergic acid amide, is also listed as a banned substance in some countries. This often does not apply to the seeds, but only if you process them into an extract.

Morning Glory, Ololiuqui or Hawaiian Baby Woodrose?

So there are many plants and seeds that contain LSA, but which one should you choose? Morning Glory, Ololiuqui and Hawaiian Baby Woodrose are the most popular and can be found in most smartshops. The difference is in the amount of LSA in the seeds. Hawaiian Baby Woodrose contains relatively much more LSA than Morning Glory. That means you need to take more Morning Glory seeds for a similar effect. Not only do you then have to chew more, but you also ingest more alkaloids, making you more likely to experience side effects. For proper use, we refer to the seeds' product pages..

To paint a picture, we provide the dosages for a trip of medium strength. Fewer seeds provide a milder effect and more seeds provide a more powerful effect.

• Hawaiian Baby Woodrose: 4 seeds.
• Ololiuqui: 40 seeds.
• Morning Glory: 175 seeds.

What else differentiates them from each other? The Morning Glory, Ololiuqui and Hawaiian Baby Woodrose produce beautiful, colored flowers. You can also just put the ivy plants in the garden. We´re not kidding!

From left to right: Ololiuqui, Morning Glory and Hawaiian Baby Woodrose.

Enough of the theory. Now it's time for practice! At Dutch-Headshop, we have experience with psychedelics. We asked two good friends to put their experiences on paper. Based on two tripreports we will try to clarify the differences in practice. This will help you make a better choice: "Do I go for the legal LSA seeds or look for a reliable LSD tab?”

LSD Tabs Trip Report

Prior to the LSD Trip

“This will be the second time using LSD for me. The first time I didn't really know what to expect and that probably affected my trip. Now I am prepared for what is to come. I got an LSD tab from a trusted dealer. I have known him for years and trust him, also because I know several people use his stuff. My friend and I will both take 1 LSD tab. My sister is tripsitter. We will be tripping at her house.”

During the LSD Trip

“With LSD, the feeling comes before the visuals. This is again the case now. After about 45 minutes we go to walk my sister's dog in the park close to home. I don't see anything yet, but I have a strange feeling I my stomach. Some conversations pass me by because my mind is wandering. Something about the universe and worms in the ground. Once we get to the apartment complex, the feeling gets stronger and I felt like there was some kind of aura around me. My experienced friend totally understands what I mean. I don't see any distortions or bright colors yet, until I go to the bathroom. My hands begin to look alive and tiles seem to move gently. It is now 75 minutes after taking the LSD tab and I am really starting to trip.

That aura lingers for a long time and my thoughts only get wilder. Conversations with my friend are all over the place. Sometimes they are very serious and half an hour later we are laughing our butts off, only to return to serious mode. The intensity of the trip remains fairly stable, only our moods are constantly different. It was influenced by the music, the nature of the conversation and my sister's dog. It seemed like mood swings.

After about four hours, I feel like I'm at my peak. The little dog looks like a toy dog at times and I feel like I'm in Toy Story. My friend finds the intensity of the trip pretty much the same the whole time. At my request, we all decide to be quiet for half an hour. We put on softly trippy lounge music and my friend and I both stretch out on the couch. What I am experiencing now is bizarre. I felt much more at ease than the first time LSD tabs and it was evident in the experience. I had some kind of visions with friends and acquaintances I hadn't seen in years, like in dreams. At one point it seemed like the world was going to end tomorrow and I had to pass on my legacy to my sister. I know it's not, but start talking about it anyway. My sister nods and pretends to understand me. It seems to me like I finally know how the world works.

After the couch session, my friend insists on going outside. He is incredibly hyper and present. After the half hour of silence, he is constantly talking and wants to do all kinds of things. So we go out to walk the dog again. The moment we walk outside the feeling of understanding the world gets a bird's eye view. Difficult things in my life are a piece of cake and tomorrow I am going to do it all differently. Until we see two people arguing across the water. My feelings completely turn again and my thoughts quickly become more negative. We just decide to go home and once back in the comfort zone we are chilling again.

After 7.5 hours, I notice that my head is getting a little more quiet. It is again possible to play games and not change my mind every 5 minutes. Visuals, instead of being "fluid" and "playful," are now a bit tighter and less strange. By the way, the world is still as beautiful as it was during the peak. It just looks a little more like real life. Finally, after about 9 hours, I can say the trip is over.”

LSD Tabs Aftermath

“After the trip I ate something because I was very hungry. I was not feeling nauseous and was perfectly fine eating. I did have a little headache and chills, but I was also just extremely tired because of the long day and the intense experience. The next morning, as soon as I woke up, I thought about the trip. A good and nice feeling. I laughed for a moment when I thought about the visions. I told myself to think about that more over the next few days, because the image I had of life at that moment was very positive. I didn't feel broke or burned out. A little tired, though. A nice experience and I am already looking forward to the next time.”

A pipette bottle of liquid LSD-25 with LSD stamps or blotters next to it.

LSA Seeds Tripreport

Prior to the LSA Seeds

“I have eaten Morning Glory seeds before. This was a very long time ago and I remember that the trip was a little strange and I threw up. To avoid this, I am going for the Hawaiian Baby Woodrose now. Also because I don't feel like eating so many seeds again. I'm going for 6 seeds and not going to process them first. Just chew them excessively long and swallow them. My regular trip buddy is there and also takes 6 seeds. It is a sunny day and we are sitting in my house and on the balcony.”

During the LSA Trip

“We sit and chew the seeds for about 10 minutes because we want to make sure all the active ingredients are absorbed. The chewing is not too bad and is not as gross as we thought. After almost an hour we thought for a moment that the seeds were bad or that our expectations were too high, because we still don't feel anything. We are sitting outside on the balcony at the same time we say we are starting to feel something. We look at each other a little funny. As the trip was settling in over the next hour we felt uncomfortable.

I have had feelings like this before from other psychedelics. I was actually waiting for it to pass. My buddy is already feeling at ease and starting to say spiritual things, while I'm still a little tied up with myself. At one point, out of nowhere, I get pains in my stomach while smoking a cigarette. I run to the bathroom and have horrific diarrhea. The pain is accompanied by a restless and unpleasant feeling. After sweating for five minutes it is over and I return to the balcony. My buddy is having a good laugh and I finally start tripping as well.

After 2.5 hours I can say that the trip has really started. I see very few visuals, but I am very much in my head. My thoughts flash by. Something different every minute. Then I philosophize about the bond with my parents, then I wonder why the man with the dog is looking so grumpy, and then I worry if the concrete of my balcony is strong enough. As fast as my thoughts are going, my body is moving slowly according to my senses. I feel a little weak and slightly numb. It has been virtually silent for almost an hour and we both say nothing. We sit slouched down and are calm rather than excited. Suddenly I notice that my thoughts are finally quiet because I've been staring at a smoldering ashtray for 15 minutes. I go inside to grab a drink and spend at least 15 minutes in the kitchen doing ... nothing? It didn't come in until late, but I've been acting weird for a while. 

After 4 hours, we go for a walk outside. I still don't see many visuals. My buddy sees patterns, but they don't wave. Walking around the block is not very energizing because we are not very active either. Other psychedelics make you laugh a lot and make you active. The LSA makes me feel a little inside myself and lets me relax completely. As we do walk past a couple I feel an akward feeling coming on because I wonder if they noticed we were tripping. Almost a paranoid feeling from too much blowing. We quickly decide to go back to our place. After plopping down on the couch and putting on some music, I settle down for the first time. Within five minutes my mood has completely changed. In a positive sense, fortunately. We start entire conversations about life and nature. We get a great laughing fit because of a memory from our school days. It lasts maybe fifteen minutes. Suddenly it hits me because the sound of his laughter distorts and he looks just like the devil. I get a kind of fear wave through my body even though I know perfectly well that there are no demons or anything like that. My buddy sees that I am genuinely frightened and decides to go outside and smoke a cigarette.

After about 7 hours, I felt normal again. I saw almost no visuals throughout the trip. Except for some crazy distortions and fun colors. I think we spent an hour laughing and talking together. Other than that, we were mostly concerned with ourselves. My buddy starts telling whole stories about life lessons. He was very excited about the LSA seeds and wanted to do it again soon. For him it was all very spiritual and he had gained many insights. For me the trip was a bit strange, just like last time. It was fine, but definitely different from other psychedelics. 

Now I have a terrible headache. I decide to smoke a hash joint because the trip was as good as over. Maybe that wasn't the best plan, because after that the headache only got worse. Even when I was finally in bed it was still bothering me. I thought during the trip that I was spared it, but I too had to suffer.”

LSA seeds Aftermath

I slept really badly and sometimes felt like I was stuck in the trip for a bit. I even woke up during the night once and had to recover from that. 

So a couple of LSA seeds can really trip you up!

Conclusion

It is clear that the legal alternative to LSD is a good way to trip. So if you don't like going to a dealer, you can trip just fine legally. It is not inferior to LSD in many ways. Not at all on the mental level. From our own experiences and also those of others, we can say that LSA provides slightly less visual effects. Recreational trippers may therefore prefer LSD, but for a spiritual experience that does not necessarily need to be shared with others, LSA is a fine drug. Another big difference is physical sensation. LSD wakes you up much more than LSA. Whereas with LSD you are laughing a lot and actively talking, with LSA you are slumped down and calmed in a chair. Think of LSD as sativa weed with an upbeat feeling, and LSA as indica weed with a heavy body stone. This could also be dose, set- or setting related. You can't tell until you've tripped on the same drug several times yourself.

We can't deny the story about side effects either. Abdominal pain and headaches were evident with LSA, while we did not suffer from eating the seeds and associated nausea. LSD had only a slight headache as a side effect. 

To sum up: make your own choice based on the information above. Do you want an energetic trip with lots of visuals and definitely don't want to ingest anything other than psychoactive substances? Then LSD might be more your thing. Do you want a 100% safe and legal drug that produces a more contained and peaceful trip? Then LSA is more than fine. For spiritual purposes and entheogenic properties, you can take both.

Trip Safely!

Are you tripping for the first time or have little experience? Safety first! The guys from the Dutch-Headshop family who wrote a trip report for us are fairly experienced psychonauts and know what they are doing. They know what to expect from different psychedelics, are aware that a good set & setting are incredibly important and know that it's best to have a trip sitter around. These are the basics of Safe Tripping. Please read through our blog before using LSA, LSD or other psychedelics.