Before we get started I wanted to let you know that 9/20 (International Mushroom Day!) is on the way and we will be having a gathering in North Beach, San Francisco at Professor Seagulls Smart Shop to celebrate. We will have a host of distinguished speakers such as:

• Bia Labate

• Monica Cadena

• Larry Norris

• Ayize Jama Everette

• Leticia Brown

• Xochitl Moreno

• Juliana Garcia

• Myself (Reggie Harris)

• Steve DeAngelo (tentatively)

Mushroom Day 9/20 Tickets

Ok, Now lets get to it!

A month or so ago, a friend invited me to a “sass” ceremony. I’d never tried it before, but I love MDMA and was told this was a “natural MDMA-like experience” - plant-based, heart-opening, and (according to them) less synthetic and more spiritual.

So I trusted the process.

Over the course of the night, I took three doses of what they were calling “sass,” spaced about three hours apart. The experience was beautiful, no doubt - warm, connective, expansive. But the next two days? That hangover had MDA written all over it. I’ve taken enough to know the difference: this wasn’t the smooth serotonin slide of MDMA. It was heavier, longer, and more depleting.

And that got me curious.

So I started digging. I talked to underground chemists, harm reduction folks, and even a few researchers at Stanford. What I found was eye-opening, and honestly, kind of infuriating.

Let’s get something straight:
There is no such thing as “natural MDMA.” There’s no tree you can hug in the Appalachian mountains that’ll whisper sweet heart-opening truths into your third eye. And no, your plug’s “sass” isn’t nature’s answer to Molly either.

This is your official myth-busting breakdown of what "sassafras" really is, what it ain’t, and why the street-level buzzword “sass” is doing more harm than good, especially for a psychedelic community that claims to be all about healing, honesty, and harm reduction.

MYTH #1: “Sassafras is a natural version of MDMA”

Let’s start here, because this one’s rampant in underground circles. You’ll hear people say stuff like:

“I don’t mess with molly, I only do sass. It’s more natural.”
“Sass comes from a tree so it’s organic and heart-centered.”
“MDMA is synthetic. Sass is plant medicine.”

Yeah… no.

Here’s the science: Sassafras is a tree, yes. And its root bark can be distilled to produce an essential oil called sassafras oil, which contains safrole, a chemical precursor to MDA and MDMA. But:

• Safrole is not MDMA.

• Safrole is not psychoactive in the way people expect.

• Safrole is classified as a known carcinogen and is illegal to possess in many contexts because it’s used to synthesize Schedule I drugs.

In other words: Nobody is rolling off a cup of sassafras tea. If they are, there’s something else in that tea.

MYTH #2: “You can take sassafras oil and roll naturally”

Let’s nip this one in the bud before someone ends up in the ER. There are stories floating around burner camps, Reddit threads, and after-hours cuddle puddles of folks claiming to have “rolled” just by taking a drop of sassafras oil.

The reality? That’s bullshit and dangerous.

Drinking or ingesting sassafras oil is toxic. Not kinda toxic. Liver-destroying, cancer-causing toxic. It’s been banned as a food additive by the FDA since the 1960s. Animal studies linked it to liver cancer, and high doses can cause vomiting, hallucinations, seizures, and organ failure.

So why do some people think they’re rolling from it? Likely explanations:

1. It was laced with MDMA compounds or amphetamines.

2. Placebo effect mixed with other substances (e.g., cannabis, alcohol, etc.).

3. They’ve been lied to by a seller who wants to cash in on the “natural” narrative.

Either way, there is no such thing as safe ingestion of pure sassafras oil for psychoactive purposes. Anyone selling it that way is either ignorant or malicious.

TRUTH: Sassafras is a chemical stepping stone - not the destination

Let’s get technical for a second.

To go from safrole (a compound found in sassafras oil) to something that produces MDMA-like effects, you’re not just boiling bark in a pot and calling in the forest spirits. It requires multi-step organic chemistry - a precise process that involves chemical reactions, temperature control, and proper lab technique.

It’s not kitchen counter alchemy - it’s chemistry. And when done sloppily (which it often is in the underground), it can lead to impurities, harmful byproducts, or mislabeled products that end up doing real harm in community spaces.

The myth of “natural sass” is kind of like saying gasoline is plant medicine because it comes from decomposed organic matter. Technically true. Practically? Not something you want to sip on.

MYTH #3: “Sass is gentler, longer-lasting, and more spiritual than molly”

Okay, this one is tricky. There is a kernel of truth here. But not for the reasons people think.

Most “sass” sold in underground scenes is not sassafras at all-it’s MDA, the older, more psychedelic cousin of MDMA. And MDA does hit different:

• It lasts longer (6–10 hours vs. MDMA’s 4–6)

• It’s more stimulating

• It produces mild visuals at higher doses

• It has a stronger body load

• It has less empathogenesis, more trippiness

So yes, if you’ve taken “sass” and had a longer, more cosmic experience, you were probably on MDA, not some forest-fresh miracle compound. But guess what?

• MDA is still synthetic

• MDA is still Schedule I

• And yes, MDA can still fry your serotonin system if abused

Don’t get it twisted, calling it “sass” doesn’t make it safer.

Real Talk: What You’re Really Buying When You Buy “Sass”

If someone hands you a capsule or crystal and says it’s “sass,” they have no idea what it really is. Period. Full stop.

Unless it’s been laboratory tested, preferably with mass spectrometry, it could be:

• MDMA

• MDA

• A blend of both

• Something completely different (e.g., methylone, 5-MAPB, or worse)

• Cut with stimulants, caffeine, or fentanyl (yes, it’s happened)

There is zero regulation in the underground market. And the romanticized “plant medicine” narrative? That’s just marketing bullshit layered on top of drug war-era misinformation.

HARM REDUCTION TRUTHS

Let’s pivot to what you can do:

✅ Test your shit. Reagent kits like Marquis and Mecke can help ID MDMA compounds. Simon reagent will tell you if it’s MDMA vs. MDA. DanceSafe sells solid kits.

✅ Know your dose. MDA hits harder and lasts longer. A typical MDA dose is 70–90 mg. Anything over 100 mg can get intense fast.

✅ Plan for recovery. These compounds are serotonin burners. Sleep, eat, hydrate, and give yourself several weeks before re-dosing.

✅ Don’t mix with SSRIs, MAOIs, or alcohol. Dangerous interactions are real.

✅ Be real with your people. Stop calling it “natural” and stop passing around bunk tea. We owe each other better.

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FINAL MYTH: “If it comes from a plant, it’s medicine”

Let’s be clear: Nature makes poisons, too.

• Belladonna is natural. So is cyanide.

• Safrole is a hepatotoxic, carcinogenic compound banned in food use.

• “Natural” means nothing when it comes to safety, dosing, or intention.

The point of plant medicine isn’t to escape scrutiny, it’s to hold ourselves to higher standards, stronger accountability, and deeper reverence for what we’re putting into our bodies.

And if you’re really serious about healing work in the psychedelic space, stop hiding behind half-truths and New Age fairy dust. Call it what it is.

HYPHAE’S TAKE

We believe in radical transparency, harm reduction, and scientific truth, even when it disrupts a feel-good fantasy. Sass is not a miracle tree extract. It’s a piece of a larger puzzle that, like the underground scene itself, is messy, mythologized, and dangerously misunderstood.

If we’re going to build a community around real healing, we need to burn the myths that get people hurt and start talking about facts, chemistry, and accountability.

Because a lie, no matter how sweet it smells, ain’t medicine.

Want your “sass” tested?
Hyphae Labs offers anonymous, high-precision testing for mushroom and MDMA products. We don’t care what you call it, we care what’s actually in it. www.oaklandhyphae.com

📬 Subscribe to Hyphae Leaks for more no-bullshit truth drops like this. Because if you don’t know, now you know.

If you got this far I want to share with you an offering from my good friend and colleague Ayize Jama Everette who is conducting one of the first studies of African American trainees in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Training Institutions! Please click on the link, check it out and see if your input can help move the needle for the entire community.

African American Therapy Survey

Below is everything we know about Sassafras , MDMA and MDA from pharmacology to dosing please consider becoming a paid subscriber to tap in and stay informed!