Backstory:
My girlfriend reacts heavily to chocolate and drinks containing stellar anise, in a way that seems comparable to psychedelic drugs.
After consuming it, it takes approximately five minutes for the reaction to become apparent.
Observed Effects:
Due to the heavy reaction, she tends to avoid these foods, however, we could observe the following effects:
- Heavy giggling, occasional outbursts of loud laughter;
- Much less frequent: Crying (just kind of starts from the giggling and subsequently fades back into giggling);
- Minor hallucinations (Sparkling hair, glowing faces);
- Loss of motor skills, especially balance;
- Feeling time pass much faster (to her, a 15 minute episode felt like 1-2 minutes, an hour like 5-10 minutes);
- Some memory loss (probably related to the time perception?);
- Unfocused mind;
Her speech remains clear and articulate.
Observations are anecdotal, as I only observed two episodes, and we realized what happened only after the first.
Googling Results:
Apparently, around 1-3% of humans react in some way. However I couldn't find any detailed explanations of the hows and whys, nor any actual research.
I am very curious about this. Is it dangerous? Are there any related effects (genetic disorders, maybe?). All explanations, and hints how to google better, are welcome.