Poppy Pods

[Ophelia]

Hello all! I'm Ophelia, and it's nice to meet you all. (Of course Ophelia isn't my real name, and my hair isn't red, but we'll pretend it is.) I'm a full-time psych. student, preparing to begin my Master's in the fall, and currently finishing up my B.S. (Graduating in May.)  I'm a top student and can thank the pods for that. No doubt many of you would agree. ? I've only ever posted once in any forum relating to pods; I'm virtually a lurker, but am glad to (finally) be among my own kind. I've been dealing with TDF, Rachel's, CDF (Carolyn's- in Arizona), Plews, SPP (Sweet Paula's) and PST (Poppy Seed Tom's- kick ass seeds, for hard times), and have @ 5-6 years experience in the seed and pod world. Initially, I was battling debilitating migraines that would cripple me for 3 days at a time- 3 to 4 times per month. Life was hell, and I had to drop out of school. Needless to say, I was incapacitated to the point of uselessness. I began researching PST (tea), and did that for 3 years, and then moved on to pods and have been doing that for 2 & 1/2 years now. Since beginning the PP regimen, I've gotten my life back and have repaired my GPA to 3.6 and make the Dean's List every semester now. Also, I've discovered that PP's shut down the noise/static in my head. They're pretty amazing, when used medicinally.

(Off topic, but actually found 1/4 lb. of pods on Ebay- yes, EBAY- only 2 months ago; it was pretty phenomenal.) Many of you will remember when we could get them on Etsy- man, those days were sweet, eh? And Carolyn (Arizona) was the best around and now even she's not doing that, so...I found that TDF and Plews are the best deals. Mark Anthony, thanks for the post about Plews- I read youre post a month or so ago and had completely forgotten about them! Put in an order on the 1st and just got my 3.3 lb. in today. Give or take- 10 business days. They look pretty good, considering. Not a lot of residue on the outside and have only come across a semi-moldy one so far. I'm still processing them, but will update the info. once finished. 

Effectivity: Seems to be quite good. 1/2 strength of what I'm used to and although my daily rations have been extremely slight for the past 2 weeks, it kicked in pretty quickly, so I'm not disappointed with Plews. (He'd posted a total of (4) 3.3 units of Giganteum: Naturally,  they were gone pretty quickly. Still temporarily out.) 

I'll be glad to help anyone needing help/info. regarding pod-related stuff. Again, it's great to meet you all! 

p.s. Regarding the residue on the outside of pods- experientially, I've found that a dry cloth is the best way to remove it. If done properly, it'll shine 'em up a bit. My guesses are that the reside isn't hazardous, but it's probably best to remove it rather than chance it. Be safe all! 

- O 

 

[abyssmu]

Where did you hear that c@rolyn is no longer with the pods? I got an email from them a few weeks ago saying they were going to email people once they were back up. Perhaps I have old info. I have an order from pl3ws on the way so I appreciate the review. 

As for R@chel, I am convinced that she has the same pods as eus@, but eus@ being half the price. Glad to hear they are helping you and welcome.

 

[Ophelia]

Hi, Ab. Carolyn may not be out of the pod business permanently, but she is temporarily, and has been since last year. Even when she ran out of stock in the past, she'd continue listing the pods; but she no longer lists the pods at all, and has even removed the word "pods" from her first link on the right ("Dried Flowers, Petals, and Seeds").  Either way, it's unusual for her. She'd posted that she'd re-up in mid-December, and although I checked back weekly, she never did. Another thing that's a bit suspect is, she no longer lists her wreaths or birdhouses that were made with pods as well. There's not a trace of pod anything at her home site now. I received the same email from her, but it sure seems that she's either laying low, or completely out of "all things pods" and is 3 months overdue, according to her alert. (My last shipment from her was Oct. 30th, 2015. She's been out since then mid-November.) 

Not sure if EUS is the same as Rachel's. I wouldn't be surprised though. I know Rachel is the same vendor as "Tina" (from Tina's Dried Flwrs.). Rachel charges $135 (or thereabouts) for 1/2 lb.- which is highway robbery, but you know...gotta do what you gotta do. The quality was decent. (High on the residue and seemed old as the hills, at least 2 years old or so- not the greatest quality but did the trick.) Somebody to watch out for, however, is "Dried Pods & More", which is the same company as SPP/Sweet Paula's. I put in an order for 1/4 lb. for right at $47 (before shipping) from "Dried Pods & More". He took the money from my account, but didn't ship anything. A week later, I emailed him, asking about the order. He (she?) said that he sent out all of the orders from his remaining stock- leading to believe they were on their way. I noticed his email address was from "DriedpodCentral" @ gmail. com- the same as SPP's. Interesting... and so, after another week of my pods being MIA, I disputed the order with my credit card co., got my money back, and went elsewhere. Two days after my dispute, he was out of stock entirely- on all of his pod products, and acting on my hunch, ventured over to SPP and noticed she was coincidentally out of all of her pod products as well- at the same time. So, they're the same company. Their pods are the same, of course, and although they advertise "medium pods"- they are definitely small, if not tiny. And, they have stems, which are 1/2 the potency as the heads, but make up 35% or so of their overall weight. That said, the quality isn't bad- but at their price, you're spending over $300 on  1 lb., which is ridiculous. 

Just wanted to give you the heads up on those two "twin" companies. ;0) 

 

[abyssmu]

P@ula has gotten much more expensive in price, but I have utilized her services off and on for a while now and never had an issue. When there is a problem she makes up for it, and once she gets to know you, orders become a little more generous since she sells by the pod. Best deal is the box full of small broken pods. Can't say I have seen that email come from an email correspondence with her. She doesn't grow them, so perhaps both companies purchase from the same vendor. The aroma of her pods are quite pungent compared to other vendors, so I only use when I have to.

 

[Ophelia]

I've never had any issues with SPP either; it's her sister company (the one mentioned above) that I won't use again. Paula seems to be fairly consistent in service, but yes, definitely overpriced. (She's saved my hide in some hard times though.) She lists the other company as "her friends over at so and so..." but they are one and the same company. When I last ordered from Paula, her confirmation email listed her customer service address as: "customer service @ drd pds & mre", and then, days later, she changed her email to "Sw-t--Paul-s-Drieds" @ gmail- so that was pretty mysterious; but it showed me that they are definitely one and the same company. 

From what I've seen over the years, it's not unusual for sellers to have a sister company and an entirely different name altogether, but be the same people. Paula's pods are really thin and almost white in color- in comparison to others- but as you mentioned, they pack a pretty good punch for as small as they are. It's worth it to use the stems as well, I've found. They're super easy on the system too, when taken (freshly ground up) in powdered form only. They last a hell of a lot longer that way too. (Not a good idea to do that with the thick-hulled ones from the UK. Found that out the hard way.) I wish I could've gotten in on the "box of broken pods" deal, but they've been continuously out of stock for more than a year, and now they're altogether unlisted at both sites. 

Anyway, must get on to my school work! Good chatting with you. ;0)

 

[Ophelia]

p.s. Update on the quality of the last Plews order; nod-worthy. 

 

[newdaze]

So i need some podheads advice... i havent done pods in a few months. Used mp and pop's when i did so relatively weak pods. Then i ordered pl3ws, but haven't taken any. I thought I could self manage and keep my opanduh consumption low, but now it's crept up and I'm up to 20 mg insuff a day. Probably equal to 40 mg oxeecod. I'm kind of tired of my habit costing over 20 a day so I'm going to jump back to pods. I don't really have any idea of a good starter bouquet quantity would be.. any advice? Feel free to pm

 

[Ophelia]

Hey, Newdaze, no probs. (I'd PM you but still need 10 more posts. = 20) For what it's worth, I keep my thresh hold extremely low- but I'm definitely consistent, and if I miss a day, I hella feel it. I average anywhere from 3 to 5 medium-sized pods = 2 mammoths per day, regularly. Here's a good gauge: if you're talking mammoths, consider 1 mammoth = 1  7.5 TAB, or thereabouts. Considering your levels, I'd say you're going to need a few more than that.  Based on what you've said, maybe consider starting off with 4-5 (large) pods. No matter what amounts (of things) you're used to, 4 to 6 giganteums are enough to put you in a good place, if even for a starter. Wait 2 hours; if you're not feeling it, go another round w/ the same amount; and just titrate accordingly and carefully. For me, the fun isn't in the obliteration of the senses, but in the subtle shift...but enough to know it's there for a good 6 to 8 hours, you know? I prefer 2 small batches (1 in the morn. and & 1 in the evening) opposed to a mega batch that lays you out. 

Be safe regardless. Also, I'd recommend processing/breaking down the entire box and storing it in a large, plastic coffee container (the large, red, Foldger's coffee containers are perfect) and then keeping it in the fridge. The powder won't go bad, and if you use a stove-top percolator, you won't waste a drop of it. I've found that that's the most effective method; quick and easy and highly potent that way. Be sure to save the used grounds- you can freeze them, because if you hit a drought- they can really come in handy. (If nothing else, they can stave off WD until you're in a better place.) 

For me, taking 1/2 of a Benadryl in the morning and 1/2 at night, faithfully, every day, keeps any nausea at bay. Also, eating fresh ginger root daily acts as a secondary potentiator and increased the circulation in the digestive track, so it it sort of speeds up the process. (I eat a chunk of ginger 30 minutes prior. Ginger is super good for you.)

Hope this info. helps!

 

[cherry]

So i need some podheads advice... i havent done pods in a few months. Used mp and pop's when i did so relatively weak pods. Then i ordered pl3ws, but haven't taken any. I thought I could self manage and keep my opanduh consumption low, but now it's crept up and I'm up to 20 mg insuff a day. Probably equal to 40 mg oxeecod. I'm kind of tired of my habit costing over 20 a day so I'm going to jump back to pods. I don't really have any idea of a good starter bouquet quantity would be.. any advice? Feel free to pm

I'm never really comfortable answering these.. even if you've got a fairly large opie tolerance right now, you may be surprised that you'll be fine with less p0ds than you'd think. i was used to the weak USA p0ds (and using a lot of them) & when i got my first pl3wz pack, I made up appx 2/3 of my usual USA d0sage & i was in such a good place that i would have been fine with a smaller starting dosage. so start small and work your way up if you need to. (don't start at a double digit number like i did) sometimes 40mg of OC doesn't really touch me, although my friends with much larger pill tolerances are happier on less p0ds than i need, so your pill tolerance may not matter that much. (however, i've heard bad stories about people with 0pponuh tolerances not being able to enjoy anything anymore, hopefully you aren't at that point.) anyway, tread carefully no matter what you decide to do.

and welcome, Ophelia! it is nice to see someone new here! I'm sorry I'm not really feeling all that chatty today- but I wanted to say hello.   and PS: i was a regular C@rolyn customer too, i had it so good when she was around. it was a shock when she ran out... no warning or anything, after years of being a loyal customer... i realized exactly how good i had it with her after all the crap i've dealt with with many of the USA vendors and if it isn't bad customer service (or NO customer service like DP & More who NEVER answers emails) it's insane pricing... if she comes back with stock, I will be happy, but until then- I'm so glad we have the UK vendors.

 

[abyssmu]

So i need some podheads advice... i havent done pods in a few months. Used mp and pop's when i did so relatively weak pods. Then i ordered pl3ws, but haven't taken any. I thought I could self manage and keep my opanduh consumption low, but now it's crept up and I'm up to 20 mg insuff a day. Probably equal to 40 mg oxeecod. I'm kind of tired of my habit costing over 20 a day so I'm going to jump back to pods. I don't really have any idea of a good starter bouquet quantity would be.. any advice? Feel free to pm

Keep in mind that if you are stepping into using pods habitually, you are trading up to something with worse withdrawals (by a wide margin) and isn't always consistent. While the advice above is good, if you can't afford the habit (in whatever way) perhaps its best to just start slowly reducing the amount. Remember that pods last twice as long as oc, and its much easier to reduce because you have an exact dosage. I'm not in any place to tell you what you should do, but you should walk in with all the facts. I have been on this rollercoaster for going on 10 years now due to several back injuries, and I can attest that even though doctors are fickle with prescribing meds, and pods can seem like an easy alternative, they come with a wide range of issues that make normal functioning a little more difficult.

As far as how many pods you need, I would suggest measuring it out on a scale once prepared. If you are using good, thick walled pods, 20-30g (probably on the low end if you are at 40mg of OC daily) should be a good starting place. Obviously your method of preparation drastically affects the end result, too. Just don't go above 176F  . 

 

[Ophelia]

Hi Cherry; great to meet you too. :0) Yes, I soooo miss Carolyn. I actually used to pay the extra $ for Express (doh!) until I realized Priority was pretty much the same thing. And then when she offered free shipping for Priority altogether, that was pretty fantastic. I second your complaint on DP & More- I only need to be burned once and I'm out. This last batch I got from Plews is reeeeally good. When he was at Etsy (back in the day), I remember his quality being consistently alright, but this last batch is the best I've gotten since Carolyn's. (I got in on her last orders also, when she only had the small ones left. I found them to be 1/2 the potency of her larger ones- but if I remember correctly, the price was right at $65 after shipping for 1 lb, or something along those lines, so- no complaints.) My last 2 orders from SP (Jake) were alright also, but my last order from him was MIA for 3 weeks and I had to email him more than twice to get a response. TDF's quality seemed to be just alright too before their warehouse fire, and so needless to say, I've been scrimping and scrapping for a good long while, so it's a very pleasant surprise to have a kick-ass batch again! These things are huge too. I've only been using 1/2 the strength as my usual amount and let me just say, I'm sleeping very good.  

p.s. Newdaze, I forgot to tell you that it's a good idea to process the entire box at once (as I mentioned above), because that way, you're getting a consistent product throughout. Technically, the larger they are, the more potent, so it's a good idea to mix it all together so you can make a fairer assessment when partaking. Personally, I think it's a good idea to Milk Thistle it up before trying a new batch. Milk thistle is one of the strongest all natural liver scrubbers/cleansers (health food store) available, and if you scrub your liver beforehand, you'll get a much more accurate idea about strength of product. (i.e., take 1 or 2 milk thistle capsules and hydrate w/water for 12 hours beforehand.) If you have residual stuff in your system from other things, you'll most likely be getting a "false reading" about the pods' strength, otherwise. From experience, I can tell you that milk thistle is pretty effective for cleansing the (liver) palette. 

p.s. I also second what Ab said (above) about WD- not pretty. But that can be said for most any addictive substance. That said, pods have been so much better for my body than pharmaceuticals. After experiencing pods, I'll never mess with Big pharma again and haven't had to see a doctor in more than 3 years. For me, they've been a lifesaver.

All considered, the less you can get away with, the better off you'll be. Life can be very good and very productive with these- when used medicinally. Respect the beast, always. 

I'm off to watch my crime shows. Good chatting with you guys! x

(p.s. For the record, to date- the most effective prep. method I've ever used has been an Espresso maker- phenomenal. It's so effective, the remains left behind are useless. The 2nd best = a stove-top percolator, which is what I use now. So much better than steeping. Thought I'd throw that out there, for what it's worth.) 

 

[abyssmu]

Just got my batch from pl3ws. Will be seeing how it compares to eusa and r@chel's...

 

[Ophelia]

I'm looking forward to hearing from you on that, Ab. it's hard to tell exactly how effective mine are, considering I was running on fumes for 2 weeks beforehand, so it could be that they seemed much stronger than they were. Still, I've gotten my levels back up to normal and am still impressed with them, so I'm betting you will be too. (Tony just posted another round- two, in fact- of impressing looking product. Betting they'll be gone in no time.) Glad to be in a position where I can leave them for someone else. ;0) 

 

[abyssmu]

My experience with them last night wasn't the best, but that could be due to variables on my end. Going to try again soon and see, but my first impression was that r@chel has the best I have tried in the last few months. Keep in mind that pl3w's is also 1/6 the price of r@chel's. 

 

[Ophelia]

Thanks for the update, Ab. Tony has pretty regular rotation it seems so it's likely we may have gotten two separate batches.  I wasn't too disappointed w/Rachel's, but I found the quality seemed to be less than what I was hoping. (But still not terrible.) Overall, I'm pleased with my last Plews order. (The batch I received was mixed w/small ones too; although the "smallest" ones were still fairly large.) I'm off to have a cup of tea. ;0) 

 

[abyssmu]

That could be if they are purchasing from different growers, but normally a crop from the same grower is pretty consistent. As a follow up, I would say pl3ws definitely has everything you would want and for someone casual, new, or keep your arranging time to a minimum, you will be very happy. They are not as powerful per weight as r@chel's and even eusa, but they are the real deal. I was just hoping for the quality to be like that of last year around this time. Pl3ws is so much more cost efficient than r@chel and even eusa so if you aren't having to deal with too many pods at once time, I would say they are a no brainer over those two. However, if you are dealing with larger amount of pods, every additional one creates logistical problems. I am mixing r@chel's with pl3ws and it is resulting in a much more affordable experience. I can get into specifics if more info is wanted, just PM me. 

I wasn't too disappointed w/Rachel's, but I found the quality seemed to be less than what I was hoping. (But still not terrible.)

When was the last time you ordered? You are the first (I have heard) to be disappointed in anything about r@chel's (other than price of course) in the last few months. Not trying to single you out, just curious is all. 

 

[Ophelia]

It was January, If I'm not mistaken. But keep in mind that I was used to Carolyn's for several years straight, which were always top quality. Rachel's quality was fair, but they were old pods; much older than what I was getting from TDF too. (Rachel's had the oldest pods I've ever had. Some of the UK's have come close, but hers were especially old. Could've been an odd batch- I'm not sure. I'd be a loyal customer if her price came down, but as it stands, I just can't do that.) I actually found SPP to be stronger than what I received from Rachel, but as we all know, each batch will differ in quality from batch to batch. (It's nice that Rachel is in the U.S. and cuts out about 9 to 10 days of travel, but not $300 per lb. nice.) 

 

[newdaze]

@abyssmu diddid you think eu had better quality  then pl3w? 

 

[abyssmu]

per weight yes, overall pl3w's is a better deal if you can work with more pods. eu has older pods and they are a bit stale which makes them difficult to work with, but end result is what counts. 

 

[newdaze]

Hey, what is everybody's mixture of choice? I've heard tea with lemon to speed things up is good