Priming is the method of continually taking a substance over a number of days to get (better) effects from it. Many legal herbs are subject to this effect. In particular, herbs that are only potent when primed will probably never become illegal, because nobody looking for a "quick fix" will use them, and many users who refuse to do research on their substances will not enjoy the herb their first time and then never try them again.
Ziggy's Priming Guide[]
Now to the answer the question that makes up part of title of this article. The reason a lot of people don’t seem to get any effect after ingesting these Herbal Alternatives is because brain receptor sites in particular individuals are not bonding with the compounds in these Herbals. So you can smoke and smoke and smoke whatever Herbal Alternative and get minimum to no results no matter how much you smoke in a single session. This may be due to each individual’s genetic make-up and the resulting brain chemistry. The good news is that this non-bonding CAN be easily overcome by a simple method a few acquaintances and I have tried and proven to ourselves repeatedly when a certain Herbal Alternative did not work.
THE METHOD goes as follows:
smoke about a bowl to two bowl’s worth of the material (about 200mg to 300mg) you are getting barely any to no effects from every day, to a minimum of every other day, for two to three weeks, and that’s it. After that time, one day you will be ingesting the Herbal Alternative and suddenly feel “buzzed”, if not VERY buzzed. It usually happens with me that after only five to six days using this method, WHAM!, I get really heavily buzzed from an Herbal Alternative I hadn’t been getting anything at all from! This method of “priming” one’s brain to get those receptors bonding with, and resulting in full on effects from, these Alternatives is sure to get you effects; thus avoiding disappointment, or worse your throwing away of these in frustration... along with your hard earned cash.
An Important Reminder[]
For some herbs such as Dagga it is best to think of it as just something to smoke, like tobacco. If you continue to use it regularly, effectively and in quantities large enough effects will become apparent.
Many herbs do not feel similar to cannabis so it may be hard to notice them at first. When some people first use psychoactives, like cannabis, they aren't always aware of the feeling until they use considerable doses or have used it a couple of times. It is hard to tell situational effects from drug-induced effects, even if they are very present. Your psychological state changes frequently throughout the day and it may be hard to attribute specific changes to the substance the first time you use it.
Also, do not ever use a joint. Gravity bong is always best, but not needed.
Patience[]
With priming patience is key. It is a major reason why many people give up on herbal alternatives, so stick with it! It is probably easiest to prime with an organic herbal tea that you've researched to check that the ingredients are smoke-safe. For example, those who research will find that a kava supplement might be safer than kava tea when it comes to smoking, because the effects on the liver are less prevalent in different forms of the herb. Do your research!