I can’t imagine what that moss looks like being sold in Madagascar as cannabis 
… but, those Zamal “sticks” look fantastic, and thank you for this education on Madagascar genetics… 
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Hi overgrowers,
@Skyf That’s not roads anymore … it’s dirt tracks at best, but yeah some parts are very remote like that. I don’t know this part of the island again it looks so different ! some parts are really tough.
@US3RNAM3 well in the remote areas and dirt tracks seen before, and for most of the rural population, I guess that walking and zebu is the most common !
But yeah dirt bikes, on the coasts you see a bit of ATV four wheeler buggy types, on the islands too it’s a thing to rent those things.
If you want the fastest to go to the big cities there are domestic flights ! They are expensive. Also there is train in some parts. Railways and roads are always better when close to precious stones areas “strangely”…
@DeeRezPoundmaker , thank you very much for your feedback 
and I agree with you, music is an universal language 
As for the moss I mentioned, I am still researching on it… I talked with many guides about it and had different versions… Still need to find actual users, it’s not very common I would say it’s something that is used by elders. It’s dried then smoked and called “vavy”. They mentioned other plants too…
So much to discover !
I can’t find again this English paper about it, I’ll link it as soon as I find it back. The more I research online on it the more confused I am about it, I wonder if it still exists . Here is a mention of it :
“Actively researched plant; it is smoked as psychoactive like indian hemp”
I wonder how accurate is all of this I might be not naming it correctly again, sorry.
@Dirt_Life Thanks man , I am glad to be documenting all of this, it took me long time to learn and discover all of that.
No, as far as I know, it’s not sold as cannabis don’t worry!
Beautiful buds skinny buds, very cool looking. it kinda look like the one I grew, but I lost the pics 
There is a huge potential in this plant if you take care of it, give them love, water, kill the males and herms. Also with waiting until pistils are brown, good drying techinique, trimming etc. The difference between this and the traditional zamal on the market is huge and interesting.
In my opinion, a lot of the information found online about it or even Madagascar in general is incorrect, outdated or simply non existent.
Cheers
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Very interesting the moss story is, I wonder what the active ingredient is 
Here is some Odisha from my country 
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What’s the smoke taste like? Also curious how it smells once burned? Are they reminiscent of the original scents/aromas while fresh?
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Most subtle and predominant in the olfactory sense is the aroma of the earth its been grown in while having a darkish sweetish feel…and yes it smoked the same as it smells when burned 
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Nice man love the stories as well! Glad your here!
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Dedicated to my Red/Gold project with Zam’
Older Malagasy word is Jamal, “J” pronounced “Z” in fact!
Do you confirm @CrazyLemur ?
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@globalhead interesting looking plant, your buds seems to be bigger than the zam … Is it named Odisha as the Indian state because it comes from there ? is it cured in a special way? I’ve had a bit of weed (a lot more charas and others) in west India but I don’t remember this particular aspect.
Here is a bit more about the moss but still not very precise :
@Jayrock93 Thank you man, I am glad you like them 
@Roms bro I wanna confirm but some people do say “J” too, which it’s actually pronounced “Dz” or “Dj” ! In the books for example “jiro” (lighting) or “ankanjo” (clothing) is with an explosive J like the word Jazz. But in practice it varies, some say “z” indeed !
Some friends say “Djamal” others “Dzamal” or “zamal” but I believe the latter is from Créole language.
I know, I am lost too. I need help 
Written Malagasy is not pronounced as it’s spelled, if I make sense ? Also the different tonic accents on a same word change it’s meaning. For example, (á being the tonic accent) “tánana” means hand while “tanána” means city.
It’s a bit confusing but the language and pronunciation change a lot depending on location, tribes and families… “ss” become “ch” for example… “r” is more of rolled “r” in the countryside.
You made me open a learning Malagasy book 
it’s old but I got to read it again !
I reckon that the older term and the one I heard the most is “rongony” (roongoon-y a quiet y) but there are others like “Angafo” that is used by the Merina aparently. “Rongony” is actually “Hemp” while “Angafo” is the actual psychoactive hemp ( they call it often “Indian hemp” or “chanvre indien” in the news). Yet I didn’t hear this one too much… I guess that’s because it’s more or less fady (taboo) in the different Merina families.
Look here :
So from what is written in there the Sakalava tribe call it “Jiajia” … Very different ! And I just read that it actually means hashish … I need to research more !!!
Youngers use some kind of slang like “maintsoa” (green) or others I don’t get, along with marijuana, ganja, weed, herbe, beuh but it’s kinda of international …
Just wanna precise that people should be extra careful while using cannabis in Madagascar, especially in the cities, for safety don’t say those words too loud and in public places please. The Vahaza (stranger) would not have too much problems as they might be able to pay themselves out (most of the times), but certainly not the locals here. Please be careful.
Maztoo ary 
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Yes it is called Odisha because it comes from there and in the local language it is referred to as big bud Odhisa… there are small buds too coming from Odhisa which taste of herbs and spices.
Youngsters here also use slang word ‘green’ for weed.
Growing up in western India it was mostly Afghani hashish which was most common on the scene and came in three qualities wrapped in glaze paper the gold paper was the best then came the red and then there was a green quality also but in the eighties it all changed to Kashmiri and I smoked Kashmiri and Kerala Gold ganja until I travelled to Goa and smoked Manali mountain charas with the freaks.
I like to mention curing in banana leaves is done in some parts of the country but I don’t know exactly where and the process but I want to try and experiment with it to find out how to best use the properties like polyphenols and antimicrobial ect. and the waxyness and the moisture to slow dry weed.
Keep up the good work you are doing.
&
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How interesting !
Thank you for sharing
Why not creating a topic about cannabis in India ? I could share my experiences too !
India. Incredible country, got me really tripping in all ways ! Some stuff is a bit like Mada, while being very unique of course, with loads of huge contrasts… Magical country, really spiritual trip for me it really hit me hard and got me back in my shoes. I loved it.
The Manala cream was something really unique. The Charas in general as well.
Please let me know how your banana curing is going !
I know for sure they used to do it here in Mada, I don’t know the extent of it nowadays.
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A bit of Tana at night for you :
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Gotta love Takira!
Western Ears….listen up.
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Haha Tarika. I’m stoned.
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You read minds!!!
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I was reading this and you’re right that not much info exists but a related plant Huperzia serrata is used in Chinese medicine and has Ephedra like properties.
The active ingredient is Huperizine A
Huperzia - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
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Thank you for contributing to the topic man,
Yes there is others plants that are related …
From this document, the precise name would be Huperzia obtusifolia var. pachyphylla
I was so sure I found something serious online about it one day, but I just cannot find it back I might have been dreaming, I don’t know.
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I remember reading about a lichen that grows on trees in central America that produces a buzz like pot.
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There is actually a few like that !
Now that you guys make me think about it, I see all the time different leaves, moss and other “herbs” being sold in the streets … A lot is used to locals to make infusions to treat different diseases, but I know so little about all of them. I know Ravintsara, Niaouli, Eucalyptus for example (the first is great when you got cough/flu) .
With the business of essential oils made of some of those endemic plants, some become a lot harder to find, more expensive and get replaced by others with similar effects. You need some many tons of raw leaves to make so little oil …
Things change a lot with time !
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