Sarpa Salpa is an innocent looking orange-striped fish species commonly found in the Atlantic coast west of Africa and the Mediterranean Sea.
If you eat this fish, you might have nightmares for days or you may hallucinate and see things you have never seen before.
The name of the fish means ‘the fish that makes dreams’ in Arabic because that is exactly what it does. According to reports, two cases of people having psychedelic experiences after eating the fish. The effects of the fish decrease a couple of days later.
These hallucinations are an effect of a condition known as Ichthyoallyeinotoxism or hallucinogenic fish inebriation. Scientists think that this occurs due to the diet of the fish. According to a 2012 study, the phytoplankton that grows on seaweed the fish eat is directly linked to higher toxicity in the fish’s organs. These could be alkaloids which are chemically similar to LSD.
Not everyone is affected by the fish. Apparently, some parts of the fish like the head is more toxic than other parts. The season in which the fish is caught might play a role. According to the 2012 study, the toxicity in the fish is highest in autumn. However, most cases reported in the 2006 report are from late spring and summer.
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