Herbal "knockout pills"
Google and the library have failed me, so here goes. I need a non-lethal drug, preferably plant based, that will knock some folks out when put in their food.
The scene:
Group A has invited group B to a feast, with the intention of drugging them and killing them (group A are noted warriors, so B wants to minimize the risk). Main character figures out and manages to sneak them out before they're killed. I know, I know... it would make more sense to just poison them, but I need some of these folks alive for later so I'm gonna just handwave that. My question is what drug to use?
The requirements:
1. powerful enough sedative/tranquilizer/soporific to knock out a fairly large man within an hour or so of use, and keep him unconcious for at least a few hours.
2. something that works when ingested at the same time as food (the drug is in the food). It doesn't need to be flavorless, since there's a lot of pepper in the dish to hide any unusual taste.
3. doesn't have any life-threatening side effects from a moderate dose
4. It must be possible, with concentrated effort, to wake the person up after an hour or two. It's okay if this involves shouting, slapping them, whatever, as long as they'll be awake enough to stumble around a bit.
I've looked through a bunch of sites on toxic and medicinal plants, and most are either too effective/toxic, or barely do anything at all. The best possibility seems to be kava-kava, but I'm not sure if it'd be possible to wake someone up while they were under the influence. Thoughts?
Thanks for all the wonderful ideas! I've settled on a combination of hashish and alcohol, which ought to do the job nicely.
The scene:
Group A has invited group B to a feast, with the intention of drugging them and killing them (group A are noted warriors, so B wants to minimize the risk). Main character figures out and manages to sneak them out before they're killed. I know, I know... it would make more sense to just poison them, but I need some of these folks alive for later so I'm gonna just handwave that. My question is what drug to use?
The requirements:
1. powerful enough sedative/tranquilizer/soporific to knock out a fairly large man within an hour or so of use, and keep him unconcious for at least a few hours.
2. something that works when ingested at the same time as food (the drug is in the food). It doesn't need to be flavorless, since there's a lot of pepper in the dish to hide any unusual taste.
3. doesn't have any life-threatening side effects from a moderate dose
4. It must be possible, with concentrated effort, to wake the person up after an hour or two. It's okay if this involves shouting, slapping them, whatever, as long as they'll be awake enough to stumble around a bit.
I've looked through a bunch of sites on toxic and medicinal plants, and most are either too effective/toxic, or barely do anything at all. The best possibility seems to be kava-kava, but I'm not sure if it'd be possible to wake someone up while they were under the influence. Thoughts?
Thanks for all the wonderful ideas! I've settled on a combination of hashish and alcohol, which ought to do the job nicely.