The Biochemical Process of Channeling and Forkroot Tea

[HighWiredSith]

Has the one power muting affects of forkroot tea ever been fully explained? When it was first introduced, used to drug Elaine and Nynaeve, I got the impression that the inability to Channel was much the product of the tea's rendering the drinker unconscious and so muddle headed that she was unable to grasp onto the Source and channel, that the tea itself did not necessarily block channeling but the effects of the tea made channeling impossible.

 

Now, a couple of years later, the Forkroot industry has apparently boomed, and it's being used as some kind of biochemical inhibitor to channeling. In lesser doses it can apparently leave it's victim quit conscious and aware and simply inhibit her ability to channel, leaving her with some partial ability. I suppose I always imagined that the ability to channel was much more of a spiritual gift and not tied some biochemical process in one's brain matter, a process which Forkroot seems to affect. It also stands to reason, if one's ability to channel can be decreased exponentially depending on the dosage of Forkroot, that the same biochemical process can be heightened and the ability to channel made stronger with some other herbal extract yet to be discovered. It seems something Brown Aja would have discovered and exploited long ago.

[herid]

Has the one power muting affects of forkroot tea ever been fully explained? When it was first introduced, used to drug Elaine and Nynaeve, I got the impression that the inability to Channel was much the product of the tea's rendering the drinker unconscious and so muddle headed that she was unable to grasp onto the Source and channel, that the tea itself did not necessarily block channeling but the effects of the tea made channeling impossible.

 

Now, a couple of years later, the Forkroot industry has apparently boomed, and it's being used as some kind of biochemical inhibitor to channeling. In lesser doses it can apparently leave it's victim quit conscious and aware and simply inhibit her ability to channel, leaving her with some partial ability. I suppose I always imagined that the ability to channel was much more of a spiritual gift and not tied some biochemical process in one's brain matter, a process which Forkroot seems to affect. It also stands to reason, if one's ability to channel can be decreased exponentially depending on the dosage of Forkroot, that the same biochemical process can be heightened and the ability to channel made stronger with some other herbal extract yet to be discovered. It seems something Brown Aja would have discovered and exploited long ago.

I've wondered about this very thing too. It's never explained anywhere AFAIK. It does seem pretty strange that the effect is biochemical. as such I would think there ought to be an antidote canceling the effect of whatever forkroot does in the stomach. I remember when I was reading "Honey in the tea" section in KoD, I thought that it would be really cool if honey was such an antidote and Egwene would be able to channel after drinking the tea that the novices gave her.

[Erunion]

I see the ability to channel as two-fold - First, the souls ability. This cannot be changed, improved, or decreased in any way. Second, the bodies ability. The ability for the body to be a conduit for the Soul's channeling ability can be changed, modified or broken, as it is a biochemical ability. Your body can be stilled, shielded or forkrooted, and your body is no longer a suitable receptor/conduit for the One Power. This is also why channeling seems to be a genetic ability, yet Jordan has stated that a specific soul will be able to channel every time it is reborn (it is probable that a channelers soul cannot be born into a non-channelers body).

The only problem with this theory is Aran'gar, but I think it likely that the DO could have simply modified Aran'gar's biological makeup in order to allow her to channel Saidin.

 

Back to the original question, Forkroot simply scrambles the biochemical receptor that allows you to channel, and large doses of forkroot really mess it up, which makes your poor body sick.

[Soraz]

I see the ability to channel as two-fold - First, the souls ability. This cannot be changed, improved, or decreased in any way. Second, the bodies ability. The ability for the body to be a conduit for the Soul's channeling ability can be changed, modified or broken, as it is a biochemical ability. Your body can be stilled, shielded or forkrooted, and your body is no longer a suitable receptor/conduit for the One Power. This is also why channeling seems to be a genetic ability, yet Jordan has stated that a specific soul will be able to channel every time it is reborn (it is probable that a channelers soul cannot be born into a non-channelers body).

The only problem with this theory is Aran'gar, but I think it likely that the DO could have simply modified Aran'gar's biological makeup in order to allow her to channel Saidin.

 

Back to the original question, Forkroot simply scrambles the biochemical receptor that allows you to channel, and large doses of forkroot really mess it up, which makes your poor body sick.

 

Sorry, but I don't see how that makes sense. Rand is perfectly able to channel while in the throes of fever, ice-chills, near-death, anything; so obviously the body does not need to be all that well balanced to channel.

 

Personally, I found the introduction of forkroot to be on the level of midiclorians in starwars.

 

The force/the source; Its *magick*; I don't think it helps the suspension of disbelief by making it follow laws of physics or biology.

 

Unless ofcourse, it is supposed to hint that every living thing; even when dried up and poured over with boiling water, has a soul / lifeforce.

[Ashandarei]

Has the one power muting affects of forkroot tea ever been fully explained? When it was first introduced, used to drug Elaine and Nynaeve, I got the impression that the inability to Channel was much the product of the tea's rendering the drinker unconscious and so muddle headed that she was unable to grasp onto the Source and channel, that the tea itself did not necessarily block channeling but the effects of the tea made channeling impossible.

 

Now, a couple of years later, the Forkroot industry has apparently boomed, and it's being used as some kind of biochemical inhibitor to channeling. In lesser doses it can apparently leave it's victim quit conscious and aware and simply inhibit her ability to channel, leaving her with some partial ability. I suppose I always imagined that the ability to channel was much more of a spiritual gift and not tied some biochemical process in one's brain matter, a process which Forkroot seems to affect. It also stands to reason, if one's ability to channel can be decreased exponentially depending on the dosage of Forkroot, that the same biochemical process can be heightened and the ability to channel made stronger with some other herbal extract yet to be discovered. It seems something Brown Aja would have discovered and exploited long ago.

 

That's really interesting speculation but I wanted to make a quick point- Just because Forkroot decreases channeling does not mean that something else can increase it. In biochemical terms, you could think of it this way: The process/pathway where the "channeling" protein attaches to a receptor could already be running at peak capacity in a channeler's brain normally, and forkroot could then reduce the efficiency/speed of that process to reduce channeling ability.

 

So basically there's no evidence that a person can channel more using biochemical methods, all Forkroot proves is that one can channel less using those methods.(I said specifically "biochemical methods" because obviously using angreal/sa'angreal people can channel more, but those fall under "magic" instead of biochemistry.)

[ineedfourberfs]

My intitial understanding was that the Forkroot plant had some semi-mystical effect. The plant's physical chemistry is responsible for the sleepiness etc, but there is something 'otherworldy' about forkroot.

 

Similiar to the Ysalamir (i think) Lizards in the star wars expanded universe. These creatures disrupted the ability to use the force, not through any action they did, but just something about thier energy. I get the same vibe from Forkroot; it's just a special plant.

 

Wasn't the tree of life supposed to comfort those who sat in it's shade? Surely that's a precedent, it proves that plants/tree's can affect a person through no physical means, or chemical means.

[Evoke]

 

Personally, I found the introduction of forkroot to be on the level of midiclorians in starwars.

 

 

Certain receptors that are normally dormant are active in the brains of channelers. These receptors allow them to sense and even embrace the One Power. However, when ingested, the forkroot chemical composition attaches to these receptors. Even small doses have great effects - milligrams. First there is the inability to channel - note that a small dose may leave the channeler with a diminished but not completely expunged ability to grasp the Power. Secondly, having these receptors blocked by forkroot may render the channeler unconscious. Since the receptors in non-channeler's brains are dormant, forkroot does not affect them.

 

There. I've just ruined The Wheel of Time for everyone.

[Canis Rufus]

I have read the concept of Channeling to be a physical thing in the body. When you read the accounts of Stilling or when delved there is a ‘substance’ or part of the brain that is being used/disconected. So to me it is a chemical process that is numbing that part of the brain. I think this is supported by the fact that if they drink too much they get knocked out. To me this is like if you drink too much whiskey your body will make you vomit and shut down to protect its self. So the Forkroot is like getting that part of the brain drunk, get it drunk enough and you pass out. The only thing I wonder is and I can’t remember if this has been covered is can they OD on the Forkroot?

[Erunion]

Interesting thought on the ODing Canis.

 

@Evoke - A much clearer explanation than the one I gave, nicely done. That's exactly how I imagine that Forkroot works.