Iacob now lives in Eindhoven, but is originally from Romania. He was struck by how much money is being made on vitamins and supplements in the West, and he finds that remarkable. "While so much is already available for free in nature, including here on campus."

Stirring his tea —which he has let cool down to the perfect temperature first to avoid burning the herbs— he talks about his fascination with plants and herbs at campus coffee shop Bakkie040. This interest stems from his mother. "She's always been interested in staying beautiful and healthy through herbs, minerals, and vitamins, as much as possible from natural origin. Because of her, I started to gain more knowledge." He laughs: "Because of the large amount of research I've done to learn more about this, I even fell behind on my studies."

Ginkgo biloba

The Sustainable Innovation student has spotted many unique trees and plants during his walks on campus, such as the ginkgo biloba, the Japanese nut tree. "The seeds —which look like fruit— of this tree are dangerous to eat, but the leaves are often used in supplements," he says. A quick online check shows they easily sell for fifteen to twenty euros a jar.

"The leaves have a stimulating effect, like the amino acid L-theanine. You get a calm focus, feel more alert, but without the stimulating effect of caffeine. Those fruits and seeds are poisonous and can trigger an epileptic seizure, for example," says Iacob. In Chinese medicine, Ginkgo Biloba is traditionally used, among other things, to stimulate blood circulation.

Like with LSD

For those who want to reach higher spaces, the campus has something wild to offer, says Iacob. "There are a lot of morning glories here. They contain LSA in the seeds, and if you eat them, you can hallucinate a bit, like with LSD." He finds it funny that morning glories (in the variety that is called akkerwinde in Dutch) are so prominently present on campus. "I wonder if the people who maintain the greenery here know that. A stronger variety of this —baby woodrose care— is on the shelves of smartshops." A quick Google search reveals that morning glory seeds can also be ordered online.