Entheogen

Entheogens are a group of little-known psychoactive substances which consumption is nevertheless frequently mentioned in outpatient care and which can have harmful effects. This raises the question of appropriate management of their effects, as well as the treatment of any overdose. In this article, we focus on five of these substances, which are rarely described in the medical literature. At present, few studies exist on their long-term effects on health, and this type of niche consumption does not seem problematic from the authorities' point of view...

Ayahuasca is a brew with psychoactive properties that has been used as an entheogen for centuries, with more recent studies suggesting it is a promising treatment for some clinical disorders. Although there is an emerging scientific literature on its effects, to the best of our knowledge no study has explored the self-reported experiences of first-time ayahuasca users with quantitative textual analysis tools. Accordingly, the current study aimed to analyze the subjective experience of naive individuals with depression and healthy controls after consuming ayahuasca...

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is an entheogenic and medicinal cactus native to the Chihuahuan desert. The psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties of peyote are principally attributed to the phenethylamine derivative mescaline. Despite the isolation of mescaline from peyote over 120 years ago, the biosynthetic pathway in the plant has remained undiscovered. Here, we use a transcriptomics and homology-guided gene discovery strategy to elucidate a near-complete biosynthetic pathway from l-tyrosine to mescaline...

In recent years a renewed scientific, public and commercial interest in psychedelic medicines can be observed across the globe. As research findings have been generally promising, there is hope for new treatment possibilities for a number of difficult-to-treat mental health concerns. While honouring positive developments and therapeutic promise in relation to the medical use of psychedelics, this paper aims to shine a light on some underlying psycho-cultural shadow dynamics in the unfolding psychedelic renaissance...

Research interest in understanding tinnitus has increased severalfold in the last decade to find a cure for this auditory disorder. Hyperacusis can also accompany tinnitus, although the mechanisms involved in hyperacusis and tinnitus are different. Millions of people suffer from some degree of tinnitus with hearing loss. Tinnitus is believed to be a form of sensory epilepsy, spawning neuronal hyperactivity from the cochlear nucleus and inferior colliculus of the auditory brainstem region. Cannabis has been used for recreation, medicinal purposes, and served as an entheogen from time immemorial...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review article summarizes clinically and socially relevant developments over the past five years in the therapeutic use of the classical tryptamine psychedelic substance psilocybin, with respect to the common challenges faced by palliative care patients and their care teams. Psilocybin is available in whole fungal and isolated forms but is not yet approved for therapeutic use in the United States. Using targeted database and gray literature searches, and author recall, key sources were identified, reviewed, and synthesized as to the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in palliative care...

Several naturally occurring molecules exhibit unique potential in treating certain elements of psychiatric illnesses and are being actively pursued in therapeutic development. Among these are molecules termed entheogens, a preferred name for plant-derived compounds that alter human consciousness for religious or spiritual purposes, which are especially important to various Indigenous groups, and their use within these cultures precedes that of the contemporary medicalized use. Here, we acknowledge that some entheogens were included in the DARK Classics issues of ACS Chemical Neuroscience and that the label of "DARK" may perpetuate harmful and misguided labels and stigmas...

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used in indigenous and religious rituals and ceremonies in South America for its therapeutic, psychedelic, and entheogenic effects. It is usually prepared by lengthy boiling of the leaves of the bush Psychotria viridis and the mashed stalks of the vine Banisteriopsis caapi in water. The former contains the classical psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is thought to be the main psychoactive alkaloid present in the brew. The latter serves as a source for β-carbolines, known for their monoamine oxidase-inhibiting (MAOI) properties...

Psychotria viridis (Rubioideae: Rubiaceae), popularly known as chacrona , is commonly found as a shrub in the Amazon region and is well-known to produce psychoactive compounds, such as the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Together with the liana Banisteropsis caapi , P. viridis is one of the main components of the Amerindian traditional, entheogenic beverage known as ayahuasca. In this work, we assembled and annotated the organellar genomes (ptDNA and mtDNA), presenting the first genomics resources for this species...

A scientometric analysis was realized to outline clinical research on psychedelics over the last century. Web of Science Core Collection was searched up to March 18, 2022, for publications on psychedelics. Network analyses and bibliometrics were combined, to identify research themes and trends with Bibliometrix and CiteSpace. The primary aim was to measure research trends evolution over time, and the secondary aims were to identify bibliometric performance and influence networks of publications, authors, institutions, and countries...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan is an endemic tree to South America and different parts of it are used by the population for the treatment of various diseases, as well as in indigenous rituals. This species has high pharmacological potential but may present toxic potential due to the presence of psychotropic compounds. AIM OF THE STUDY: To review published studies with the species A. colubrina regarding ethnobotanical, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological aspects, as well as discuss perspectives for new research and protection of this species...

The concept of integration has garnered increased attention in the past few years, despite a long history of only brief mention. Integration services are offered by therapists, coaches, and other practitioners, or may be self-guided. There are many definitions of psychedelic integration, and the term encompasses a range of practices and techniques. This seems to have led to confusion about what integration is and how it is best practiced. The primary focus of this manuscript is the presentation of the first extensive review and concept analysis of definitions, practices, and models of psychedelic integration...

Kava is a neuroactive medicinal herb that can induce pharmacological effects when ingested. As an herbal remedy, kava exhibits sedative, anesthetic, euphoriant, and entheogenic effects. Kava is used as a relaxant, pain reliever, and remedy for anxiety and insomnia. In the United States, kava is marketed as a safe dietary supplement. Kava's popularity is on the rise due to heightened awareness and interest in natural plant-based health alternatives. Although meta-analyses and systematic reviews of kava use in treating anxiety are favorable, results remain inconsistent...

BACKGROUND: Psychedelics represent a unique subset of psychoactive substances that can induce an aberrant state of consciousness principally via the neuronal 5-HT2A receptor. There is limited knowledge concerning the interest in these chemicals in Poland and how they changed during the pandemic. Nonetheless, these interests can be surveyed indirectly via the web. OBJECTIVES: We aim to conduct a spatial-temporal mapping of online information-seeking behavior concerning cannabis and the most popular psychedelics before and during the pandemic...

Clinical research into serotonergic psychedelics is expanding rapidly, showing promising efficacy across myriad disorders. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is a commonly used strategy to identify psychedelic-induced changes in neural pathways in clinical and healthy populations. Here we, a large group of psychedelic imaging researchers, review the 42 research articles published to date, based on the 17 unique studies evaluating psychedelic effects on rs-fMRI, focusing on methodological variation...

During the 2020 COVID-19 epidemic a variety of social activities migrated online, including religious ceremonies and rituals. One such instance is the case of Santo Daime, a Brazilian rainforest religion that utilizes the hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca in its rituals. During the pandemic, multiple Santo Daime rituals involving the consumption of ayahuasca took place online, mediated through Zoom and other online platforms. The phenomenon is notable since the effects of hallucinogens are defined by context (set and setting) and Santo Daime rituals are habitually governed by punctilious regulations aimed at directing the experience of participants...

The word "psychedelic" (psyche (i.e., the mind or soul) and delos (i.e., to show)) has Greek origin and was first coined by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond in 1956, who had been conducting research on lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) at the time. Psychedelic drugs such as N , N -DMT/DMT ( N , N -dimethyltryptamine), 5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy- N , N -dimethyltryptamine), LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and psilocybin have had significant value as an entheogen in spiritual, religious (shamanic) and sociocultural rituals in Central and South American cultures for thousands of years...

5-MeO-DALT or 5-methoxy-N,N-diallyltryptamine is a derivative of tryptamines, consumed for its hallucinogenic and entheogenic effects. We report the case of a 46-year-old-man, presenting with a brief loss of consciousness and visual hallucinations, after the consumption of three 5-MeO-DALT tablets bought online. Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry method (LC-MS/MS) was performed, and 5-Meo-DALT was quantified in both the tablets (32,5 mg per tablet, 11% of purity) and the patient's plasma (7 ng/ml - 8 hours between the consumption and the blood sample)...

Therapeutic use of psilocybin has become a focus of recent international research, with preliminary data showing promise to address a range of treatment-resistant mental health conditions. However, use of psilocybin as a healing entheogen has a long history through traditional consumption of mushrooms from the genus Psilocybe. The forthcoming adoption of new psilocybin-assisted therapeutic practices necessitates identification of preferred sources of psilocybin; consequently, comprehensive understanding of psilocybin-containing fungi is fundamental to consumer safety...

Psychedelics are compounds that alter consciousness by acting on serotonin receptors in the brain. The term 'psychedelic', from the Greek for mind manifesting, refers to the drugs' subjective effects and was first proposed by Humphry Osmond in 1956. Other terms have been used to emphasize different aspects of the psychological experiences produced by various related compounds, including hallucinogens (perceptual), entheogens (spiritual), and empathogens or entactogens (social/emotional). The diversity in terminology reflects the existence of hundreds of potential psychedelic compounds with a spectrum of behavioral and neurobiological effects...