Revisiting Wasson’s Soma : Exploring the Effects of Preparation on the Chemistry of Amanita muscaria. Kevin FEENEY Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2010, 42, (4), 499-506 In 1968 R. Gordon Wasson first proposed his groundbreaking theory identifying Soma, the hallucinogenic sacrament of the Vedas, as the classic spotted fairy tale mushroom – Amanita muscaria. While Wasson’s theory is compelling on many levels he neglected to explain how the pressing and filtering of Soma, as described in the Rig Veda, supported his theory of Soma’s identity. This omission has led to several criticisms of his theory, including: (1) that such an elaborate process of extraction [...]
Lire la suiteA History of Drug Use : Mind-Altering Drugs in Social Context Eric Shepperd January 21, 2017, 26 p. It seems that an intrinsic property of consciousness is a desire to alter itself. The natural world is full of tools for changing the functioning of the mind, and both humans and nonhuman animals have used many different drugs throughout history. Some are derived directly from plant or animal sources, while others are refined extracts, or synthesized by purely chemical methods. Many of the drugs in use today are applied primarily for physiologically therapeutic purposes, while others have primarily psychological components, or a combination thereof. Psychoactive [...]
Lire la suiteOf Roots and Fruits : A Comparison of Psychedelic and Non-psychedelic Mystical Experiences David B. Yaden, Khoa D. Le Nguyen, Margaret L. Kern, Alexander B. Belser, Johannes C. Eichstaedt, Jonathan Iwry, Mary E. Smith, Nancy A. Wintering, Ralph W. Hood Jr., and Andrew B. Newberg Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2017, Vol. 57, (4), 338–353 DOI: 10.1177/0022167816674625 Abstract Experiences of profound existential or spiritual significance can be triggered reliably through psycho-pharmacological means using psychedelic substances. However, little is known about the benefits of religious, spiritual, or mystical experiences (RSMEs) prompted by psychedelic substances, as compared with those that occur through other means. In this study, 739 self-selected [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics David E. Nichols Pharmacological Review, 2016, 68, 264–355 http://dx.doi.org/10.1124/pr.115.011478 Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .266 I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]
Lire la suiteThe Consumption of Psychoactive Plants During Religious Rituals : The Roots of Common Symbols and Figures in Religions and Myths H. Umit Sayin NeuroQuantology, June 2014, Volume 12, Issue 2, 276-296 Doi : 10.14704/nq.2014.12.2.753 ABSTRACT Psychoactive plants which contain hallucinogenic molecules that induce a form of altered states of consciousness (HASC) have been widely used during the religious rituals of many cultures throughout the centuries, while the consumption of these plants for spiritual and religious purposes is as old as human history. Some of those cultures were shaman and pagan subcultures; African native religions; Bwiti Cult; South American native religions; Amazon Cultures; Central American Cultures; [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics as Medicines for Substance Abuse Rehabilitation : Evaluating Treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca Michael Winkelman Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 2014, 7, 101-116 Abstract : Substances known as psychedelics, hallucinogens and entheogens have been employed in ethnomedical traditions for thousands of years, but after promising uses in the 1950’s and 1960’s they were largely prohibited in medical treatment and human research starting in the 1970’s as part of the fallout from the war on drugs. Nonetheless, there are a number of studies which suggest that these substances have potential applications in the treatment of addictions. While these substances are generally classified as [...]
Lire la suiteCan Psychedelic Drugs Attenuate Age-Related Changes in Cognition and Affect ? Jacob S. Aday, Emily K. Bloesch, & Christopher C. Davoli Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, August 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s41465-019-00151-6 Abstract Older adulthood can be characterized by various cognitive and affective changes. In general, older adults show declines in creativity and executive functioning. They also score lower in openness to experience, empathy, and many suffer from a paucity of meaningful experiences. Further, depression, pessimism, and suicide can be major concerns for this population. Although currently there are few interventions that can effectively address these changes, recent findings from psychedelic science suggest myriad parallels between the effects [...]
Lire la suiteHeaven and Hell Revisited Peter Webster Composed in 1996 for The Psychedelic Library How is it possible for two persons of such obvious intellectual talent as William Braden and Aldous Huxley to have such radically different experiences as a result of ingestion of a similar quantity of mescaline? Both Huxley and Braden brought to their first psychedelic experiment a wide knowledge and understanding of science, religion, mysticism, literature and fine arts, yet Huxley’s initial psychedelic experience was a revelation, and led to the writing of The Doors of Perception, a book which launched a movement, if not a revolution. William Braden’s experiment, recounted [...]
Lire la suiteClinical potential of psilocybine as a treatment for mental health conditions Jeremy Daniel & Margaret Haberman Mental Health Clinician, 2017, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 24-28 https://doi.org/10.9740/mhc.2017.01.024 Abstract Psilocybin, a classic hallucinogen, is a chemical produced by more than 100 species of mushrooms worldwide. It has high affinity for several serotonin receptors, including 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2C, located in numerous areas of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and thalamus. With legislation introduced in 1992, more work is being done to further understand the implications of psilocybin use in a number of disease states. Certain mental health disease states and symptoms have been studied, including [...]
Lire la suiteMultiple receptors contribute to the behavioral effects of indoleamine hallucinogens Adam L. Halberstadt & Mark A. Geyer Neuropharmacology, 2011, 61, (3), 364–381. doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.01.017. Abstract Serotonergic hallucinogens produce profound changes in perception, mood, and cognition. These drugs include phenylalkylamines such as mescaline and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM), and indoleamines such as (+)-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin. Despite their differences in chemical structure, the two classes of hallucinogens produce remarkably similar subjective effects in humans, and induce cross-tolerance. The phenylalkylamine hallucinogens are selective 5-HT2 receptor agonists, whereas the indoleamines are relatively nonselective for serotonin (5-HT) receptors. There is extensive evidence, from both animal and human studies, that the [...]
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