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Hallucinogens, CNS Stimulants, And Cannabis
Published in S.J. Mulé, Henry Brill, Chemical and Biological Aspects of Drug Dependence, 2019
One of the best documented hallucinogenic plants known is the Peyote cactus (Anhalonium lewinii, Lophorphora williamsii) which contains mescaline as its principal alkaloid. (Figure 9, R1 = R2 = R3 = OCH3, R4 = R5 = H). A number of nitrogen substituted analogs are also present, the N-methyl and the N-acetyl analogs, but they are known to be biologically inert, and probably do not contribute to the reported pharmacology of the entire plant.
Catalog of Herbs
Published in James A. Duke, Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, 2018
The yellowish root is the hallucinogen, iboga, an African narcotic of growing social importance, especially in Gabon and vicinity.58 In their very interesting “Ethnomedical, Botanical and Phytochemical Aspects of Natural Hallucinogens”,80 Shultes and Farnsworth “note that of more than 200 species of hallucinogenic plants only two are legally prohibited from use in the United States by Federal Law — Cannabis sativa and Tabernanthe Iboga.”
Nature's Divinity Awaits
Published in Kerry Hughes, The Incense Bible, 2014
Another very common “magical” use of incense is for calling of plant spirits in shamanic traditions. Again, hallucinogenic plants are often used for this purpose, and some may be in the form of an incense or inhaled as smoke. According to the natural medicine pharmacist and student of shamanism, Connie Grauds, plant communication is subtle, and if we train our minds to hear their words we can hear them around us all the time. Perhaps the ability to “hear” the words of plants is not some magical ability that we gain through the use of psychedelics, shamans, or powers that we may or may not be born with; it is something we do every time we smell a flower!
Recent Use of Synthetic Cannabinoids, Synthetic Opioids, and Other Psychoactive Drug Groups among High-risk Drug Users
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2020
Barak Shapira, Ronny Berkovitz, Paola Rosca, Yehuda Neumark
After completing informed consent procedures, an interviewer-administered questionnaire was conducted. Recent use (past 12-month prevalence; EMCDDA 2018b) of a psychoactive substance procured in the illegal drug market was assessed using an itemized inventory of drugs. They are as follows: synthetic cathinones, alcohol, cannabis, methadone and buprenorphine, synthetic cannabinoids, magic mushrooms, hallucinogenic plants (e.g., peyote, datura plants, or mescaline), synthetic hallucinogens (LSD), phencyclidine (PCP), pregabalin, amphetamine (speed), methamphetamine, prescription oral opioids (PO) (i.e. tablets, capsules and liquids consumed orally), injectable ephedrine/pseudoephedrine, “ecstasy” (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine/MDMA), cocaine, crack (or freebase), heroin, ketamine, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB)/gamma-butyrolactone (GBL)/1-4 butanediol (BDB), methylphenidate, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin), and transdermal fentanyl patches (TF).
The use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in young people and their role in mental health care: a systematic review
Published in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 2019
Laura Orsolini, Stefania Chiappini, John M. Corkery, Amira Guirguis, Duccio Papanti, Fabrizio Schifano
Concerns about NPS impact on mental health arise from the observation that the intake of these substances is typically associated with changes of a range of neurotransmitter pathways/receptors whose imbalance has been associated with psychopathological conditions. Indeed, the occurrence of psychosis has been related (for a comprehensive review, see [1]) to: a) increased central dopamine levels, typically described with novel psychedelic phenethylamines, novel stimulants and synthetic cathinones; b) significant cannabinoid CB1 receptor activation, achieved with high potency synthetic cannabimimetics; c) 5-HT2A receptor activation, reported with latest generation phenethylamines, tryptamine derivatives, and hallucinogenic plants; d) antagonist activity at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, described with ketamine, methoxetamine (MXE), and their latest derivatives; and e) k-opioid receptor activation, typically associated with Salvia divinorum (‘Sally D’) intake. One could also argue that, in comparison with adults, the central nervous system of children/adolescents may be more vulnerable to the activity of these molecules, hence raising even further the levels of mental health concerns [74–76].
On Addiction, Complexity, and Freedom: Toward a Liberation-Focused Addiction Treatment
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019
The Brazilian religious group Uñio do Vegetal is a church that uses ayahuasca as a part of its religious rituals. Founded in 1961 by Jose Gabriel da Costa, it has worked with many people who are wrestling with alcohol use disorder. In a study of church members who had taken this hallucinogenic plant: Many reported the common theme that while in the induced altered states of consciousness, they saw themselves on a self-destructive path that would lead to ruin and even demise unless they radically changed their personal conduct and orientation. Many reported that while they were in the throes of a nightmarish visionary experience they would encounter the founder of the UDV, Gabriel da Costa, who would then deliver them from their terrors. The subjects reported that their lives had gone through profound changes since entering the UDV. In addition to discontinuing alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs, they emphatically state that their daily conduct and orientation to the world around them had undergone radical restructuring. They practiced good deeds, watched their words, and had developed a respect for nature. Overall, they subjects reported that they had gained a profound sense of meaning and coherence in their lives. (Dobkin de Rios, Grob, and Baker 2002, 243)