Hallucinogens
G. Hussein Rassool in Alcohol and Drug Misuse, 2017
Psilocybin (magic mushrooms) is the hallucinogenic chemical that occurs in more than 180 species of fresh or dried mushrooms. Psilocybin or psilocin mushrooms have a long history of use in Mexico and are one of the most available natural psychedelics. In its pure form, psilocybin is also a white powder, but it is usually sold as dried mushrooms or in substances made from mushrooms. International varieties are becoming more widely available through specialist shops and the Internet. Psilocybin is from the same chemical family as LSD so its effects are similar. They can be eaten fresh, cooked or brewed into a “tea”. It usually takes about 30 to 50 mushrooms to produce a hallucinogenic experience similar to that experienced with LSD. Physical effects of psilocybin are usually experienced within 20 minutes of ingestion and can last for six hours. Other hallucinogens include psilocybin (liberty cap mushrooms), Amanita Muscaria (fly agaric mushrooms) and mescaline which is derived from the peyote cactus.
Consciousness, Sleep and Hypnosis, Meditation, and Psychoactive Drugs
Mohamed Ahmed Abd El-Hay in Understanding Psychology for Medicine and Nursing, 2019
Hallucinogens can be classified into two subcategories: the classic hallucinogens and the dissociative drugs, but they are typically classified pharmacologically according to the affected neurotransmitter system. Cholinergic hallucinogens (drugs altering acetylcholine transmission) include physostigmine, scopolamine, and atropine. Drugs that alter norepinephrine transmission include mescaline and ecstasy. Drugs that alter serotonin transmission include LSD and psilocin. Drugs that alter glutamate transmission include phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine. Marijuana is often classified as a hallucinogen substance, though it produces sensory distortions only at high doses.
Hallucinogenic Agents
Frank A. Barile in Barile’s Clinical Toxicology, 2019
The desirable pharmacological effects of psilocybin, and its more active metabolite psilocin, mimic those of LSD. A 20 mg dose of psilocin is equivalent to 100 μg of LSD. The effects, which last for about 3 h, begin with anxiety and nausea and then proceed to dream-like trances (with the inability to discern them from reality) and hallucinations. Trailer images, not unlike LSD, induce changes in color and shape perception.
A Proposal to Study the Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybe cubensis in Preclinical and Clinical Studies as a Therapeutic Alternative for Major Depressive Disorder
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2023
Raul Escamilla, María Eva González-Trujano, Jesús M. González Mariscal, Jesús Martín Torres-Valencia, Héctor Guzmán-González, José Luis Vega, Anja Loizaga-Velder
Whereas recent regulatory changes in Canada in some states of the USA provide legal access to ritual and therapeutic uses of psilocybin mushrooms, current scheduling of psilocybin, psilocin, and Psilocybe mushroom species in group I of controlled drugs within the General Health Law of Mexico implies complicated bureaucratic hurdles for implementing clinical trials, which has so far limited scientific research studies in our country. Obtaining the necessary permits to work with controlled substances or compounds can be a lengthy process, involving approval processes from multiple regulatory and health agencies. Given the new evidence of their therapeutic potential, their reclassification is necessary (Johnson et al. 2018), in our country, to facilitate research in this promising mental health field.
Commentary: Evidence-Informed Recommendation to Achieve Approximate Parity in the Allowed Number of Doses for Common Psychedelics
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2023
Kelan L. Thomas, Robert Jesse, Nicky J. Mehtani, Jennifer M. Mitchell, Brian T. Anderson
If legislation, such as SB-519, considers setting limits for psilocybin + psilocin-containing mushrooms, it is important to recognize that psilocin is roughly 1.5 times more potent than psilocybin, and mushrooms may have >10-fold variability in psilocybin + psilocin concentrations (Beug and Bigwood 1982; Bigwood and Beug 1982; Gartz 1994). Based on a wide range of data from dried mushroom samples, 2–5 g of dried mushrooms (3.5 g middle of range) could correspond to between 10 and 50 mg of psilocybin (30 mg middle of range), depending on the conditions of cultivation, drying, and mushroom species (Amsterdam, Jan, and van den Brink 2011; Dinis-Oliveira 2017). This large range of psilocybin + psilocin content across species and cultivation techniques makes any mushroom-based “allowable weight” particularly uncertain. Thus, significant caution should be exercised in developing “allowable weight” policies for dried mushroom material or any other carrier weight when the intent is to provide limits on psilocybin + psilocin or other controlled substances. In situations for which definite amounts of psilocybin + psilocin in mushrooms are unknown, laboratory analysis of the specific mushrooms in question can be employed to provide accurate quantification.
Chemical Composition of Traditional and Analog Ayahuasca
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2021
Helle Kaasik, Rita C. Z. Souza, Flávia S. Zandonadi, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Alessandra Sussulini
Moclobemide (a pharmaceutical MAOI antidepressant) and psilocin (a psychedelic compound contained in mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe) were qualitatively confirmed by chemical analyses in samples 15 and 25. These samples did not contain substantial concentrations of B. caapi alkaloids but had high concentrations of DMT (see Table 1). These samples were taken from ceremonies held in Europe by the same facilitator during two consecutive nights. The decoction was psychoactive at doses in the range 25−50 mL, but also caused a lot of vomiting and especially diarrhea. According to the organizer of the ceremonies, this brew contained Mimosa as the source of DMT, this was confirmed by detection of yuremamine.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Alkaloid
- Psilocybin
- Psilocybin Mushroom
- Psychedelic Drug
- Phosphorylation
- Serotonin
- Substituted Tryptamine
- 5-Ht2A Receptor
- Lsd
- N,N-Dimethyltryptamine