Plant based assisted therapy for the treatment of substance use disorders - part 1. The case of takiwasi center and other similar experiences
Cultura y Droga – July 03, 2018
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Traditional medicine offers promising alternative medicine approaches for substance use disorders. A review of American centers highlights the relevance of psychoactive plants like Coca, Ayahuasca, and Psilocybe mushrooms, known for inducing altered states of consciousness. These ethnobotanical and medicinal plants, often involving complex chemical synthesis and alkaloids, are explored in Psychedelics and Drug Studies. Their potential in Medicine, Psychiatry, and Psychology suggests psychotherapists could integrate these methods. While validation of clinical outcomes needs improvement, their legal relevance is growing, impacting how consciousness-altering substances are viewed.
Abstract
Objective. This article aims to give an overview of the major American centers using traditional herbal medicine or their derivatives in the treatment of substance dependence. Methodology. For the purpose of this article we have considered a small number of plants hailing from South, Central and North America. The research has been based on scientific literature, information exchange with treatment centers, internet searches and the personal experience of the authors. Results and discussion. Results show the relevance of certain psychoactive plants well known also for inducing modified states of consciousness (MSCs) including Ayahuasca, Coca, Wachuma, Tobacco, Psilocybe mushrooms, Salvia divinorum and Peyote. Conclusions. Plant based assisted therapy for the treatment of substance use disorders appear to be a promising field of research, although validation of the clinical outcomes need to be improved for the majority of the analyzed cases.