Journal of Psychedelic Studies
February 19, 2024
Nicholas Spiers, Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Anna O. Ermakova et al.
27 citations
An annotated bibliography of 49 texts on Indigenous psilocybin mushroom practices curates academic works from anthropology, history, archaeology, ethnolinguistics, and ethnomycology. The selected books and articles foreground overlooked research and subject matter, covering contemporary practices and historical uses across cultural traditions in Mexico and other regions. The annotations provide brief summaries, contextualization, and critical appraisals, aiming to offer a diverse overview of research and an accessible resource for further exploration. The team of psychedelic researchers behind this bibliography hopes it will contribute to more nuanced dialogue around Indigenous people and practices in the context of the so-called psychedelic renaissance.
Addiction
December 10, 2025
John Marsden, Michael Kelleher, Fiona Dunbar et al.
2 citations
A single 10 mg intranasal dose of the psychedelic drug BPL-003 (a formulation of 5-MeO-DMT) combined with cognitive behavioral therapy was safe and tolerable in people with moderate-to-severe alcohol use disorder. Over 12 weeks, the average percentage of abstinent days increased from 33.2% at baseline to 80.8%, and heavy drinking days dropped from 56.2% to 13.2%. Half of the 12 participants who completed the study were continuously abstinent, a quarter had meaningful reductions in drinking, and a quarter showed little change. Measures of craving, well-being, and quality of life also improved. The findings support larger controlled trials.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
June 9, 2023
Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Anna O. Ermakova, Jordan Sloshower et al.
1 citation
The Drug Enforcement Administration's 2020 report on ayahuasca downplays the substance's safety and therapeutic potential while overemphasizing its risks, according to a critical analysis by scholars. The report omits current research demonstrating ayahuasca's potential benefits and contains factual omissions, theoretical biases, and misinterpretations of existing data. The critique was prompted by the DEA's 2023 disclosure of the report to the legal team of the Church of the Eagle and the Condor, following FOIA requests submitted two years earlier by the church and Chacruna Institute.
Biological Psychiatry
April 10, 2023
James Rucker, Mathieu Seynaeve, Allan H. Young et al.
1 citation
Nasal administration of tryptamine psychedelics significantly elevates mood in 70% of participants, based on a sample size of 150 individuals. This method enhances the effects on consciousness and psychological well-being, indicating strong potential in pharmacology and psychiatry. The study highlights how these substances influence neurotransmitter receptors, leading to altered states of awareness. With implications for forensic toxicology and drug analysis, findings suggest that psychedelics may offer new avenues for therapeutic applications in mental health.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 27, 2026
Claire T. Roberts, Mathieu Seynaeve, Anna O. Ermakova et al.
A single dose of BPL-003, a psychedelic drug given as a nasal spray, was safe in people with treatment-resistant depression. Depression scores dropped quickly and stayed lower for 12 weeks, suggesting the drug may help this hard-to-treat condition. Larger controlled trials are needed.
Frontiers in Conservation Science
September 29, 2025
Anna O. Ermakova, Sam Gandy
Naturally occurring psychedelic plants and animals—peyote, ayahuasca vine, iboga, and the Sonoran Desert toad—face threats from climate change, habitat loss, and overharvesting. Despite their biological differences, all four species share a lack of data that hinders evidence-based conservation. Priorities for protecting them include long-term ecological monitoring, genetic and chemical diversity research, sustainable harvest studies, and incorporating Indigenous knowledge into conservation planning.
Ponto Urbe
December 27, 2024
Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Anna O. Ermakova, Jordan Sloshower et al.
In February 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a 2020 report titled 'Ayahuasca: Risks to Public Health and Safety' to the legal team of the Church of the Eagle and the Condor, following Freedom of Information Act requests. This article challenges several claims in the DEA report, highlighting factual omissions, theoretical biases, and misinterpretations of existing data. The authors argue that the report minimizes ayahuasca's safety profile and therapeutic potential while overemphasizing risks, and fails to include current research demonstrating its potential benefits.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
February 29, 2024
Nicholas Spiers, Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Anna O. Ermakova et al.
correction
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