Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
February 1, 2018
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Rafael Faria Sanches, Flávia de Lima Osório et al.
37 citations
Ayahuasca, a botanical hallucinogenic preparation containing β-carboline alkaloids and DMT, was well tolerated by patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder in an open-label trial. Symptom reductions lasted only a few weeks, but most patients considered the experience among the most important of their lives, even 4 to 7 years later. This is the first long-term follow-up of a clinical sample from an ayahuasca trial, suggesting that while acute antidepressant effects are short-lived, the subjective significance endures.
Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
January 1, 2017
Eduardo Ekman Schenberg, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Daniel Rezinovsky et al.
28 citations
A Brazilian Portuguese version of the States of Consciousness Questionnaire (SOCQ) was produced, and the 30-item Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) was validated in a sample of 1,504 Portuguese-speaking respondents who completed an online survey. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the same four-factor structure as the original English MEQ30, with factors showing excellent to acceptable reliability: mystical (0.95), positive mood (0.71), transcendence of time/space (0.83), and ineffability (0.81). The availability of these instruments allows systematic cross-cultural research on altered states of consciousness and mystical experiences in the Brazilian Portuguese-speaking population.
Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
December 1, 2005
Maria Carolina Meres Costa, Mariana Cecchetto Figueiredo, Sílvia de Oliveira Santos Cazenave
17 citations
Ayahuasca tea has been used for millennia by indigenous peoples of South America as a spiritual and ritual instrument with extreme religiosity. In the last century, non-indigenous sects began using the tea, and this use has increased since its legalization for religious purposes in Brazil. The tea's action is due to alkaloids in the plants used in its preparation: the vine Banisteriopsis caapi and the leaves of the shrub Psychotria viridis. Observed effects include hallucinations, hypertension, tachycardia, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. These actions can cause more serious effects on the body and thus deserve greater attention from health professionals to promote studies that allow religious use without greater biological harm and to raise user awareness of possible toxic effects.
Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
April 1, 2020
José Carlos Bouso, I. Fornís, Mireia Ventura et al.
15 citations
The purity of iboga products sold online and by treatment providers is highly variable. Analysis of 16 samples—including root bark, total alkaloids, purified total alkaloids, and ibogaine hydrochloride—found ibogaine content ranging from 0.6% to 11.2% in root bark, 8.2% to 32.9% in total alkaloid products, 73.7% in one purified sample, and 61.5% to 73.4% in ibogaine hydrochloride samples. One sample contained no iboga alkaloids. Almost all samples also contained other alkaloids and unknown substances. The variability poses risks for correct dosing and potential adverse reactions or interactions.
Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
August 1, 2017
Rafael G. Dos Santos, José Carlos Bouso, Jaime E. C. Hallak
15 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive plant-based concoction traditionally used by indigenous groups in the Amazon, is increasingly used worldwide. In controlled settings, its administration appears safe, with few adverse reactions; more frequent adverse events occur in uncontrolled environments. Prolonged psychotic reactions are rare and mainly affect susceptible individuals. Studies in animals and humans suggest antidepressive, anxiolytic, and antiaddictive effects, but controlled clinical trials are lacking. People with a personal or family history of psychotic disorders should avoid ayahuasca.
Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
January 1, 2011
Suely Mizumoto, Dartiu Xavier Da Silveira, Paulo César Ribeiro Barbosa et al.
14 citations
A Brazilian Portuguese version of the Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS) has been produced through translation, back-translation, and committee review, following guidelines for semantic and conceptual equivalence. The HRS is a standard questionnaire used in the U.S. and Europe to evaluate subjective effects of hallucinogens, including ayahuasca. The final version is intended to provide a sensitive instrument for quantifying hallucinogen-induced states in Brazil, where scientific interest in such substances is growing.