Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2018
Alan K Davis, Elise Renn, Austin-Marley Windham-Herman et al.
34 citations
Most people who underwent ibogaine detoxification for chronic opioid use reported lasting positive changes, including enhanced gratitude, authenticity, and appreciation for life. Those who responded well to treatment showed greater improvements in tolerating difficult feelings, coping with stress, reduced unhealthy anger, and increased inner peace, joy, love, and a sense of sacredness in life. They also reported heightened spiritual awareness and stronger connections in relationships. Challenges included psychological and health difficulties during treatment and problems with post-treatment integration. The findings point to the need for more integration and aftercare resources. Further rigorous experimental research is needed.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
June 1, 2005
Marlene Dobkin De Rios, Charles S Grob, Enrique Lopez et al.
34 citations
In Brazil, adolescents who consume ayahuasca as part of the União do Vegetal religion appear to be healthy, thoughtful, considerate, and strongly bonded to their families and religious peers, based on qualitative comparisons with non-using peers. The study examined 28 ayahuasca-consuming teens and 28 non-users, using vignettes to measure moral and ethical concerns. The findings suggest that, within a legal, structured religious context with elder facilitation, ayahuasca-using youth do not differ from their non-using counterparts in these qualitative measures. This work helps clarify the effects of hallucinogenic plant use in a socially sanctioned setting.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 1989
W Emboden
32 citations
Water lilies and mandrakes, both powerful narcotic plants, likely played a role in shamanistic healing in dynastic Egypt, not merely in ritual mourning as usually thought. An extensive review of iconography and ritual suggests these plants induced a shamanistic trance used in medicine and healing rituals. Analysis of stelae, magical papyri, and vessels indicates that dynastic Egyptians possessed profound knowledge of plant lore and altered states of consciousness. The shamanistic priest, highly placed in society, guided souls, provided for transmutation of souls, and personified plants as possessed by human spirits.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2023
Kevin O St Arnaud, Donald Sharpe
31 citations
Recreational psychedelic use can either improve or harm mental health depending on how and why they are used. A survey of 511 psychedelic users found that frequent use and using the substances to cope with negative emotions predicted worse mental health. In contrast, using psychedelics in a group setting, with intentions of self-expansion, and engaging in post-use integration predicted better mental health. The findings underscore the importance of set and setting—the user's mindset and environment—in determining outcomes, suggesting that recreational use is not inherently beneficial or harmful but depends on contextual factors.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2020
Helle Kaasik, Kairi Kreegipuu
31 citations
In Estonia, ayahuasca is used mainly in neoshamanic group ceremonies, with users motivated by spiritual development, self-knowledge, and spiritual experiences. A cross-sectional case-controlled study compared thirty ayahuasca users with thirty nonusers matched by gender, age, and education. Users reported mostly positive subjective consequences for their health and life, though some difficult experiences and adverse effects occurred. No abuse of or addiction to ayahuasca was found. Screening test indicators of depression and anxiety were lower in the ayahuasca-using group, and no deterioration of mental health was observed compared to nonusers. Participants perceive ayahuasca use as a spiritual practice with favorable outcomes and as a reasonably safe, self-limiting practice.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2002
Robin Rodd
30 citations
Accounts of how yopo—a hallucinogenic snuff from Anadenanthera peregrina seeds—is prepared and used have changed little since the 19th century. Recent fieldwork among the Piaroa of southern Venezuela reveals a practice not described in those early reports: shamans add Banisteriopsis caapi cuttings to the snuff and also drink B. caapi before inhaling, adjusting doses based on the strength of visions needed for specific tasks. This combined use of yopo and B. caapi is pharmacologically and ethnobotanically significant, supporting claims that admixtures were used in snuff. The article argues that further ethnographic study of the snuff hallucinogen complex is necessary.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
September 1, 2009
Dawn N Albertson, Laura E Grubbs
29 citations
Salvia divinorum, a naturally occurring psychedelic and potent hallucinogen, acts via a unique molecular mechanism as a kappa opioid receptor agonist. A survey of 193 participants, including 34 Salvia users, found that users differed from nonusers in personality characteristics and reported consuming significantly more alcohol. Although users rated their hallucinogenic experiences as similar to previously published reports, the majority likened the experience to marijuana rather than traditional psychedelics. Low scores on the ARCI LSD subscale confirmed this finding and challenge the prevailing theory that Salvia produces LSD-like subjective effects.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2023
Daniel J Kruger, Oskar Enghoff, Moss Herberholz et al.
24 citations
In a large online survey of 1,221 people who use psychedelics naturalistically, the most common source of information was their own experimentation and experiences (79.52%). Many also sought information from internet websites (61.67%), friends (61.02%), internet discussion forums (57.08%), books (57%), and peer-reviewed journal articles (54.55%). Few consulted their primary health care provider (4.83%). Scientific journals, psychedelic nonprofits, and university researchers were the most trusted sources; government agencies and pharmaceutical companies were the least trusted. Most participants felt popular media inaccurately stated psychedelics' benefits and risks and failed to distinguish between different types. The results indicate extensive information seeking outside mainstream health care.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
December 1, 2010
Frederick R Dannaway
24 citations
Burning substances for inhalation in enclosed spaces was likely the most primary method of altering consciousness in the ancient world. While much has been written about entheogenic plants, the literature on psychoactive incenses is deficient. From nomadic tents to Taoist meditation rooms, smoldering plant and resin fumes were used for invocation, banishment, and shamanic travel since humanity mastered fire. The text details primary "incense cults" and highlights commonalities and shared influences. It speculates that selective burning of substances like mercury and sulfur may have contributed to their lasting use and veneration in alchemy across India, China, Arabia, and Europe. A companion online database is planned.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
June 1, 2008
Ronald K Bullis
24 citations
The 2006 Supreme Court decision allowing a religious group to import, distribute, and ingest the hallucinogen hoasca for sacramental use sets a precedent for religious freedom with psychotropic substances. The article outlines the church's and government's arguments, explains the case facts and decision, and evaluates the likelihood of future religion-based exceptions for entheogen use, offering a profile of groups most likely to receive such exemptions.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2020
Ismael Eduardo Apud Peláez
22 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew from the Amazon, is used in religious, spiritual, and therapeutic settings, including addiction treatment. In former substance users from Catalonia and surrounding areas, those who took ayahuasca scored higher on Novelty Seeking and Self-Transcendence, as well as on traits Attachment, Impulsivity, Compassion, and Spiritual Acceptance, compared to a control group. Recovery may relate less to reducing Impulsivity and Novelty Seeking—typical in substance use disorder—and more to increasing Character dimensions, especially Self-Transcendence and Cooperativeness. Participants reported that self-reflective, prosocial, and transcendental ayahuasca ritual experiences helped reconstruct personal goals, gratifications, social bonds, and life direction.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2016
Laurie Cloutier-Gill, Evan Wood, Trevor Millar et al.
22 citations
A 37-year-old woman with a 19-year history of severe opioid use disorder, who had never achieved more than two months of continuous abstinence while on methadone, maintained an ongoing 18-month period of abstinence after a four-day ibogaine treatment. No safety issues were observed. The authors suggest that ibogaine may produce transformative experiences that lead to long-term remission in some treatment-refractory patients, but rigorous trials are needed to establish safety and efficacy.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2011
Donald R Wesson
22 citations
During the 1960s, mainstream culture and the hippie counterculture both embraced the idea of 'better living through chemistry,' but disagreed on which chemicals. Political activists believed they could change mainstream culture and succeeded, while hippies were largely alienated and focused on building a separate culture. The Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco was the epicenter of hippie enclaves. This paper presents a personal history of the evolution of the hippie counterculture, changing drug use patterns in the Haight-Ashbury, and the origins of the Phenobarbital Withdrawal Protocol (also called the Smith and Wesson Protocol) for withdrawing patients from barbiturates and other sedative-hypnotics.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
September 1, 2008
Robin Rodd
22 citations
The harmala alkaloids in Banisteriopsis caapi have drawn attention for their monoamine oxidase inhibiting properties, but this focus has overshadowed the plant's broader cultural significance among indigenous South American societies. Among the Piaroa of southern Venezuela, who use only the cambium and identify at least five varieties of B. caapi, the plant is valued for heightening empathy and has extra-shamanic uses as a stimulant and hunting aid. Given the psychopharmacological complexity of harmala alkaloids and the ethnographic evidence, future research should reconsider B. caapi's cultural heritage and potential as a stimulant and antidepressant-like substance.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2023
Julian Urrutia, Brian T Anderson, Sean J Belouin et al.
21 citations
Combining psychedelic science, contemplative practices, and Indigenous and other traditional knowledge systems in integrative, community-based models of care could transform global health. Both contemplative practices and certain psychedelic substances reliably induce self-transcendent experiences that positively affect health, well-being, and prosocial behavior, and combining them appears synergistic. Traditional knowledge systems offer ethnobotanical expertise and time-tested practices. A decolonized agenda for psychedelic research requires collaborative engagement with traditional knowledge stewards to co-develop evidence-based integrative care accessible to their communities. Health systems could include Indigenous and traditional healers as stakeholders in designing, implementing, and evaluating community-based approaches for safely scaling psychedelic treatments.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
June 1, 2007
Phil Dalgarno
21 citations
Salvia divinorum, a hallucinogenic plant native to Mexico, has been used by the Mazatec Indians in divinatory rituals to contact spirits of the dead, traditionally by chewing the leaves for visionary effects. Western drug cultures have adopted the plant since the mid-1990s, often smoking dried leaves for immediate effects. Qualitative data from 10 Salvia users, collected via email interviews with in-depth responses presented verbatim, show that effects vary between users and are sensitive to situational factors. Users familiar with the traditional ritualistic setting appear to have a fuller experience than those who are not.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 1989
P A Wright
20 citations
A common psychobiological process may underlie various altered states of consciousness (ASC) used by shamans, meditators, and mediums, but the shamanic state of consciousness (SSC) can be physiologically distinguished from possession trance states. A review of psychophysiological literature on trances and temporal lobe seizure conditions suggests that both SSC and possession trances involve hippocampal-septal stimulation, while possession states additionally involve the amygdala. This difference helps clarify the terms "shamanic," "shamanistic," and "mediumistic." The SSC appears to be physiologically and psychologically beneficial, and a genetic component likely influences one's ability to enter it and other ASC.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2023
Zachary Herrmann, Mitch Earleywine, Joseph De Leo et al.
19 citations
Subjective responses to psychedelic drugs, such as mystical experiences and oceanic boundlessness, often correlate with therapeutic improvements in conditions like treatment-resistant depression, end-of-life anxiety, and substance use disorders. Measuring these responses is challenging; several scales show good reliability and factor structure, but samples are often small and self-selected. This review examines the psychometric properties of widely used scales and their links to treatment outcomes. Challenging experiences, psychological insight, and emotional breakthroughs also show promise, though replication is needed. A collaborative approach to data collection on subjective reactions in therapeutic settings could help predict improvement across conditions.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2021
Matteo Politi, Fabio Friso, Gary Saucedo et al.
18 citations
A therapeutic community for substance use disorders combines traditional Amazonian medicine with modern psychotherapy. One plant medicine used is purgahuasca, a decoction of Banisteriopsis caapi vine traditionally used by Awajún people as an initiation rite. Clinical data from patients show that after ingestion, 359 (92.1%) reported mareación (dizziness), 299 (76.7%) experienced physical sensations, and 208 (53.3%) had visions. These effects relate to β-carboline alkaloids in B. caapi, which may contribute to patients' therapeutic process by helping them become aware of personal reasons behind addictive behaviors.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
December 1, 2010
Kevin Feeney
18 citations
An analysis of over 600 anecdotal accounts of Amanita muscaria inebriation shows that the mushroom's effects depend on how it is prepared. Preparations that mirror the pressing and filtering described for Soma in the Rig Veda considerably reduce toxic effects. This finding addresses a key criticism of R. Gordon Wasson's 1968 theory identifying Soma as Amanita muscaria, namely that such preparation should be unnecessary if the raw mushroom produces equivalent results. The results strengthen Wasson's theory but are unlikely to end the debate over Soma's identity.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2025
Jacob S Aday, Emily K Bloesch, Alan K Davis et al.
16 citations
People who attended an ayahuasca retreat reported lasting increases in gratitude, feeling connected to nature, and appreciating nature. Surveys of 54 participants taken one week before, one week after, and one month after the retreat showed significant improvements at both follow-ups compared to baseline. The intensity of mystical-type experiences and awe during ayahuasca sessions weakly to moderately correlated with these increases, while the number of ceremonies attended did not. Older participants reported less intense mystical and awe experiences. The findings suggest that the quality of psychedelic experiences, particularly mystical and awe states, may foster prosocial changes in gratitude and nature connection.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2019
Erika Dyck
16 citations
Before palliative care existed as a medical specialty, dying was often neglected by modern medicine. In the 1950s, researchers exploring LSD and mescaline began to see dying care as a potential application for psychedelics, particularly for easing anxiety associated with death. These early discussions were cut short when psychedelics were criminalized. The article examines those historical conversations and considers how they might inform current, more developed discussions about using psychedelics in palliative care.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
September 1, 2010
Pearl P Nyi, Emily P Lai, Diana Y Lee et al.
16 citations
A survey of 219 Salvia divinorum users recruited through social networking websites found that users who first tried salvia at age 21 or younger were more likely to use it for fun or to relieve boredom, while those who first tried it at age 22 or older were more likely to seek spiritual effects. Older first-time users also had higher odds of concurrent marijuana or tobacco use. Over half of respondents had reduced or stopped using salvia in the past year, often because they disliked the high or lost interest, suggesting that salvia use may be driven more by curiosity than by sustained abuse.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2025
Elias C Acevedo, Scott Uhler, Kaitlyn P White et al.
15 citations
Psychological insight, not supernatural beliefs, predicts lasting benefits from psychedelic experiences. Analyzing 240 unsolicited self-reports from Erowid.org, path analysis showed that psychological insight uniquely predicted beneficial outcomes, while metaphysical beliefs did not. The positive links between ego dissolution, therapeutic intent, and beneficial outcomes were fully mediated by psychological insight. This supports the predictive self-binding theory over the metaphysical belief theory of psychedelic benefits.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2015
Joseph El-Khoury, Nayiri Sahakian
15 citations
Consumption of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum may be linked to the development of psychotic disorders, according to a review of literature and two original case reports. While hallucinogens typically cause transient psychedelic effects, sometimes these persist and cause distress requiring intervention. The authors hypothesize an association between Salvia divinorum and psychosis, particularly among youth, and recommend that clinicians routinely ask about Salvia use in patients with substance use or psychotic disorders. They call for more research and increased public and medical awareness of this and other emerging drugs.