LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
May 1, 2021
21 citations
Ayahuasca, a traditional entheogenic beverage, was tested as a potential antidepressant in rats exposed to unpredictable chronic mild stress. Daily administration of 500 mg/kg for 15 days did not prevent anhedonia-like behavior, a core symptom of depression. However, ayahuasca counteracted stress-induced increases in TBARS and nitrite levels in the cerebral cortex and restored decreased catalase and hippocampal sulfhydryl levels, suggesting an adaptogenic antioxidant molecular mechanism. Locomotion was unaffected. The findings indicate that ayahuasca may mitigate some biochemical changes associated with stress-induced depression without altering behavior in non-stressed rats.
LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
November 2, 2011
Carlos Manuel Quirce Balma
2 citations
This paper analyzes anthropological, religious, and mythological phenomena where gods transform into demons or vice versa, termed the 'inversion effect.' This occurs when new religious creeds supplant older beliefs, shifting deities from heaven to hell. In ancient matrilineal myths, the sky is often a threatening place and the underworld safe and friendly; patrilineal eras invert this, associating the sky with the celestial and the underworld with the undesirable or infernal. Light and darkness, and good and evil symbolism, play key roles. A Bribri myth is examined to illustrate the inversion effect, with ethnopharmacological and botanical implications noted.
LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
January 1, 2010
Jacques Gauthier
2 citations
Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari's concept of the Body without Organs and Guattari's "Three Ecologies," the author proposes a Buddhist-inspired becoming-emptiness as the condition for other becomings, following Simondon's logic of desubjectification. The notion of mandala meets that of plateau, and a humorous emptiness, aware of impermanence, generates an epistemology of emptiness relevant to environmental studies and a basis for intercultural studies that surpasses hypothetical-deductive or ancestral regional epistemologies. The concept of arborescence, previously opposed by Deleuze and Guattari, is revisited through recent genetic studies and Ayahuasca shamanic experiences. This leads to institutional interventions and environmental practices with transversal, transcultural, and spiritual content, inspired by sociopoetics and a culture of peace based on an instituting dialogue among the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms.
LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
January 24, 2024
A scoping review of nine studies found that psilocybin, a hallucinogenic alkaloid, effectively reduces depression and anxiety in patients with terminal cancer when administered in controlled settings with psychotherapy. The substance is well tolerated and has no significant adverse effects. The review calls for more research with larger and more diverse samples.
LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
July 28, 2017
Robson Savoldi, Daniel Polari, Jaquelinne Pinheiro Da Silva et al.
Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian infusion made from Banisteriopsis caapi stem and Psychotria viridis leaves, contains N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. In adult zebrafish exposed to five concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 3 ml/L, with 14 fish per group), swimming speed and distance traveled decreased with higher concentrations, while freezing and bottom dwelling increased at 1 and 3 ml/L. At 0.1 ml/L, bottom dwelling declined, suggesting reduced anxiety-like behavior. Low doses did not affect locomotion and appeared anxiolytic, whereas higher doses produced anxiogenic effects. Temporal behavioral analysis in zebrafish offers a sensitive method for studying ayahuasca-induced brain changes.
LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
January 1, 2009
Guilherme Balarde Martinez, Celi de Paula Silva
Ayahuasca tea has been used for centuries by indigenous tribes in the Amazon Basin and southern Andes for therapeutic, magical, and religious purposes. In the last century, non-indigenous sects began using it, spreading the tea worldwide. Ayahuasca is made from the liana Banisteriopsis caapi and leaves of Psychotria viridis, which contain potent hallucinogens such as harmine, harmaline, tetrahydroharmine, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Main effects include hallucinations, hypertension, tachycardia, vomiting, and intense diarrhea, described by users as a process of “soul purification.” However, its pharmacological bases remain poorly understood, and combining it with other substances may cause harmful effects, warranting further research into its toxic potential. This work reviews the botanical and pharmacological aspects of ayahuasca's constituent plants.