OPEN Foundation

Day: 22 December 2005

Hallucinogenic botanicals of America: A growing need for focused drug education and research

December 22, 2005 / Ayahuasca, Cacti / Mescaline, Ethnobotany, History, Iboga / Ibogaine, Indigenous use, Other disciplines, Other subjects, Other substances, Publications, Safety, Salvia / Salvinorin A, Spirituality / By / ,

Abstract

Botanical sources for medicines in America have been known since long before the arrival of Columbus. Nevertheless, both scientists and the general public are often unaware that some of these botanical drugs are also potent intoxicants. We provide a quick overview of hallucinogenic and dissociative drugs harvested from nature or that are openly and legally cultivated in the United States. Examples of harmful outcomes reported in the media are contrasted with existing responsible ingestion by others, some of whom have the protected right to do so for traditional or sacramental religious purposes. Despite an ongoing and expensive effort to warn people of the potential harms of recreational drug use, little is known about the extent of use of these psychoactive botanicals, and the recent explosion of information available via the Internet could herald a storm of morbidity to come. Mounting more targeted research and educational efforts today may reduce later use and abuse, inform society about the special circumstances of religious use, and better prepare clinicians and other health care providers about the issues involved when people choose to indigenously source psychoactive drugs for human consumption.

Halpern, J. H., & Sewell, R. A. (2005). Hallucinogenic botanicals of America: A growing need for focused drug education and research. Life sciences, 78(5), 519-526. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2005.09.005
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Screening the receptorome for plant-based psychoactive compounds

December 22, 2005 / Ayahuasca, Neuroscience, Other subjects, Papers, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Publications, Salvia / Salvinorin A / By / ,

Abstract

Throughout time, humans have used psychoactive plants and plant-derived products for spiritual, therapeutic and recreational purposes. Furthermore, the investigation of psychoactive plants such as Cannabis sativa (marijuana), Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) and analogues of psychoactive plant derivatives such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) have provided insight into our understanding of neurochemical processes and diseases of the CNS. Currently, many of these compounds are being used to treat a variety of diseases, such as depression and anxiety in the case of Piper methysticum Kava Kava (Martin et al., 2002; Singh and Singh, 2002). G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the most common molecular target for both psychoactive drugs and pharmaceuticals. The “receptorome” (that portion of the genome encoding ligand reception) encompasses more than 8% of the human genome (Roth et al., 2004) and as such provides a large number of possible targets for psychoactive drug interactions. A systematic, comprehensive study is necessary to identify novel active psychoactive plant-based compounds and the molecular targets of known compounds. Herein we describe the development of a high throughput system (HTS) to screen psychoactive compounds against the receptorome and present two examples (Salvia divinorum, the “magic mint” hallucinogen and Banisteriopsis caapi, the main component of Ayahuasca, a psychoactive beverage) where HTS enabled the identification of the molecular target of each compound.

O’connor, K. A., & Roth, B. L. (2005). Screening the receptorome for plant-based psychoactive compounds. Life sciences, 78(5), 506-511. 10.1016/j.lfs.2005.09.002
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30 April - Q&A with Rick Strassman

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