OPEN Foundation

Indigenous use

Editorial (Thematic Issue: Introduction to 'Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions')

January 28, 2015 / Addiction, Ayahuasca, Cacti / Mescaline, DMT, Iboga / Ibogaine, Indigenous use, LSD, MDMA, Medicine, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Mystical experiences, Neuroscience, Other subjects, Other substances, Papers, Phenomenology, Philosophy, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Psychosis, Psychotherapy, Publications, Safety, Salvia / Salvinorin A, Sociology, Spirituality / By / ,

Editorial

Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’

We are witnessing a revival of psychedelic research. An increasing number of studies investigating the therapeutic use of psychedelics are currently underway at some of the most renowned universities. Dedicating a second issue of ‘Current Drug Abuse Reviews’ to psychedelics aims to keep up with this blossoming field. With the availability of modern scientific instruments, psychedelic research is once again gaining a firm foothold in academia.

The idea of this special issue originated at the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research, organised by the OPEN Foundation in 2012. OPEN was founded in 2007 in the Netherlands, in order to stimulate and advance scientific research into psychedelics. This special issue of CDAR takes an interdisciplinary approach to the topic of psychedelics and mental health, while maintaining a particular focus on applications of psychedelics in the fields of substance abuse and addiction. This special issue also takes a critical look at some widespread assumptions about psychedelics, introduces new ideas and suggests novel directions for future research.

Kortekaas, R., & Breeksema, J. J. (2015). Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 7(2), 69-70. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874473708666150120114604

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Articles in this special issue:

Editorial (Thematic Issue: Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’)
Ayahuasca, Psychedelic Studies and Health Sciences: The Politics of Knowledge and Inquiry into an Amazonian Plant Brew
Crisis Intervention Related to the Use of Psychoactive Substances in Recreational Settings – Evaluating the Kosmicare Project at Boom Festival
Psychedelics as Medicines for Substance Abuse Rehabilitation: Evaluating Treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca
A Qualitative Report on the Subjective Experience of Intravenous Psilocybin Administered in an fMRI Environment
Salvinorin A and Related Compounds as Therapeutic Drugs for Psychostimulant-Related Disorders

Ayahuasca, Psychedelic Studies and Health Sciences: The Politics of Knowledge and Inquiry into an Amazonian Plant Brew

January 28, 2015 / Ayahuasca, Creativity, Indigenous use, Medicine, Neuroscience, Other subjects, Papers, Philosophy, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Publications, Sociology / By / ,

Abstract

This article offers critical sociological and philosophical reflections on ayahuasca and other psychedelics as objects of research in medicine, health and human sciences. It situates 21st century scientific inquiry on ayahuasca in the broader context of how early modern European social trends and intellectual pursuits translated into new forms of empiricism and experimental philosophy, but later evolved into a form of dogmatism that convenienced the political suppression of academic inquiry into psychedelics. Applying ideas from the field of science and technology studies, we consider how ayahuasca’s myriad ontological representations in the 21st century — for example, plant teacher, traditional medicine, religious sacrament, material commodity, cognitive tool, illicit drug — influence our understanding of it as an object of inquiry. We then explore epistemological issues related to ayahuasca studies, including how the indigenous and mestizo concept of “plant teacher” or the more instrumental notion of psychedelics as “cognitive tools” may impact understanding of knowledge. This leads to questions about whether scientists engaged in ayahuasca research should be expected to have personal experiences with the brew, and how these may be perceived to help or hinder the objectivity of their pursuits. We conclude with some brief reflections on the politics of psychedelic research and impediments to academic knowledge production in the field of psychedelic studies.

Tupper, K. W., & Labate, B. C. (2015). Ayahuasca, Psychedelic Studies and Health Sciences: The Politics of Knowledge and Inquiry into an Amazonian Plant Brew. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 7(2), 71-80. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874473708666150107155042
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Psychedelics as Medicines for Substance Abuse Rehabilitation: Evaluating Treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca

January 28, 2015 / Addiction, Ayahuasca, Cacti / Mescaline, Iboga / Ibogaine, Indigenous use, LSD, Neuroscience, Papers, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Publications / By /

Abstract

Substances known as psychedelics, hallucinogens and entheogens have been employed in ethnomedical traditions for thousands of years, but after promising uses in the 1950’s and 1960’s they were largely prohibited in medical treatment and human research starting in the 1970’s as part of the fallout from the war on drugs. Nonetheless, there are a number of studies which suggest that these substances have potential applications in the treatment of addictions. While these substances are generally classified as Schedule I, alleging no established medical uses and a high drug abuse potential, there is nonetheless evidence indicating they might be safe and effective tools for short term interventions in addictions treatment. Evidence suggests that the psychedelics have a much greater safety profile than the major addictive drugs, having extremely low levels of mortality, and producing little if any physical dependence. This paper reviews studies evaluating the use of LSD, peyote, ibogaine and ayahuasca in the treatment of dependencies and the possible mechanisms underlying the indications of effectiveness. Evidence suggests that these substances help assist recovery from drug dependency through a variety of therapeutic mechanisms, including a notable “after-glow” effect that in part reflects their action on the serotonin neurotransmitter system. Serotonin has been long recognized as central to the psychedelics’ well-known phenomenological, physical, emotional and cognitive dynamics. These serotonin-based dynamics are directly relevant to treatment of addiction because of depressed serotonin levels found in addict populations, as well as the role of serotonin as a neuromodulators affecting many other neurotransmitter systems.

Winkelman, M. (2015). Psychedelics as Medicines for Substance Abuse Rehabilitation: Evaluating Treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 7(2), 101-116. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874473708666150107120011

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Medical Drug or Shamanic Power Plant: The Uses of Kambô in Brazil

December 11, 2014 / Anthropology, Depression, Ethnobotany, Indigenous use, Medicine, Other subjects, Other substances, Papers, Publications / By / ,

Abstract

The secretion from the frog Phyllomedusa bicolor, known in Portuguese as kambô, has traditionally been used as a stimulant and an invigorating agent for hunting by indigenous groups such as the Katukina, Yawanawa, and the Kaxinawa in the southeast Amazon. Since the mid 90s, its use has expanded to large cities in Brazil and, since the late 2000s, abroad to Europe and the US. The urban diffusion of the use of kambô has taken place via healing clinics offering alternative therapies, by way of members of the Brazilian ayahuasca religions, and through travel, mainly by Amazonian rubber tappers, the Katukina, and the Kawinawa Indians. In this article, we present an ethnography of the expansion and reinvention of the use of kambô. We describe the individuals who apply the substance, who are a diverse group, including indigenous healers, ex-rubber tappers, holistic therapists, and doctors. We argue that the frog secretion has a double appeal among this new urban clientele: as a “remedy of science,” in which its biochemical properties are stressed; and as a “remedy of spirit,” in which its “indigenous origin” is more valued, as if kambô was a kind of shamanic power plant analogous to peyote and ayahuasca.

Labate, B. C., & Lima, E. C. D. (2014). Medical Drug or Shamanic Power Plant: The Uses of Kambô in Brazil. Ponto Urbe. Revista do núcleo de antropologia urbana da USP, (15).
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The Consumption of Psychoactive Plants in Ancient Global and Anatolian Cultures During Religious Rituals: The Roots of the Eruption of Mythological Figures and Common Symbols in Religions and Myths

June 12, 2014 / Ayahuasca, Cacti / Mescaline, DMT, Ethnobotany, Iboga / Ibogaine, Indigenous use, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Other disciplines, Other subjects, Papers, Publications, Religious studies, Salvia / Salvinorin A / By /

Abstract

Psychoactive plants which contain hallucinogenic molecules that induce a form of altered states of consciousness (H-ASC) have been widely used during the religious rituals of many cultures throughout the centuries, while the consumption of these plants for spiritual and religious purposes is as old as human history. Some of those cultures were shaman and pagan subcultures; African native religions; Bwiti Cult; South American native religions; Amazon Cultures; Central American Cultures; Mexican subcultures; Aztec, Maya and Inca; Wiccan and witch subcultures; Satanists; American Indians; Greek and Hellenistic cultures; Sufis; Hassan Sabbah’s Hashissins; Hindu, Indian and Tibetan cultures; some of the Nordic subcultures etc. Some of the psychoactive ingredients of the plants that were used during these religious rituals were; narcotic analgesics (opium), THC (cannabis), psilocybin (magic mushrooms), mescaline (peyote), ibogaine (Tabernanthe iboga), DMT (Ayahuasca and phalaris species), Peganum harmala, bufotenin, muscimol (Amanita muscaria), thujone (absinthe, Arthemisia absinthium), ephedra, mandragora, star lotus, Salvia divinorum etc. The main purposes of the practice of these plants were: spiritual healing; to contact with spirits; to contact with the souls of ancestors; to reach enlightenment (Nirvana or Satori); to become a master shaman, pagan or witch; to reach so-called-other realities, etc. Such “psychedelic-philosophical plant rituals” changed participating persons’ psychology, philosophy and personality to a great degree. In these two successive articles, the consumption of psychedelic plants during religious rituals is reviewed and it is hypothesized that the images, Figures, illusions and hallucinations experienced during these “plant trips” had a great impact on the formation and creation of many Figures, characters, creatures, archetype images that exist not only in the mythology, but also in many religions, as well, such as angels, demons, Satan, mythological creatures, gods, goddesses etc. In the Middle East and Anatolia, within many hermetic and pagan religions, Greek and Hellenic cultures psychoactive plant use was a serious part of the religious rituals, such as Dionysian rituals or Witch’s’ Sabbaths. Although the impact of the “psychedelic experience and imagination” was enormous to the configuration of many religious and mythological characters, and archetypes, this fact has been underestimated and even unnoticed by many historians and anthropologists, because of the quasi-ethical trends of “anti-drug-brain-washed Western Societies”.
Sayin, H. U. (2014). The Consumption of Psychoactive Plants in Ancient Global and Anatolian Cultures During Religious Rituals: The Roots of the Eruption of Mythological Figures and Common Symbols in Religions and Myths. NeuroQuantology, 12(2), 276-296. https://dx.doi.org/10.14704/nq.2014.12.2.753
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Indigenous healing practice: Opening a discussion

June 7, 2014 / Ayahuasca, Indigenous use, Other disciplines, Papers, Publications / By / ,

Abstract

The authors examine and discuss the indigenous healing practice using Ayahuasca, an entheogen, which a concoction of plants and bark that induces a “vision state”. This shamanic healing ceremony is used today among indigenous peoples of South America and Southwest of the United States. The authors examine the phenomena of shamanism and the historic suppresion of such practices by missionaries, codified into law in the U.S. (Indian Offenses Act). Despite these efforts to suppress such ceremonies, they persist even today and are viewed as an alternative or complement to western practices that often fail to address the persisting problems many indigenous peoples face. The authors cite the National Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter, Heritage and Hope: Evangelization in the United States (1991) as an invitation for dialogue to examine the question, “Is there room in pastoral counseling for shamanism?” This paper hopes to open a dialogue between pastoral counselors and traditional indigenous practitioners well aware of the sensitive nature of such an endeavor. At best our intention is to make pastoral care and counseling professionals aware of such practices common in indigenous communities.
Prue, R., & Voss, R. W. (2014). Indigenous healing practice: Opening a discussion. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, 68(1).
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Indigenous healing practice: ayahuasca. Opening a discussion

March 1, 2014 / Addiction, Ayahuasca, Indigenous use, Papers, Psychology, Publications, Religious studies / By / ,

Abstract

This essay frames an invitation to pastoral counselors and pastoral theologians to examine connections and perhaps interactions between themselves and traditional shamanic healers who use ayahuasca in their healing ceremonies. Indigenous people in South America have used ayahuasca for centuries, and the ritual has become common among the mestizo populations in urban areas of the Amazon, particularly as a curing ritual for drug addiction (Dobkin de Rios, 1970; Moir, 1998). Like peyote in the United States (Calabrese, 1997) ayahuasca use amongst the indigenous people of the Amazon is a form of cultural psychiatry. A review of the literature reveals very little commentary or discussion of shamanic practice in Pastoral Counseling (Pastoral Theology). The scant literature identifies an antithetical relationship at best. The current authors wonder about the possibility of to including shamanic practices in the context of pastoral counseling? This essay seeks to provide some basic information about the ritual use of ayahuasca and to offer a rationale for pastoral counselors to engage in a dialogue about its utility.

Prue, R., & Voss, R. W. (2014). Indigenous healing practice: ayahuasca. Opening a discussion. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, 68(1), 1-13. 10.1177/154230501406800106
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Peyote as Medicin: an Examination of Therapeutic Factors that Contribute to Healing

January 1, 2014 / Addiction, Anthropology, Cacti / Mescaline, Ethnobotany, Indigenous use, Other subjects, Papers, Publications / By /

Abstract

The therapeutic value of particular “hallucinogenic” plants is recognized by various cultures throughout the globe, with evidence suggesting that the medical and ritual use of these plants may date back several millennia in some instances. Peyote, a psychoactive cactus, is considered a medicine by many Native Americans, and has been hailed as a cure for alcoholism despite having no “scientifically” accepted medical use. The notion that hallucinogenic compounds may have therapeutic applications, however, is increasingly supported by scientific research. Despite the heavy focus of allopathic medicine on pharmacology, the therapeutic value of peyote must be understood in holistic terms. By uniting Gordon Claridge’s work on the Total Drug Effect with the work of Daniel E. Moerman and Wayne B. Jonas on the Meaning Response, and with Toksoz Karasu’s Agents of Therapeutic Change, a therapeutic model emerges that can explain how the symbolic, ritual, and community components of the peyote ceremony combine with peyote’s distinctive pharmacological properties to produce a unique and efficacious healing experience.

Ayahuasca-Liane, D., & Peyote-Kaktus, D. (2014). Zeitschrift für Medizinethnologie• Journal of Medical Anthropology. Curare, 37(2014), 3.
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Ibogaine: a review

December 4, 2013 / Addiction, Anthropology, Chemistry, Ethnobotany, Iboga / Ibogaine, Indigenous use, Papers, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Publications, Safety, Sociology, Toxicology / By /

Publisher Summary

The chapter discusses ibogaine, which is a naturally occurring plant alkaloid with a history of use as a medicinal and ceremonial agent in West Central Africa and has been alleged to be effective in the treatment of drug abuse. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has given significant support to animal research, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Phase I studies in humans. The chapter discusses the first International Conference on Ibogaine. A major focus of the Conference was the possible mechanism(s) of action of ibogaine. Another important focus of the Conference was to discuss human experience with ibogaine and preclinical and clinical evidence of efficacy and safety. The Conference also featured presentations related to the sociological and anthropological aspects of the sacramental context of the use of iboga in Africa and the distinctive ibogaine subculture of the U.S and Europe. Ibogaine is the most abundant alkaloid in the root bark of the Apocynaceous shrub Tabernanthe iboga, which grows in West Central Africa. The chapter presents a timeline that outlines the historical events relating to the development of ibogaine as a treatment for drug dependence. Ibogaine and serotonin both contain an indole ring in their structure, and ibogaine has been shown to bind to the serotonin transporter and to increase serotonin levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Stereotypy is a methodologic issue that might explain some of the disparate results regarding ibogaine’s interaction with the locomotor response to cocaine.

Alper, K. R. (2001). Ibogaine: a review. The alkaloids: Chemistry and Biology, 56, 1-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0099-9598(01)56005-8
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Hypotheses regarding the mechanisms of ayahuasca in the treatment of addictions

August 2, 2012 / Addiction, Ayahuasca, Indigenous use, Papers, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Publications / By / ,

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a medicinal plant mixture utilized by indigenous peoples throughout the Amazon River basin for healing purposes. The “vine of the soul” or “vine of death,” as it is known in South America, contains a combination of monoamine oxidase inhibitors and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). When ingested together, these medicines produce profound alterations in consciousness. Increasingly, ayahuasca is being utilized to treat addictions. However, the mechanism of action by which ayahuasca treats addictions remains unclear. We offer four hypotheses to explain possible biochemical, physiological, psychological, and transcendent mechanisms by which ayahuasca may exert its anti-addiction effects.

Liester, M. B., & Prickett, J. I. (2012). Hypotheses regarding the mechanisms of ayahuasca in the treatment of addictions. Journal of psychoactive drugs, 44(3), 200-208. 10.1080/02791072.2012.704590
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