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Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents

August 13, 2018 / Medicine, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Other disciplines, Other subjects, Other substances, Papers, Publications / By / ,

Abstract

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT)2A receptor agonists have recently emerged as promising new treatment options for a variety of disorders. The recent success of these agonists, also known as psychedelics, like psilocybin for the treatment of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and addiction, has ushered in a renaissance in the way these compounds are perceived in the medical community and populace at large. One emerging therapeutic area that holds significant promise is their use as anti-inflammatory agents. Activation of 5-HT2A receptors produces potent anti-inflammatory effects in animal models of human inflammatory disorders at sub-behavioural levels. This review discusses the role of the 5-HT2A receptor in the inflammatory response, as well as highlight studies using the 5-HT2A agonist (R)-2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine [(R)-DOI] to treat inflammation in cellular and animal models. It also examines potential mechanisms by which 5-HT2A agonists produce their therapeutic effects. Overall, psychedelics regulate inflammatory pathways via novel mechanisms, and may represent a new and exciting treatment strategy for several inflammatory disorders.

Flanagan, T. W., & Nichols, C. D. (2018). Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents. International Review of Psychiatry, 30(4), 363-375., 10.1080/09540261.2018.1481827

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Gnosis Potency: DMT Breakthroughs and Paragnosis

April 29, 2018 / DMT, Mystical experiences, Other disciplines, Papers, Psychology, Publications, Spirituality / By /

Abstract

DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is a powerful tryptamine that has experienced growing appeal in the last decade, independent from ayahuasca, the Amazonian visionary brew in which it is an integral ingredient. Investigating user reports available from literary and online sources, this chapter focuses on the gnosis potency associated with the DMT “breakthrough” experience. I explore the parameters of the tryptaminal state and, in particular, the extraordinary paragnosis associated with the DMT event, perceived contact with “entities,” and the transmission of visual language. As the reports discussed illustrate, for milieus of the disenchanted, among other entheogens, DMT is venerated as a gift that enables connection to a reality (nature, the universe, divinity) from which modern humanity is imagined to have grown alienated. Through an exploration of the legacy of principal actors, including Terence McKenna, Jonathan Ott, Jim DeKorne, and Nick Sand, the chapter navigates the significance of DMT in modern Western esotericism.

St John, G. (2018). Gnosis Potency: DMT Breakthroughs and Paragnosis. Plant Medicines, Healing and Psychedelic Science: Cultural Perspectives, 205-222. 10.1007/978-3-319-76720-8_12
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Bubbling with Controversy: Legal Challenges for Ceremonial Ayahuasca Circles in the United States

April 29, 2018 / Ayahuasca, Indigenous use, Other disciplines, Papers, Publications, Religious studies, Spirituality / By / , ,

Abstract

The use of ayahuasca has been spreading rapidly worldwide; however, no current statistics are available to provide a comprehensive understanding of the scope or pace of this expansion. In the United States, the expansion has included the appearance of the Brazilian ayahuasca religions Santo Daime and União do Vegetal (UDV), underground ceremonial circles, workshops with itinerant Amazonian shamans, and spiritual retreat centers. This trend has included the recent emergence of groups and organizations that publicly advertise “legal” ayahuasca ceremonies and retreats. This chapter maps the existence of a series of organizations and actors who have controversially claimed legal protection through incorporation as “branches” of the Native American Church (NAC). The legality, religious character, and sincerity of these churches are reviewed in light of governing law, such as the First Amendment of the US Constitution, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and pertinent court cases involving the UDV and the Santo Daime, as well as ethnographic accounts of the historical Native American Church. Finally, it examines a petition for a religious exemption from the CSA from Ayahuasca Healings and speculates on the possibilities of the future of ayahuasca legality in the United States.

Feeney, K., Labate, B. C., & Hudson, J. H. (2018). Bubbling with Controversy: Legal Challenges for Ceremonial Ayahuasca Circles in the United States. Plant Medicines, Healing and Psychedelic Science: Cultural Perspectives, 87-111. 10.1007/978-3-319-76720-8_6
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A regulatory perspective on the evaluation of hallucinogen drugs for human use

November 24, 2017 / Other disciplines, Other subjects, Other substances, Papers, Publications, Safety / By / , ,

Abstract

In recent years, there is renewed interest in the study of various hallucinogens for their potential therapeutic effects. In the United States of America (USA), the abuse potential assessment of a drug is carried out as part of the general safety and efficacy evaluation of a drug. Additionally, the abuse potential assessment is taken under consideration in determining if a drug needs to be subject to controls to minimize the abuse of the drug once on the market. This assessment is conducted for all new drugs with central nervous system (CNS) activity, that are chemically or pharmacologically similar to other drugs with known abuse potential, or drugs that produce psychoactive effects predictive of abuse, such as euphoria and hallucinations. This paper describes the regulatory framework for evaluating the abuse potential of new drugs, with emphasis on hallucinogens. The paper discusses the role of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the evaluation of the abuse potential of drugs and its role in drug control, and provides an overview of the controlled status of hallucinogens and the requirements to conduct research with Schedule I substances in the USA.

Calderon, S. N., Hunt, J., & Klein, M. (2017). A regulatory perspective on the evaluation of hallucinogen drugs for human use. Neuropharmacology. 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.11.028
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Regulation of human research with LSD in the United States (1949-1987)

November 17, 2017 / History, LSD, Other disciplines, Other subjects, Papers, Publications, Safety / By /

Abstract

Human research with hallucinogens such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has been ongoing in the USA since 1949. During the 1960s, LSD was investigated for a variety of psychiatric indications, including the following: as an aid in treatment of schizophrenia; as a means of creating a “model psychosis”; as a direct antidepressant; and as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Studies with all drugs, including LSD, have always been conducted under federal regulatory controls, including the 1938 Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA; which ensured the safety of drugs) and the 1962 Kefauver-Harris Amendments to the FDCA (which described appropriate scientific methodology and ensured drug efficacy). This paper details how the 1962 Amendments introduced numerous safety and efficacy requirements that must be in satisfied during clinical drug research-and how human studies conducted with LSD in the 1960s struggled with their fulfillment. Information is provided from Senate hearings, case law, and interviews with key investigators. Examples are also drawn from scientific papers and symposia published during and since that period, with a focus on information from clinical studies conducted with LSD by psychiatrist Albert Kurland at the Spring Grove State Hospital, near Baltimore, MD. While Kurland largely conformed with these new regulations, other investigators often fell short of complying with scientific standards and federal requirements. Thus, the human hallucinogen studies of the 1960s are best understood as providing pilot data on safety and efficacy, as well as testable hypotheses for current hallucinogen studies conducted under modern scientific and regulatory standards.
Bonson, K. R. (2017). Regulation of human research with LSD in the United States (1949-1987). Psychopharmacology, 1-14. 10.1007/s00213-017-4777-4
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Horizontal gene cluster transfer increased hallucinogenic mushroom diversity

August 16, 2017 / Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Other disciplines, Other subjects, Papers, Psychopharmacology, Publications / By / , , , , ,

Abstract

Secondary metabolites are heterogeneous natural products that often mediate interactions between species. The tryptophan-derived secondary metabolite, psilocin, is a serotonin receptor agonist that induces altered states of consciousness. A phylogenetically disjunct group of mushroom-forming fungi in the Agaricales produce the psilocin prodrug, psilocybin. Spotty phylogenetic distributions of fungal compounds are sometimes explained by horizontal transfer of metabolic gene clusters among unrelated fungi with overlapping niches. We report the discovery of a psilocybin gene cluster in three hallucinogenic mushroom genomes, and evidence for its horizontal transfer between fungal lineages. Patterns of gene distribution and transmission suggest that psilocybin provides a fitness advantage in the dung and late wood-decay niches, which may be reservoirs of fungal indole-based metabolites that alter behavior of mycophagous and wood-eating invertebrates. These hallucinogenic mushroom genomes will serve as models in neurochemical ecology, advancing the prospecting and synthetic biology of novel neuropharmaceuticals.

Reynolds, H. T., Vijayakumar, V., Gluck-Thaler, E., Korotkin, H. B., Matheny, P. B., & Slot, J. C. (2017). Horizontal gene cluster transfer increased hallucinogenic mushroom diversity. bioRxiv, 176347. 10.1101/176347
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Peyote as Commodity: An Examination of Market Actors and Access Mechanisms

March 1, 2017 / Cacti / Mescaline, Other disciplines, Other subjects, Papers, Publications, Religious studies / By /

Abstract

Access to the peyote cactus, a religious sacrament of the Native American Church (NAC), has been regulated by the federal government and the state of Texas since the 1960s. Over the last forty years, the number of licensed distributors has declined, a trend accompanied by rising prices and a diminishing market supply of the psychoactive cactus. Distributors are recognized as the primary NAC peyote source; consequently, their disappearance would be devastating for the 250,000-plus adherents of this distinctive indigenous tradition. Based on interviews with current and former peyote distributors, peyote pickers, landowners, and NAC members, a map of the various commodity chains that make up the peyote supply network is constructed. This research applies Access Mapping and Access Analysis of the supply network to identify the primary factors driving the decline of the regulated peyote trade. Focusing on the distributors’ and NAC members’ rights-based, structural, and relational access mechanisms, avenues for increasing access are identified, including amendment of distributor licensing fees.

Feeney, K. (2017). Peyote as Commodity: An Examination of Market Actors and Access Mechanisms. Human Organization, 76(1), 59-72. 10.17730/0018-7259.76.1.59
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Ecstatic Landscapes: The Manifestation of Psychedelic Art

October 20, 2016 / Ayahuasca, Creativity, LSD, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Other disciplines, Papers, Publications / By /

Abstract

“Psychedelic art” can be defined as artwork manifested in the context of the ingestion of LSD-type drugs and related substances. There is a long history of such work dating back to ancient times (picturing mushrooms and other plants with psychedelic effects) as well as more recent anecdotal first-person accounts and various collections of psychological data resulting from experiments and interviews. One such collection includes the studies by Krippner of over 200 artists, writers, and musicians who referred to their artistic productions as “psychedelic” because they had some connection with their occasional or frequent use of these substances. Although there were no commonalities characterizing all of their paintings, films, poems, novels, songs, or other works, several frequent themes were noted following content analysis of the interview reports. The results of this group of studies, as well as those of more structured explorations, attests to the importance of this topic for humanistic psychology with its emphasis upon creativity, human potential, and exploring the wide range of human experience.
Krippner, S. (2016). Ecstatic Landscapes: The Manifestation of Psychedelic Art. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 0022167816671579.
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14 May - Psychedelics & Psychosis with Phoebe Friesen, Dirk Corstens and Chelsea Rose

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