California Psilocybin Decriminalization Initiative The Beckley Foundation is proud to announce its partnership with Decriminalize California (the California Psilocybin Decriminalization Initiative 2020), an open-source citizens’ initiative which would: legalize psilocybin mushrooms and their extracts and derivatives for therapeutic and medical use, and decriminalize it for personal, spiritual and religious use; allowing people to cultivate and use psilocybin mushrooms in their own home and on privately-owned property; and enabling those convicted of psilocybin-related crimes to have their sentences reviewed and, when appropriate, have their criminal records expunged. You can read the full press release here. The initiative decriminalizes psilocybin use by adults aged 18+. [...]
Lire la suiteResearch ethics aspects of experimentation with LSD on human subjects : a historical and ethical review Bodnár Kristóf János, Kakuk Péter Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy © Springer Nature B.V. 2018 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-018-9871-9 Abstract In this paper our aim is to examine whether research conducted on human participants with LSD-25 (lysergic acid diethylamide) raises unique research ethical questions or demands particular concerns with regard to the design, conduct and follow-up of these studies, and should this be the case, explore and describe those issues. Our analysis is based on reviewing publications up to date which examine the clinical, research and other uses of LSD and those addressing [...]
Lire la suiteSome distorted thoughts about ketamine as a psychedelic and a novel hypothesis based on NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic plasticity Rachael Ingram, Heather Kang, Stafford Lightman, David E. Jane, Zuner A. Bortolotto, Graham L. Collingridge, David Lodge, Arturas Volianskis Neuropharmacology, 2018, 142, 30e40 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.06.008 Abstract Ketamine, a channel blocking NMDA receptor antagonist, is used off-label for its psychedelic effects, which may arise from a combination of several inter-related actions. Firstly, reductions of the contribution of NMDA receptors to afferent information from external and internal sensory inputs may distort sensations and their processing in higher brain centres. Secondly, reductions of NMDA receptormediated excitation of GABAergic interneurons can result in [...]
Lire la suiteThe Varieties of Psychedelic Epistemology Chris Letheby Published in N. Wyrd, D. Luke, A. Tollan, C. Adams, and D. King (eds.) : "Psychedelicacies: more food for thought from Breaking Convention", Strange Attractor Press, 2019. INTRODUCTION Is it possible to gain knowledge1 by taking psychedelic2 drugs? One influential answer is ‘yes’: according to this conception, by inducing mystical states of consciousness, psychedelics afford direct knowledge of supernatural, transcendent dimensions of reality. This is an entheogenic conception of the drugs as agents that “generate the divine within”. A second influential answer is ‘no’: since materialism or physicalism3 is true, there are no transcendent realities, and psychedelics [...]
Lire la suiteMedicinal properties of Peganum harmala L. in traditional Iranian medicine and modern phytotherapy: a review Mina Cheraghi Niroumand, Mohammad Hosein Farzaei, Gholamreza Amin Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2015, 35, (1), 104-109. Abstract OBJECTIVE : To review the pharmacological activities of Peganum harmala L. (P. harmala, Nitrariaceae) in traditional Iranian medicine (TIM) and modern phytotherapy. METHODS : Opinions of TIM and modern phytotherapy about safety and acceptable dosage of this plant are discussed. Various medical properties of P. harmala were collected from important TIM references and added to scientific reports derived from modern medical databases like PubMed, Scirus, ScienceDirect and Scopus. RESULTS : The main medicinal [...]
Lire la suiteCase report : A case of β-carboline alkaloid intoxication following ingestion of Peganum harmala seed extract Giampietro Frison, Donata Favretto, Flavio Zancanaro, Giorgio Fazzin, Santo Davide Ferrara Forensic Science International, 2008, 179, e37–e43 doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2008.05.003 Abstract b-Carboline alkaloids harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine can stimulate the central nervous system by inhibiting the metabolism of amine neurotransmitters, or by direct interaction with specific receptors; they are found in numerous plants, including Peganum harmala, Passiflora incarnata and Banisteriopsis caapi, and in the entheogen preparation Ayahuasca, which is traditionally brewed using B. caapi to enhance the activity of amine hallucinogenic drugs. The ingestion of plant preparations containing b-carboline alkaloids may [...]
Lire la suiteDrugs, Religion, and Cultural Heritage : An Analysis of the Public Policies Regarding the Use of Ayahuasca in Brazil Henrique Fernandes Antunes The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society, 2018, Volume #, Issue #, http://doi.org/###################### Abstract : In 1985, ayahuasca was banned for a short period of time by the Federal Council of Drugs (CONFEN). After more than two decades of debates and public policies, the Brazilian government consolidated the regulation of ayahuasca consumption for religious purposes and recognized ayahuasca groups as legitimate religions and part of the cultural heritage of the Amazon region. The aim of this work is to demonstrate that [...]
Lire la suiteEmerging from the dark side : new therapeutic applications of scheduled psychoactive substances Edward James, Thomas L. Robertshaw & Andrew D. Westwell Future medicinal chemistry, February 2019 Doi : 10.4155/fmc-2018-0447 Keywords : harm reduction • healthcare • MDMA • positive psychology • psilocybin • psychoactive • psychotherapy The discovery and development of new medicines occupies years of painstaking and expensive scientific work, with multidisciplinary teams working together in the hope of developing a new chemical entity that outperforms the current standard of care within the chosen disease setting. Once optimized in the laboratory and achieving acceptable regulatory preclinical benchmarks, years of clinical evaluation are required [...]
Lire la suiteAlkaloids Derived from Tryptophan : Harmine and Related Alkaloids T. D. Nikam, K. M. Nitnaware, and M. L. Ahire chapter 19, in K.G. Ramawat, J.M. Merillon (eds.), Natural Products, # Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, 2013 Doi : 10.1007/978-3-642-22144-6_20 Contents 1 Synonyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554 2 [...]
Lire la suiteConsumption of Ayahuasca by Children and Pregnant Women : Medical Controversies and Religious Perspectives Beatriz Caiuby Labate Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2011, 43, (1), 27-35. DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2011.566498 Abstract In 2010, the Brazilian Government agency responsible for drug-related issues formulated official Resolutions that categorized the consumption of ayahuasca by pregnant women and children in the Santo Daime and Uniâo do Vegetal ayahuasea-based religions as an "exercise of parental rights." Although ayahuasca groups do enjoy a relative degree of social legitimacy and formal legal recognition in Brazil, the participation of pregnant women and children nevertheless continues to provoke heated discussion. This article raises the main issues involved [...]
Lire la suite