Enquadramento: A psilocibina, composto psicoativo principal de cogumelos Psilocybe, tem suscitado interesse pelo potencial terapêutico em perturbações neuropsiquiátricas [1]. Para além dos efeitos centrais, a evidência sobre o eixo intestino-cérebro sugere que os psicadélicos podem influenciar a microbiota intestinal. Extratos integrais contêm compostos bioativos adicionais, mas os dados...
Enquadramento: A psilocibina, composto psicoativo de cogumelos Psilocybe, tem sido estudada pelo potencial terapêutico em perturbações neuropsiquiátricas [1]. Contudo, continuam escassos os dados pré-clínicos que comparem psilocibina isolada e extratos integrais, sobretudo quanto ao reforço comportamental e toxicidade periférica [2,3]. Objetivo: Comparar os efeitos comportamentais e...
Introduction: Psilocybin, the main psychoactive compound in Psilocybe mushrooms, has attracted interest for its potential therapeutic effects in neuropsychiatric disorders (Erkizia-Santamaría et al., 2025). However, preclinical data comparing its behavioral properties to whole mushroom extracts remain limited (Ali et al., 2023; Johnson-Groh, 2025). Objective: To investigate the reinforcing and...
Psilocybin is a hallucinogen produced by “magic mushrooms”, being rapidly metabolized in the organism into psilocin (Brito-da-Costa et al., 2022; Dinis-Oliveira, 2017). A scientific gap exists regarding the possible interactions between psilocybin/psilocin and CYP450 enzymes. Given their biological importance and since the binding of drugs to CYP450 enzymes can interfere with the metabolism of...
Background: Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms contain the tryptamines psilocybin and psilocin, which are recognized for their therapeutic potential in mental health [1]. Additionally, due to their psychedelic effects, these mushrooms are also used for religious and recreational purposes. The increasing use of these tryptamines and other psychoactive substances has led to regulatory measures,...
Background: Psilocybin, a key psychoactive compound found in Psilocybe mushrooms, has gained increasing attention due to its therapeutic potential in neuropsychiatric disorders [1]. However, comparative preclinical data between isolated psilocybin and whole mushroom extracts remain scarce, particularly regarding behavioural reinforcement and peripheral toxicity [2,3]. Objective: To compare the...
Background: Psilocybin, the main psychoactive compound found in Psilocybe mushrooms, has gained increasing attention due to its potential therapeutic effects in neuropsychiatric disorders [1]. Beyond its central effects, increasing evidence highlights the relevance of the gut–brain axis, suggesting that psychedelics may also influence intestinal microbiota composition. Whole mushroom extracts...
In 2025, Psychoactives continued its clear upward trajectory, strengthening its position as an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing the science of psychoactive substances, spanning pharmacology, clinical psychiatry, toxicology, neuroscience, forensic science, and public health [...]
Background: Psilocybin is a psychoactive compound found in hallucinogenic mushrooms and is rapidly dephosphorylated in vivo to psilocin, its pharmacologically active metabolite. Despite the growing clinical and scientific interest in these substances, information regarding their interaction with cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes remains scarce, raising concerns about potential drug–drug...
Psychedelic compounds, including psilocybin, psilocin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), and mescaline, have long been recognized for their recreational effects and involvement in forensic cases. They have recently gained attention also for their potential therapeutic applications in treating neurological and psychiatric disorders [1]. Despite this...
Psychoactive substances have been in use for millennia, and their use can be traced back to prehistory, where they were utilized for spiritual purposes in particular [...]
Salvia divinorum Epling and Játiva is a perennial mint from the Lamiaceae family, endemic to Mexico, predominantly from the state of Oaxaca. Due to its psychoactive properties, S. divinorum had been used for centuries by Mazatecans for divinatory, religious, and medicinal purposes. In recent years, its use for recreational purposes, especially among adolescents and young adults, has...
Background:Mescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine), mainly found in the Peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii), is one of the oldest known hallucinogenic agents that influence human and animal behavior, but its psychoactive mechanisms remain poorly understood.Objective:This article aims to fully review pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of mescaline, focusing on the in vivo and in vitro...