Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
March 18, 2016
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Flávia de Lima Osório, José Alexandre S. Crippa et al.
306 citations
To date, pharmacological treatments for mood and anxiety disorders and for drug dependence show limited efficacy, leaving a large number of patients suffering severe and persistent symptoms. Preliminary studies in animals and humans suggest that ayahuasca, psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) may have antidepressive, anxiolytic, and antiaddictive properties. Thus, we conducted a...
Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry
March 1, 2016
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Flávia de Lima Osório, José Alexandre S. Crippa et al.
158 citations
Considering the need for new drugs that produce fewer adverse effects and are more effective in reducing anxiety and depression symptomatology, the described effects of ayahuasca and its alkaloids should be further investigated.
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
December 11, 2015
Rafael Faria Sanches, Flávia de Lima Osório, Rafael G. Dos Santos et al.
468 citations
Ayahuasca is an Amazonian botanical hallucinogenic brew which contains dimethyltryptamine, a 5-HT2A receptor agonist, and harmine, a monoamine-oxidase A inhibitor. Our group recently reported that ayahuasca administration was associated with fast-acting antidepressive effects in 6 depressive patients. The objective of the present work was to assess the antidepressive potentials of ayahuasca in...
Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry
March 1, 2015
Flávia de Lima Osório, Rafael Faria Sanches, Ligia Ribeiro Horta de Macedo et al.
486 citations
These results suggest that AYA has fast-acting anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in patients with a depressive disorder.
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology
February 25, 2015
Dimítrius Leonardo Pitol, Selma Siéssere, Rafael G. Dos Santos et al.
13 citations
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic brew traditionally used by Northwestern Amazonian indigenous groups for therapeutic purposes. It is prepared by the decoction of Banisteriopsis caapi with the leaves of Psychotria viridis. Banisteriopsis caapi contains β-carbolines that are inhibitors of monoamine oxidase and P. viris is rich in dimethyltryptamine, a 5-HT(1A/2A/2C) agonist. Acute ayahuasca...
Anesthesiology
May 21, 2014
Rafael G. Dos Santos
1 citation
The article by Icaza and Mashour1 is a very interesting article because it presents a topic of investigation that is currently attracting the attention of pharmacologists, neuroscientists, and biological psychiatrists around the globe: human research with psychedelic compounds. The text brings important information regarding the history and pharmacology of psychedelics but presents important...
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
January 9, 2014
Rafael G. Dos Santos
5 citations
Advisory Board, International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research & Service, Halsteren, The Netherlands The author declares no conflict of interest.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
2014
Rafael G. Dos Santos, José A. Crippa, J P Machado-De-Sousa et al.
10 citations
Pharmacological treatments are available for alcohol, nicotine, and opioid dependence, and several drugs for cannabis-related disorders are currently under investigation. On the other hand, psychostimulant abuse and dependence lacks pharmacological treatment. Mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons mediate the motivation to use drugs and drug-induced euphoria, and psychostimulants (cocaine,...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
October 15, 2011
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Marta Valle, José Carlos Bouso et al.
136 citations
Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychotropic plant tea combining the 5-HT2A agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and monoamine oxidase-inhibiting β-carboline alkaloids that render DMT orally active. The tea, obtained from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, has traditionally been used for religious, ritual, and medicinal purposes by the indigenous peoples of the region. More recently, the...
Psychopharmacology
August 12, 2011
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Eva Grasa, Marta Valle et al.
139 citations
RationaleAyahuasca is an Amazonian tea containing the natural psychedelic 5-HT(2A/2C/1A) agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). It is used in ceremonial contexts for its visionary properties. The human pharmacology of ayahuasca has been well characterized following its administration in single doses.ObjectivesTo evaluate the human pharmacology of ayahuasca in repeated doses and assess the...
Revista de Antropologia da UFSCar
December 1, 2009
Rafael G. Dos Santos
A ayahuasca é utilizada como sacramento de religiões como o Santo Daime, a Barquinha, a União do Vegetal e as suas dissidências. Nesses contextos, é geralmente preparada utilizando talos de Banisteriopsis caapi e folhas de Psychotria viridis, sendo seus principais alcalóides as beta-carbolinas harmina, tetrahidroharmina (THH) e harmalina e a triptamina dimetiltriptamina (DMT) (Callaway, 2005;...
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
April 26, 2007
Rafael G. Dos Santos, J. Landeira-Fernández, Rick J. Strassman et al.
206 citations
The use of the hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca, obtained from infusing the shredded stalk of the malpighiaceous plant Banisteriopsis caapi with the leaves of other plants such as Psychotria viridis, is growing in urban centers of Europe, South and North America in the last several decades. Despite this diffusion, little is known about its effects on emotional states. The present study...
Psicologia Teoria e Pesquisa
March 1, 2007
Rafael G. Dos Santos
1 citation
desses povos quando se trata de conhecmento farmaco-vegetal (ver tambem Labate & Araujo, 2004). Aqu se encontra um ponto de extrema mportânca para se abordar a questao do consumo de pscoatvos em nossa propra socedade: a elaboracao de sancoes, regras, valores e rtuas socas no uso dessas substâncas. De manera geral, todos os artgos tocam tambem nesse ponto, enfatzando a exstenca de controles...
Psicologia Teoria e Pesquisa
December 1, 2006
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Célia Carvalho de Moraes, Adriano Furtado Holanda
15 citations
Trata-se de uma avaliação do possível papel do uso da ayahuasca, em contexto religioso, como auxiliar na redução do consumo abusivo de psicoativos, a partir de uma pesquisa de estudo de caso. Foi realizada uma entrevista aberta com uma usuária regular de cocaína, nicotina e álcool que abandonou este comportamento após entrar em contato com a ayahuasca num contexto ritualizado. O caso foi...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
Giordano Novak Rossi, Juliana Mendes Rocha, Flávia L. Osório et al.
12 citations
Serotonergic hallucinogens and cannabinoids may alter the recognition of emotions in facial expressions (REFE). Cannabidiol (CBD) attenuates the psychoactive effects of the cannabinoid-1 agonist tetrahydrocannabinol. Ayahuasca is a dimethyltryptamine-containing hallucinogenic decoction. It is unknown if CBD may moderate and attenuate the effects of ayahuasca on REFE. Seventeen healthy...