Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 19, 2026
Pedro J. Teixeira, Jorge Encantado, Helena D Amaro et al.
Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian psychoactive brew, has gained increasing attention for its potential health benefits; however, no previous research has investigated its use in Portugal. This study aims to evaluate the health status, lifestyle behaviors, and psychosocial well-being of Portuguese ayahuasca users, comparing their self-reported health indicators with population norms. A...
PLoS One
October 13, 2025
Francisco González-espejito, Laura Esteban Rodríguez, Eduardo J. Pedrero Pérez et al.
Ibogaine, an indole alkaloid derived from the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga, has long been used in traditional Bwiti healing rituals and shows promise for treating opioid dependence and neurological conditions, but existing psychometric tools fail to capture its distinctive subjective/oneiric (dream-like) effects. To address this gap, we developed the 70-item Ibogaine Experience Scale (IES)...
Scientific Reports
September 11, 2023
José Carlos Bouso, Dóra Révész, Genís Ona et al.
9 citations
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of the global population. This paper presents the results of a longitudinal transcultural study that was begun at the peak of the pandemic (in April, 2020). An online survey was used to collect data from English-, Spanish-, and Portuguese-speaking participants. The survey collected information about...
Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry
June 1, 2023
José Carlos Bouso, Genís Ona, Maja Kohek et al.
8 citations
Hallucinations are currently associated almost exclusively with psychopathological states. While it is evident that hallucinations can indicate psychopathology or neurological disorders, we should remember that hallucinations also commonly occur in people without any signs of psychopathology. A similar case occurs in the case of hallucinogenic drugs, which have been long associated with...
Drug and Alcohol Review
February 1, 2023
Borja J Rodríguez-cano, Maja Kohek, Genís Ona et al.
17 citations
Ibogaine is one of the alkaloids naturally found in plants such as Tabernanthe iboga, which has been traditionally used by members of the Bwiti culture. Since the discovery of its anti-addictive properties by Howard S. Lotsof in 1962, ibogaine has been used experimentally to treat substance use disorders (SUD), especially those involving opioids. We aim to provide a detailed understanding of...
Psychoactives
September 2, 2022
Genís Ona, Dóra Révész, Maja Kohek et al.
9 citations
The COVID-19 pandemic has made evident the need to develop effective strategies to cushion the psychological consequences of social catastrophes. Preliminary evidence suggests that the use of hallucinogens is a protective factor that mitigates against such stressors. However, the underlying mechanisms must be further explored. This study specifically focused on the potential role of coping...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
May 28, 2022
Maja Kohek, Genís Ona, Michiel van Elk et al.
25 citations
Ayahuasca is a plant decoction in traditional Amazonian medicine. Its ritual use has been internationalized, leading to policy challenges that countries should address. This study evaluates the impact of regular ayahuasca ceremony participation on health by assessing the health status of 377 participants in ayahuasca ceremonies in the Netherlands using validated health indicators. A...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
June 16, 2021
Dóra Révész, Genís Ona, Giordano Novak Rossi et al.
42 citations
Background: One of the main public health strategies adopted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic consisted of implementing strict lockdowns to stop the transmission of the virus. Despite being an effective measure, the confinement and the associated social isolation create a stressful, potentially lengthy situations that has been proven to have several psychological consequences. Given...
Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
April 1, 2020
José Carlos Bouso, I. Fornís, Mireia Ventura et al.
15 citations
Background: Therapeutic properties of ibogaine in the treatment of addiction are attracting both clinicians and patients to its use. Since ibogaine is not an authorized medicine, the quality of these products is not always known, increasing the probability of adverse reactions. Objective: This study collects different types of iboga-derived samples from treatment providers, vendors and online...
Scientific Reports
March 5, 2020
José Carlos Bouso, Daniel Jiménez‐garrido, María de Lourdes Gómez-sousa et al.
111 citations
Abstract Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic decoction used as a traditional medicine in several Amazonian regions. The ritualistic use of ayahuasca has spread throughout many countries, making it necessary to study its risks and benefits. Two sub-studies were designed for this investigation. In sub-study 1, a psychiatric interview and a battery of questionnaires were administered to subjects (n =...
Anthropology of Consciousness
March 1, 2020
Maja Kohek, Maurice Ohren, Paul Hornby et al.
20 citations
Abstract Ibogaine is the most abundant alkaloid present in the African shrub Tabernanthe iboga . As a result of the lack of research on the acute subjective effects, the purpose of this study was to identify categories of the ibogaine experience and gain a better understanding of the internal processes while under its effects. We created a semistructured interview and recruited twenty...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
February 7, 2019
Genís Ona, Maja Kohek, Tomàs Massaguer et al.
76 citations
Assessing the health status of ayahuasca users has been challenging due to the limitations involved in randomized clinical trials and psychometric approaches. The main objective of this study is the implementation of an approach based on public health indicators. We developed a self-administered questionnaire that was administered to long-term ayahuasca users around Spain. The questionnaire was...
Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology
August 13, 2018
Rafael G. Dos Santos, José Carlos Bouso, Miguel Ángel Alcázar‐córcoles et al.
231 citations
Mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the population. Although several pharmacological treatments are available, they are not effective for a significant proportion of patients and are associated with several adverse reactions. Therefore, new treatments should be explored. Recent studies suggest that serotonergic...
Psychiatry Research
April 4, 2018
Alba Franquesa, Alberto Sainz-Cort, Sam Gandy et al.
58 citations
Ayahuasca is a psychedelic decoction originating from Amazonia. The ayahuasca-induced introspective experience has been shown to have potential benefits in the treatment of several pathologies, to protect mental health and to improve neuropsychological functions and creativity, and boost mindfulness. The underlying psychological processes related to the use of ayahuasca in a psychotherapeutic...
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
February 13, 2018
José Carlos Bouso, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Miguel Ángel Alcázar‐córcoles et al.
135 citations
Serotonergic psychedelics act as agonists at cortical 5-HT2A receptors and seem to induce personality changes. We conducted a systematic review of studies assessing the effects of these drugs on personality. Papers published from 1985-2016 were included from PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO databases. Three hundred and sixty-nine studies were identified, and 18 were included. Specific personality...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
April 1, 2017
Clare Wilkins, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Jordi Solà et al.
15 citations
Ibogaine is a natural alkaloid that has been used in the last decades as an adjuvant for the treatment of opiate withdrawal. Despite the beneficial results suggested by animal studies and case series, there is a lack of clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of ibogaine. Moreover, the majority of reports described cases of heroin-dependent individuals, with and without concomitant...
Human Psychopharmacology
September 1, 2016
José Carlos Bouso, Eduardo José Pedrero-Pérez, Sam Gandy et al.
48 citations
In the present study we explored the psychometric properties of three widely used questionnaires to assess the subjective effects of hallucinogens: the Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS), the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ), and the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI). These three questionnaires were administered to a sample of 158 subjects (100 men) after taking ayahuasca, a...
PLoS One
August 8, 2012
José Carlos Bouso, Débora González, Sabela Fondevila et al.
313 citations
Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychoactive plant beverage containing the serotonergic 5-HT(2A) agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and monoamine oxidase-inhibiting alkaloids (harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine) that render it orally active. Ayahuasca ingestion is a central feature in several Brazilian syncretic churches that have expanded their activities to urban Brazil, Europe and North...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
June 17, 2010
Josep María Fábregas, Débora González, Sabela Fondevila et al.
228 citations
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage used for magico-religious purposes in the Amazon. Recently, Brazilian syncretic churches have helped spread the ritual use of ayahuasca abroad. This trend has raised concerns that regular use of this N,N-dimethyltryptamine-containing tea may lead to the medical and psychosocial problems typically associated with drugs of abuse. Here we assess potential drug...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 1, 2008
José Carlos Bouso, Rick Doblin, Magı́ Farré et al.
206 citations
The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety of different doses of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy administered in a psychotherapeutic setting to women with chronic PTSD secondary to a sexual assault, and also to obtain preliminary data regarding efficacy. Although this study was originally planned to include 29 subjects, political pressures led to the closing of the study before it...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
María Gómez-sousa, Daniel Jiménez‐garrido, Genís Ona et al.
24 citations
In recent decades, ritualistic use of ayahuasca has spread throughout the world. Retrospective studies have suggested a good psychological safety profile, but prospective studies involving ceremony ayahuasca-naive participants are lacking. We conducted the study using a subsample from a previous study, for which first-time ceremony ayahuasca participants were recruited. The subsample consisted...