Scientific Reports
November 20, 2025
Daniel Perkins, Andreas Halman, Anna Urokohara et al.
Acute subjective experiences induced by psychedelics have been identified as important mediators of therapeutic outcomes in many studies. Mystical experiences specifically, have been correlated with a range of therapeutic outcomes including reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety and addiction. This paper assesses acute subjective experiences induced by an encapsulated DMT-harmala...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
August 6, 2025
Grace Blest‐hopley, Giuseppe Pasculli, Simon Ruffell et al.
3 citations
Introduction Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, has shown therapeutic potential in treating mental health disorders by, amongst the many effects, promoting neuroplasticity and reorganising functional connectivity across cortical and subcortical networks involved in emotion and cognition. Veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often experience chronic neurological and psychological...
Brain and Behavior
July 1, 2025
Megan Calnan, Grace Blest‐hopley, Chris Busch et al.
4 citations
Abstract Background : Military veterans are at risk of various mental health conditions, with profound implications for post‐deployment quality of life. Current treatment options encounter high dropout rates and non‐responsiveness, and overlook the importance of community building in veterans’ holistic recovery. Preliminary research suggests psychedelics offer therapeutic benefits for...
Nature Medicine
June 3, 2025
Chloé Pronovost-Morgan, Kyle T. Greenway, Leor Roseman et al.
26 citations
Psychedelic substances exhibit complex interactions with the 'set and setting' of use, that is, the mental state of the user and the environment in which a psychedelic experience takes place. Despite these contextual variables' known importance, psychedelic research has lacked methodological rigor in reporting extra-pharmacological factors. This study aimed to generate consensus-based...
Pharmacological Research
September 1, 2024
Giorgia Caspani, Simon Ruffell, WaiFung Tsang et al.
13 citations
Psychedelics have emerged as promising therapeutics for several psychiatric disorders. Hypotheses around their mechanisms have revolved around their partial agonism at the serotonin 2 A receptor, leading to enhanced neuroplasticity and brain connectivity changes that underlie positive mindset shifts. However, these accounts fail to recognise that the gut microbiota, acting via the gut-brain...
June 17, 2024
Simon Ruffell
Ayahuasca is a psychedelic plant brew originating from the Amazon Rainforest. It is formed from two basic components, the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, and a plant containing the potent psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT), usually Psychotria viridis. There has been a dramatic increase in interest surrounding ayahuasca since the turn of the millennium. Increasing numbers of tourists are travelling...
International journal of toxicology
2024
Eleanor White, Tom Kennedy, Simon Ruffell et al.
13 citations
The objective of this paper is to conduct a systematic thematic review of adverse events, safety, and toxicity of traditional ayahuasca plant preparations and its main psychoactive alkaloids (dimethyltryptamine [DMT], harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine), including discussing clinical considerations (within clinical trials or approved settings). A systematic literature search of...
Drug Science Policy and Law
2024
Simon Ruffell, Sam Gandy, WaiFung Tsang et al.
10 citations
Indigenous Amazonian shamanic ayahuasca practice is embedded in a nature-based context and is employed as an ecological mediating agent and in collective environmental decision-making processes by some of the groups that use it. Phenomenologically, the ayahuasca experience is often rich in nature-based themes and content, and its usage has been associated with eliciting shifts in perspectives...
PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
December 1, 2023
Simon Ruffell, Max Crosland-Wood, Rob Palmer et al.
37 citations
Ayahuasca is a psychedelic plant brew originating from the Amazon rainforest. It is formed from two basic components, the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and a plant containing the potent psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT), usually Psychotria viridis. Here we review the history of ayahuasca and describe recent work on its pharmacology, phenomenological responses, and clinical applications. There...
Psychoactives
October 3, 2023
Daniel Perkins, Emérita Sátiro Opaleye, José Carlos Bouso et al.
18 citations
Background: In the context of increasing scientific interest in the potential therapeutic use of psychedelic agents and their underlying psychotherapeutic mechanisms, we undertake the first detailed assessment of insights and life and lifestyle changes associated with ayahuasca consumption. Methods: An international cross-sectional study of ayahuasca drinkers in a variety of settings was...
Psychedelics as Psychiatric Medications
March 1, 2023
Daniel Perkins, Simon Ruffell, Jerome Sarris
Abstract Ayahuasca is a psychedelic plant brew originating in the Amazon basin. It is typically made from two basic components: the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi), containing various harmala alkaloids, and the leaves of a plant containing the potent psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT), such as the chacruna plant (Psychotria viridis). Evidence suggests the brew has been used for at least...
Frontiers in Neuroscience
January 31, 2023
Daniel Perkins, Kimberley Day, Jerome Sarris et al.
27 citations
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive Amazonian plant brew. It is usually made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine (Spruce ex Griseb. Morton, Malpighiaceae), which contains three primary harmala alkaloids, along with the leaves of Psychotria viridis (Ruiz et Pavon, Rubiaceae) in which the potent psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is found. DMT-harmaloid concoctions have gained popularity in recent...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2023
Simon Ruffell, Nige Netzband, WaiFung Tsang et al.
1 citation
correction
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.687615.].
Drug Science Policy and Law
2023
WaiFung Tsang, Simon Ruffell, Nigel Netzband et al.
Background The potential benefits of ayahuasca on mental health conditions are well documented. This pilot study is the first to explore whether there is an association with ayahuasca use and reductions in inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, the core features of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Methods In this exploratory, observational pilot study, the Adult...
The New England journal of medicine
November 3, 2022
Guy M. Goodwin, Scott T Aaronson, Oscar Alvarez et al.
1,095 citations
Psilocybin is being studied for use in treatment-resistant depression. In this phase 2 double-blind trial, we randomly assigned adults with treatment-resistant depression to receive a single dose of a proprietary, synthetic formulation of psilocybin at a dose of 25 mg, 10 mg, or 1 mg (control), along with psychological support. The primary end point was the change from baseline to week 3 in the...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
October 21, 2022
James J Gattuso, Daniel Perkins, Simon Ruffell et al.
233 citations
Abstract Psychedelics are a unique class of drug that commonly produce vivid hallucinations as well as profound psychological and mystical experiences. A grouping of interconnected brain regions characterized by increased temporal coherence at rest have been termed the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN has been the focus of numerous studies assessing its role in self-referencing, mind...
February 14, 2022
Daniel Perkins, Simon Ruffell, Kimberley Day et al.
1 citation
preprint
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive Amazonian plant brew. It is usually made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, which contains three primary harmala alkaloids, along with the leaves of Psychotria viridis in which the potent psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is found. DMT-harmaloid concoctions have gained popularity in recent years, due to growing anecdotal and scientific reports of therapeutic...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
June 9, 2021
Simon Ruffell, Nige Netzband, WaiFung Tsang et al.
74 citations
Ayahuasca is a natural psychoactive brew, used in traditional ceremonies in the Amazon basin. Recent research has indicated that ayahuasca is pharmacologically safe and its use may be positively associated with improvements in psychiatric symptoms. The mechanistic effects of ayahuasca are yet to be fully established. In this prospective naturalistic study, 63 self-selected participants took...
Psychopharmacology
July 23, 2020
Nige Netzband, Simon Ruffell, Sabriya Linton et al.
56 citations
Abstract Abstract Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant brew containing dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). It originates from the Amazon basin, where it is used primarily for ceremonial purposes. Ayahuasca tourists are now entering certain communities seeking alternative physical or psychological healing, as well as spiritual growth. Rationale Recent evidence has...
Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry
July 3, 2020
Simon Ruffell, Nige Netzband, Catherine Bird et al.
43 citations
Ayahuasca is a South American psychoactive plant brew used as traditional medicine in spiritual and in cultural rituals. This is a review of the current understanding about the pharmacological mechanisms that may be interacting in ayahuasca. Searches were performed using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases and 16 papers were selected. As hypothesized, the primary narrative in...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
March 29, 2019
Tom Wolff, Simon Ruffell, Nigel Netzband et al.
41 citations
Aims This heuristic study reports observations on the phenomenology of ayahuasca experiences of nine foreign tourist participants of an ayahuasca retreat in Peru. Methods Narrative interviews, reflecting individual experiences after ayahuasca “night ceremony,” have been analyzed by qualitative content analysis using a data-driven strategy in order to extract themes and categories inherent in...