J. Hesselink

2 papers in the library · 1 citation · publishing 2018-2019

Papers

Blue Nile Flower Rituals from the Perspective of Transpersonal Psychology - The Role of Nuciferine and its Putative Value as an Antipsychotic Drug

Edelweiss Psychiatry Open Access November 19, 2018 J. Hesselink 1 citation

Compounds used in neoshamanic rituals, such as nuciferine from the Blue Nile Flower (Nymphaea caerulea), may offer new treatments for psychiatric disorders. Nuciferine has a broad pharmacological profile, acting on serotonergic and dopaminergic receptors, and may lead to a new class of atypical antipsychotics. Its anti-inflammatory activity also suggests potential for treating depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. The quality of commercial extracts varies widely. The ritual use of the Blue Nile Flower addresses healing needs not fully met by Western medicine.

DOI: 10.33805/2638-8073.112 Full text Psychology Medicine

Salvia divinorum induces body awareness changes comparable to metamorphic symptoms in the Alice in Wonderland syndrome

Clinical Sciences Research and Reports January 1, 2019 J. Hesselink

Salvia divinorum, a plant used by Mazatec shamans, contains Salvinorin A, the strongest known psychedelic plant compound, which binds to kappa opioid receptors. Its effects include sudden, drastic changes in body schema, such as macro-somatognosia—feeling that the body or its parts grow larger—resembling Alice in Wonderland syndrome. These phenomena are discussed in relation to neurophenomenological concepts of body schema and cortical spreading depression.

DOI: 10.15761/csrr.1000119 Full text Medicine