Journal of Ethnopharmacology - The Consciousness Library

Mexican calea (Calea zacatechichi Schltdl.) interferes with cholinergic and dopaminergic pathways and causes neuroglial toxicity.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology January 30, 2025 Maria Rita Garcia, Federico Ferreres, Tiago Mineiro et al. 3 citations

The use of "Mexican calea" (Calea zacatechichi Schltdl.) in ritualistic ceremonies, due to its dream-inducing effects, was until recently limited to indigenous communities in Mexico. However, the plant has recently gained popularity in Western societies being commonly used in recreational settings. Despite the traditional and recreational uses, mechanisms underlying its reported oneirogenic...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118915 Full text Chlorogenic acid Entheogen Nictoflorin Oneiromancy +2

Banisteriopsis caapi extract: Implications for neuroinflammatory pathways in Locus coeruleus lesion rodent model.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology January 30, 2025 Santhiago C Graça, Isabella B Bustelli, Érica V Dos Santos et al. 2 citations

Ayahuasca is a beverage obtained from the decoctions of Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) Morton and Psychotria viridis Ruiz & Pav., used throughout the Amazon as a medicinal beverage for healing and spiritual exploration. The Banisteriopsis caapi extract consists of harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine (THH); which inhibit the isoforms of monoamine oxidase A and B. In the central...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118775 Full text Ethnobotany Banisteriopsis caapi Locus coeruleus Neurodegeneration +3

Yangonin, one of the kavalactones isolated from Piper methysticum G. Forst, acts through cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors to induce an intrathecal anti-hyperalgesia.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology October 28, 2024 Lok-Hi Chow, Pin-Chen Lin, Ying-Jie Chen et al. 6 citations

Piper methysticum G. Forst (Piperaceae) is traditionally consumed in Polynesian culture. The roots are used to produce an entheogenic drink and traditional medicine with sedative and anxiolytic properties. There is also evidence that it functions as a pain reliever. Kavalactones, its main active ingredients, exhibit psychoactive effects on the central nervous system. However, the active...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118394 Full text Anti-hyperalgesia Kavain Kavalactones Yangonin

Ayahuasca and its major component harmine promote antinociceptive effects in mouse models of acute and chronic pain.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology April 6, 2024 Pedro Santana Sales Lauria, Juliana de Medeiros Gomes, Lucas Silva Abreu et al. 10 citations

Ayahuasca (AYA) is a psychedelic brew used in religious ceremonies. It is broadly used as a sacred medicine for treating several ailments, including pain of various origins. To investigate the antinociceptive effects of AYA and its mechanisms in preclinical models of acute and chronic pain in mice, in particular during experimental neuropathy. The antinociceptive effects of AYA administered...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.117710 Full text Yage Hoasca Serotonin #pain-relief analgesic +8

Antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like activities and acute toxicity evaluation of the Psilocybe cubensis mushroom in experimental models in mice.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology February 10, 2024 Alberto Hernández-león, Raúl Iván Escamilla-Orozco, Aylín R. Tabal-Robles et al. 29 citations

Central nervous system (CNS) diseases can be diverse and usually present with comorbidity, as in the case of depression and anxiety. Despite alternatives like Psilocybe mushrooms for mental health there is no basic research to evidence their CNS benefits. To evaluate the anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects, as well as the acute toxicity of P. cubensis mushroom. First, the acute toxicity...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117415 Full text Depression Psilocybin Mental health anxiety Mood disorders +7

Emotion regulation effects of Ayahuasca in experienced subjects during implicit aversive stimulation: An fMRI study.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology February 10, 2024 Tiago Arruda Sanchez, Lucas Rego Ramos, Felipe Araujo et al. 12 citations

Ayahuasca is a beverage used in Amazonian traditional medicine and it has been part of the human experience for millennia as well as other different psychoactive plants. Although Ayahuasca has been proposed as potentially therapeutic as an anxiolytic and antidepressant, whilst no studies have been carried out so far investigating their direct effect on brain emotional processing. This study...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117430 Full text DMT Ayahuasca Anxiety Dimethyltryptamine +8

Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell) Brenan: Ethnobotanical, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological aspects.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology January 10, 2023 Merline Delices, Jessica de Araujo Isaias Muller, Karuppusamy Arunachalam et al. 23 citations

Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan is an endemic tree to South America and different parts of it are used by the population for the treatment of various diseases, as well as in indigenous rituals. This species has high pharmacological potential but may present toxic potential due to the presence of psychotropic compounds. To review published studies with the species A. colubrina regarding...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115745 Full text Medicinal plants Folk medicine Valuable medicinal plant Natural health possibilities +10

Teacher plants - Indigenous Peruvian-Amazonian dietary practices as a method for using psychoactives.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology March 25, 2022 Ilana Berlowitz, David M O'Shaughnessy, Michael Heinrich et al. 26 citations

Indigenous groups of the Amazon have developed intricate methods for the application of psychoactives, among which particularly the dieta or diet method of Peruvian-Amazonian traditional medicine stands out. It is a retreat-like intervention involving lengthy periods of social, behavioural, and alimentary restrictions, while ingesting specially prepared plant substances. The interplay of the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114910 Full text Ayahuasca Amazonian medicine Dieta Indigenous medicine +5

Ayahuasca blocks ethanol preference in an animal model of dependence and shows no acute toxicity

Journal of Ethnopharmacology November 22, 2021 Bruno Gianfratti, Ricardo Tabach, Marna Eliana Sakalem et al. 23 citations

Ethnopharmacological relevanceAyahuasca, a psychoactive beverage prepared from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, is originally used by Amazon-based indigenous and mestizo groups for medicinal and ritualistic purposes. Nowadays, ayahuasca is used in religious and shamanic contexts worldwide, and preliminary evidence from preclinical and observational studies suggests therapeutic...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114865 Ayahuasca Acute toxicity Pharmacology Ethanol +1

Neuroprotective potential of Ayahuasca and untargeted metabolomics analyses: applicability to Parkinson's disease.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology June 12, 2020 Albert Katchborian‐neto, Wanderleya T Santos, Karen J Nicácio et al. 62 citations

Ayahuasca is a tea produced through decoction of Amazonian plants. It has been used for centuries by indigenous people of South America. The beverage is considered to be an ethnomedicine, and it is traditionally used for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, including neurological illness. Besides, some scientific evidence suggests it may be applicable to Parkinson's disease (PD)...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112743 Full text Ayahuasca Metabolomics Neurodegenerative disease Neuroprotection +2

Antinociceptive effects of Salvia divinorum and bioactive salvinorins in experimental pain models in mice.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology February 10, 2020 Lorenzo Leonel Tlacomulco-Flores, M. Déciga-campos, María Eva González-trujano Me et al. 26 citations

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Salvia divinorum Epling & Játiva is a Mexican plant used not only in rituals but also in traditional medicine for pain relief. One of the most known bioactive compounds is salvinorin A, which acts centrally in kappa-type opioid receptors. AIM OF THE STUDY Despite its traditional use as a medicinal plant, there is not enough scientific investigation to reinforce...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2019.112276

Cannabis sativa: A comprehensive ethnopharmacological review of a medicinal plant with a long history.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology December 5, 2018 Sara Anna Bonini, Marika Premoli, Simone Tambaro et al. 669 citations

Cannabis sativa L. (C. sativa) is an annual dioecious plant, which shares its origins with the inception of the first agricultural human societies in Asia. Over the course of time different parts of the plant have been utilized for therapeutic and recreational purposes, for instance, extraction of healing oils from seed, or the use of inflorescences for their psychoactive effects. The key...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.09.004 Full text Cannabis sativa l. Endocannabinoids Ethnobotany Phytocannabinoids +1

Sacred Maya incense, copal (Protium copal - Burseraceae), has antianxiety effects in animal models.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology April 24, 2018 Zul Merali, Christian Cayer, Pamela Kent et al. 16 citations

The Maya have traditionally used copal, Protium copal, as incense during ceremonies since pre-Columbian times. Anecdotally, copal (when burned as incense), is thought to elicit mentally uplifting and calming effects. The main objective of this study was to determine whether the incense elicits anxiolytic-like behavior in animal models using rats. A second objective was to characterize active...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.01.027 Full text Anxiety Amyrins Conditioned emotional response Elevated plus maze +5

Neuropathic and inflammatory antinociceptive effects and electrocortical changes produced by Salvia divinorum in rats.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology July 12, 2017 Karina Simón-arceo, Ma Eva González-trujano, Ulises Coffeen et al. 26 citations

Salvia divinorum is a medicinal plant traditionally used in hallucinogenic ethnopharmacological practices and for its analgesic and antinflammatory properties. Its active compounds include diterpenes known as salvinorins which act as potent κ opioid receptor agonists. Given its effects in acute animal models of pain, as well as its antinflammatory attributes, we decided to investigate the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2017.05.016 Full text Salvia divinorum Salvinorin Antinociception Dopamine +7

Phytochemical and ethnomedicinal study of Huperzia species used in the traditional medicine of Saraguros in Southern Ecuador; AChE and MAO inhibitory activity.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology December 4, 2016 Chabaco Armijos, Gianluca Gilardoni, Luis Amay et al. 38 citations

This study concerns seven Huperzia species (Lycopodiaceae), namely H. brevifolia, H. columnaris, H. compacta, H. crassa, H. espinosana, H. tetragona, H. weberbaueri, which are considered sacred plants by the Saraguro community, living in the Southern Andes of Ecuador; these plants are widely used in traditional medicine and ritual ceremonies. The plants were selected on the basis of written...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.09.049 Full text 21-episerratenediol pubchem cid Alkaloids Alzheimer Hallucinogenic +7

Effects of low dose ibogaine on subjective mood state and psychological performance.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology August 2, 2016 Bridget Forsyth, Liana Machado, Tim Jowett et al. 35 citations

Root bark from Tabernanthe iboga has been used traditionally in West Africa as a psychoactive substance in religious rituals. In smaller doses it is reported anecdotally to have stimulant properties. To evaluate the influence of a single 20mg ibogaine dose on psychological variables reflecting subjective mood state and a range of cognitive functions. 21 healthy male volunteers received single...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.05.022 Full text Noribogaine Ibogaine study: ibogaine Low-dose ibogaine Single 20mg dose +11

"Wild cannabis": A review of the traditional use and phytochemistry of Leonotis leonurus.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology November 4, 2015 Baudry N Nsuala, Gill Enslin, Alvaro Viljoen

Leonotis leonurus, locally commonly known as "wilde dagga" (=wild cannabis), is traditionally used as a decoction, both topically and orally, in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions such as haemorrhoids, eczema, skin rashes, boils, itching, muscular cramps, headache, epilepsy, chest infections, constipation, spider and snake bites. The dried leaves and flowers are also smoked to...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.08.013 Full text Ethnopharmacology Labdane diterpenes Leonotis leonurus Marrubiin +1

Hunting and hallucinogens: The use psychoactive and other plants to improve the hunting ability of dogs.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology August 2, 2015 Bradley C Bennett, Rocío Alarcón 43 citations

Cultures throughout the world give plants to their dogs in order to improve hunting success. These practices are best developed in lowland Ecuador and Peru. There is no experimental evidence for the efficacy of these practices nor critical reviews that consider possible pharmacological effects on dogs based on the chemistry of the ethnoverterinary plants. This review has three specific aims:...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.05.035 Full text Ecuador Hallucinogens Hunting Psychoactive plants +2

Yokukansan, a traditional Japanese medicine, decreases head-twitch behaviors and serotonin 2A receptors in the prefrontal cortex of isolation-stressed mice.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology May 26, 2015 Toshiyuki Ueki, Kazushige Mizoguchi, Takuji Yamaguchi et al. 31 citations

Yokukansan, a traditional Japanese (Kampo) medicine, has recently been used to treat the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), including aggressiveness, excitability, and hallucination. The present study was designed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the ameliorative effects of yokukansan on BPSD using animals exhibiting hallucination-like behaviors. For this purpose,...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.046 Full text Head-twitch behavior Mouse Prefrontal cortex Serotonin 2a receptor +2

Ex vivo effects of ibogaine on the activity of antioxidative enzymes in human erythrocytes.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology April 22, 2015 Aleksandra Nikolić-kokić, Zorana Oreščanin-dušić, Ivan Spasojević et al. 15 citations

Ibogaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid with psychotropic and metabotropic effects, derived from the bark of the root of the West African Tabernanthe iboga plant. The tribes of Kongo basin have been using iboga as a stimulant, for medicinal purposes, and in rite of passage ceremonies, for centuries. Besides, it has been found that this drug has anti-addictive effects. Previous studies have...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.01.037 Full text Ibogaine Adaptogen Alkaloids Antioxidant +9

Soma, food of the immortals according to the Bower Manuscript (Kashmir, 6th century A.D.).

Journal of Ethnopharmacology August 8, 2014 Marco Leonti, Laura Casu 15 citations

Food is medicine and vice versa. In Hindu and Ayurvedic medicine, and among human cultures of the Indian subcontinent in general, the perception of the food-medicine continuum is especially well established. The preparation of the exhilarating, gold-coloured Soma, Amrita or Ambrosia, the elixir and food of the 'immortals'-the Hindu pantheon-by the ancient Indo-Aryans, is described in the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.05.029 Full text Historic ethnopharmacology Soma ambrosia Mythical drink Ancient elixir +6

From local to global-fifty years of research on Salvia divinorum.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology February 3, 2014 Ivan Casselman, Catherine J Nock, Hans Wohlmuth et al. 54 citations

In 1962 ethnopharmacologists, Hofmann and Wasson, undertook an expedition to Oaxaca, Mexico. These two researchers were the first scientists to collect a flowering specimen of Salvia divinorum allowing the identification of this species. While the species' traditional use is confined to a very small region of Mexico, since Hofmann and Wasson's expedition 50 years ago, Salvia divinorum has...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.11.032 Full text 2.136: botany 2.232: diterpenoids 2.312: hallucinogenic Psychoactive diterpene +4

The effect of Salvia divinorum and Mitragyna speciosa extracts, fraction and major constituents on place aversion and place preference in rats.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2014 Kenneth J. Sufka, Melissa J Loria, Kevin Lewellyn et al.

Consumer use of botanicals has increased despite, in many instances, the paucity of research demonstrating efficacy or identifying liabilities. This research employed the place preference/aversion paradigm to characterize the psychoactive properties of Salvia divinorum extract (10, 30, 100mg/kg), salvinorin A (0.1, 0.3, 1.0mg/kg), Mitragyna speciosa MeOH extract (50, 100, 300 mg/kg), Mitragyna...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.10.059 Full text Salvia divinorum Salvinorin a Mitragyna speciosa Mitragynine +1

Argyreia nervosa (Burm. f.): Receptor profiling of lysergic acid amide and other potential psychedelic LSD-like compounds by computational and binding assay approaches

Journal of Ethnopharmacology May 8, 2013 Alexander Paulke, Christian Kremer, Cora Wunder et al. 31 citations

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe convolvulacea Argyreia nervosa (Burm. f.) is well known as an important medical plant in the traditional Ayurvedic system of medicine and it is used in numerous diseases (e.g. nervousness, bronchitis, tuberculosis, arthritis, and diabetes). Additionally, in the Indian state of Assam and in other regions Argyreia nervosa is part of the traditional tribal...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.04.044 Traditional medicine Context archaeology Pharmacology

Metabolic plasticity and the energy economizing effect of ibogaine, the principal alkaloid of Tabernanthe iboga.

Journal of Ethnopharmacology August 30, 2012 Roman Paškulin, Polona Jamnik, Tjaša Danevčič et al. 19 citations

The root bark of iboga plant-Tabernanthe iboga has been used traditionally in Central Africa as a psychoactive substance in religious rituals, while in smaller doses it is appreciated due to its stimulant properties. The iboga root bark, iboga extract or pure ibogaine are being recognized in the West as an anti-addiction remedy and their use is increasing. Our previous studies have demonstrated...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.06.039 Full text Iboga plant Natural compound Plant extract Botanical +14

Papers