Hallucinogens and dissociative agents naturally growing in the United States.
Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2004 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2004.03.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Natural hallucinogens Psychedelic plants Entheogenic fungi Naturally occurring psychoactives Plant-based psychedelics Wild psychedelics Psilocybin mushrooms Mescaline cacti Psychoactive substances Mind-altering compounds Hallucinogenic drugs Entheogens Psychotropic substances Psychoactive effects Drug safety Misidentification risks Religious exemptions Sacramental use Drug laws Legal protections Psychedelic education Online psychedelic resources Drug information Harm reduction Psychedelic knowledge Readily available information |
| Citations | 209 |
| Key findings | Many hallucinogens and dissociative agents can be obtained from plants and fungi growing wild or in gardens in the United States, and information on their identification and use is increasingly disseminated via the Internet. |
Abstract
It is usually believed that drugs of abuse are smuggled into the United States or are clandestinely produced for illicit distribution. Less well known is that many hallucinogens and dissociative agents can be obtained from plants and fungi growing wild or in gardens. Some of these botanical sources can be located throughout the United States; others have a more narrow distribution. This article reviews plants containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine, reversible type A monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), lysergic acid amide, the anticholinergic drugs atropine and scopolamine, or the diterpene salvinorin-A (Salvia divinorum). Also reviewed are mescaline-containing cacti, psilocybin/psilocin-containing mushrooms, and the Amanita muscaria and Amanita pantherina mushrooms that contain muscimol and ibotenic acid. Dangerous misidentification is most common with the mushrooms, but even a novice forager can quickly learn how to properly identify and prepare for ingestion many of these plants. Moreover, through the ever-expanding dissemination of information via the Internet, this knowledge is being obtained and acted upon by more and more individuals. This general overview includes information on the geographical range, drug content, preparation, intoxication, and the special health risks associated with some of these plants. Information is also offered on the unique issue of when bona fide religions use such plants as sacraments in the United States. In addition to the Native American Church's (NAC) longstanding right to peyote, two religions of Brazilian origin, the Santo Daime and the Uniao do Vegetal (UDV), are seeking legal protection in the United States for their use of sacramental dimethyltryptamine-containing "ayahuasca."
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ayahuasca, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 83
- The hallucinogenic world of tryptamines: an updated review. Archives of Toxicology August 1, 2015
- Increased frontal and paralimbic activation following ayahuasca, the pan-amazonian inebriant Psychopharmacology March 30, 2006
- Opioid receptors and legal highs:Salvia divinorumand Kratom Clinical Toxicology 2008
- Recreational Use, Analysis and Toxicity of Tryptamines Current Neuropharmacology December 10, 2014
- Animal Models of Serotonergic Psychedelics ACS Chemical Neuroscience September 24, 2012
and 78 more in the library
Cites 18
- Salvinorin A: a potent naturally occurring nonnitrogenous kappa opioid selective agonist. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences September 3, 2002
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors in South American hallucinogenic plants: Tryptamine and β-carboline constituents of Ayahuasca Journal of Ethnopharmacology April 1, 1984
- Human Pharmacology of Ayahuasca: Subjective and Cardiovascular Effects, Monoamine Metabolite Excretion, and Pharmacokinetics Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics June 18, 2003
- Human Psychopharmacology of Hoasca, A Plant Hallucinogen Used in Ritual Context in Brazil The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease February 1, 1996
- Subjective effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers Psychopharmacology February 22, 2001
and 13 more in the library