Natural psychedelics in the treatment of depression; a review focusing on neurotransmitters.
Samane Jahanabadi, Shayan Amiri, Mehdi Karkeh-Abadi, Ali Razmi
Fitoterapia September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2023.105620 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Depression DMT Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Natural psychedelics Neurotransmission system Psychedelic medicine Mental health treatment Alternative antidepressants Neuroscience research |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key findings | Natural psychedelics exert neurobiological therapeutic effects through multiple neurotransmission systems, offering novel mechanisms for treating depression. |
Abstract
Natural psychedelic compounds are emerging as potential novel therapeutics in psychiatry. This review will discuss how natural psychedelics exert their neurobiological therapeutic effects, and how different neurotransmission systems mediate the effects of these compounds. Further, current therapeutic strategies for depression, and novel mechanism of action of natural psychedelics in the treatment of depression will be discussed. In this review, our focus will be on N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), reversible type A monoamine oxidase inhibitors, mescaline-containing cacti, psilocybin/psilocin-containing mushrooms, ibogaine, muscimol extracted from Amanita spp. mushrooms and ibotenic acid.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on DMT for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered clinical studies investigating psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders. Registered clinical trials on clinicaltrials.gov evaluating psychedelics for... | 2021 | Review | n = 70 |
| Role of Psychedelics in Treatment-Resistant Depression. | 2023 | Review | |
| Psilocybin and Other Classic Psychedelics in Depression. | 2024 | Review | |
| Benefits and Challenges of Ultra-Fast, Short-Acting Psychedelics in the Treatment of Depression | 2025 | Review | |
| Ayahuasca for the Treatment of Depression. | 2022 | Review |