Background: One of the main public health strategies adopted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic consisted of implementing strict lockdowns to stop the transmission of the virus. Despite being an effective measure, the confinement and the associated social isolation create a stressful, potentially lengthy situations that has been proven to have several psychological consequences. Given...
Knowledge of the behavioral ecology of marmosets carried out in their natural habitat associated with the advent of a non-invasive technique for measuring steroid hormones in feces has made a significant contribution to understanding their social relationships and sexual strategies. These studies showed that they are mainly monogamous, live in relatively stable social groups according to a...
A psychedelic drug is one that “produces thought, mood and perceptual changes otherwise rarely experienced except in dreams, contemplative and religious exaltation, flashes of vivid involuntary memory, and acute psychosis”1. It does so “without causing physical addiction, craving, major physiological disturbances, delirium, disorientation or amnesia”1. The “classic psychedelics” include...
Abstract This article reassesses what has been called ‘the puzzle of distribution’: why did some drugs rapidly emerge as global consumer goods in the era of the Columbian Exchange, whereas others remained restricted to regional centres of usage? I argue here that the early modern concept of transplantation allows us to approach the puzzle of distribution from a novel perspective. Early modern...
The medical use of psychedelic substances (e.g. psilocybin, ayahuasca, lysergic acid diethylamide and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is attracting renewed interest, driven by a pressing need for research and development of novel therapies for psychiatric disorders, as well as promising results of contemporary studies. In this Viewpoint, we reflect upon the ‘Clinical Memorandum on...
Use of classic psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin, ayahuasca, and lysergic acid diethylamide) is increasing, and psychedelic therapy is receiving growing attention as a novel mental health intervention. Suicidality remains a potential safety concern associated with classic psychedelics and is, concurrently, a mental health concern that psychedelic therapy may show promise in targeting. Accordingly,...
Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005–2014), weighted to be representative of the US adult population, the present study investigated the association between lifetime classic psychedelic use and hypertension in the past year among adults in the United States. The results showed that respondents who reported having used a classic psychedelic at least once in their...
The consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) has been increasing, and this problem affects several countries worldwide. There is a class of NPSs of natural origin, consisting of plants and fungi, which have a wide range of alkaloids, responsible for causing relaxing, stimulating or hallucinogenic effects. The consumption of some of these substances is prompted by religious beliefs and...
Background/aim: Kambô is a name for the secretion of the Giant Maki Frog ( Phyllomedusa bicolor), which has been used by indigenous cultures from the Amazonas basin and has recently become popular in alternative healing circles in Western countries, with a certain overlap with psychedelic self-exploration. Methods: We carried out an online-based survey in English (54.92%) and German...
P sychedelics have recently gained attention as compounds with therapeutic potential in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designations for (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) as an adjunct to psychotherapy in severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (in 2017) and for the adjunctive use of psilocybin with...