In our society, there is
amazement surrounding hallucinogens, especially among young people and
artists who are curious about mind altering substances. There is a
large wave of "psychonauts" that travel far to consume magic mushrooms
or other exotic substances; for example, to Latin America, where some of
these plants originate, or to countries where consumption is legal
(like Uruguay and the Netherlands).
The Vine of the Soul
Shamanism Is an Ancient Profession
It is important to underline that in traditional cultures these sacred plants were used for divination
and healing purposes. For many indigenous people, psychoactive plants
have divine qualities and are used in ceremonies guided by a shaman. A
shaman is a practitioner who has expertise with the substance and the
wisdom to diagnose and cure soul affections and is believed to have special powers to perceive and interact with the transcendent world [1].
Among such rituals, there are different paradigms: the healer is the
one engaging in a trance state to be able to give a diagnosis and apply a
remedy. The shaman is the one who guides the persons during the ritual
to facilitate self-understanding. The substances might also be consumed
during folk religious ceremonies [2].
One
of the immediate side effects is vomiting, which is believed to aid
“purification of the soul”. The desired effect, a spiritual trance, is a
complex phenomenon of altered consciousness and usually triggers states
of deep introspection and insight. The experience is unique for each
consumer but generally depends on the potency of the batch, the setting,
the mindset of the user and the culture. The most notable effects are
visual alterations that range from seeing visual images and illusions to
concrete and substantive hallucinations [3].
 |
| source: Wikimedia Commons |
The Vine of the Soul
One
of the most vastly studied hallucinogens is ayahuasca, a botanical
preparation used in healing ceremonies throughout the area of the Amazon
in South America. Ayahuasca can be translated from Quechua as “vine of the soul”. The brew includes the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) containing β-carboline type alkaloids, like harmine and tetrahydroharmine, which are monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, preventing dopamine breakdown in the synapse; and the chacruna shrub (Psychotria viridis),
providing the hallucinogen alkaloid DMT. Sometimes the chacruna shrub
is substituted with other plants containing DMT [3, 4]. MAO inhibition
and DMT together produce boosted hallucinations, the “magical” effect of
this drink [4].
Psychonauts go on trips for ancient plants
There is another important drug for
psychonauts: magic mushrooms containing the active compounds of
psilocybin, psilocin and baeocystin. They have been part of human
culture since prehistoric times (see Image 1). The Aztecs worshiped them
to the level that they named them teonanácatl,
“the flesh of the god” in nahuatl. The large diversity of mushrooms is
used for religious rites by the Mazatec in Oaxaca, Mexico, but also
other communities.
The cactus peyote (Lophophora williamsii)
was also consumed extensively by the Aztecs, believing it would grant
them divine protection and guidance during hunting or warfare.
Nowadays, it continues to be used by the Huichol in the desert zone of
Real de Catorce in northern Mexico [3]. The members of this tribe depict
their ritual gatherings and the hallucinations experienced under the
effect of mescaline, the active component of peyote, in extraordinary
colorful artistic works (Image 2).
 |
| by antefixus21 via flickr |
Where Sacramental Traditions and Neuroscience Meet
Since
colonial times, these sacramental plants have largely remained
prohibited. However, during the last decades, they have become
increasingly known across the Western World, leading to a growing number
of research studies that analyze their effects on the brain and their
potential clinical value. Now it is known that all these hallucinogenic
chemicals have a stereochemical similarity to serotonin. By acting as
serotonin receptor agonists, particularly of the frontocortical 5-HT2A subtype [5], they produce alterations of perceptions, mood, and cognition.
A
leading group in this field is the Brazilian team of Dr. Jaime Hallack
in the Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo. They have
identified promising therapeutic benefits for diseases like depression,
anxiety and drug dependence for these substances [6, 7]. Additionally,
these medications may have a greater safety profile than regular
addictive drugs, an extremely low mortality rate and produce almost no
physical dependence [8]. So, if you are a psychonaut or are interested
in this topic, keep your eyes wide open, as there is still a great deal
to learn from these ancestral sacred plants.
[1] Singh, Behav Brain Sci, 2017 (forthcoming)
[2] Metzner, J Psychoactive Drugs, 1998
[3] Díaz, Phenom Cogn Sci, 2010
[4] Frecska et al., Front Pharmacol, 2016
[5] Dos Santos et al., Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2016
[6] Dos Santos et al., J Psychopharmacol, 2016
[7] Dos Santos et al., Ther Adv Psychopharmacol, 2016
[8] Winkelman, Curr Drug Abuse Rev, 2014
By Lya Katarina Paas Oliveros, MSc Student MedNeuro
This article originally appeared September 2017 in CNS Volume 10, Issue 3, Spirituality in Science
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