Everything about Psychedelic Drugs totally explained
Psychedelic drugs are
psychoactive drugs whose primary action is to alter the thought processes of the brain and perception of the mind. The term is derived from
Greek ψυχή (
psyche, "mind") and δηλείν (
delein, "to manifest"), translating to "mind-manifesting."
"The implication is that the psychedelic drugs can develop unused potentials of the human mind." Psychedelic drugs are part of a wider class sometimes known as the
hallucinogens, which also includes related substances such as
dissociatives and
deliriants. Unlike other
psychoactive drugs such as
stimulants and
opioids, the psychedelics don't merely induce familiar states of mind but rather shift the focus of experiences so that they're qualitatively different from those of ordinary consciousness. The
psychedelic experience is often compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as
trance,
meditation, and dreams.
Many psychedelic drugs are thought to disable filters which keep signals unrelated to everyday functions from reaching the
conscious mind. These signals are presumed to originate in several other functions of the brain, including but not limited to the senses, emotions, memories, and the unconscious (or subconscious) mind. This effect is sometimes referred to as
mind expanding, or
consciousness expanding, for the conscious mind becomes aware of things normally inaccessible to it.
A definition more clearly sets apart a
classic or
true psychedelic is offered by
Lester Grinspoon: “a psychedelic drug is one which has small likelihood of causing physical addiction, craving, major physiological disturbances, delirium, disorientation, or amnesia, produces thought, mood, and perceptual changes otherwise rarely experienced except perhaps in dreams, contemplative and religious exaltation, flashes of vivid involuntary memory and acute psychoses”.
Over the decades, the term has been expanded to include far more substances than originally intended. Many pharmacologists define psychedelic drugs as chemicals that have an
LSD- or
mescaline-like action on certain
serotonin receptors. In essence, this means
tryptamines and
phenethylamines, as no psychedelics from other chemical families have been discovered, with the possible exception of
piperazines and
benzodifuranyls. Many people have applied the term psychedelic to other drugs including
dissociative NMDA receptor antagonists such as
PCP and
ketamine,
tropane deliriants such as
atropine, other psychoactives such as
Amanita muscaria and
Salvia divinorum. However, these should be considered as separate groups. In the medical literature, they're often grouped together as
hallucinogens or
antidepressants (both of which are, in general, considered separate from stimulants).
Traditional use
Psychedelics have a long history of traditional use in medicine and religion, where they're prized for their perceived ability to promote physical and mental healing. In this context, they're often known as
entheogens.
Native American practitioners using
peyote have reported success against
alcoholism, and
Mazatec practitioners routinely use
psilocybin mushrooms for divination and healing.
Ayahuasca, a psychotropic drug, is still used in Peru for religious festivals [Posner,2006]. Link:
(External Link
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Examples
Classic psychedelics include
LSD,
psilocybin (main active principle of '
magic mushrooms'),
mescaline (active principle of
peyote and the
San Pedro cactus),
LSA (
Hawaiian Baby Woodrose and
Morning Glory Seeds) and also
Ayahuasca (known in Beatnik literature as
yajé), a traditional shamanic tea brewed from plants containing
dimethyltryptamine and
harmine or
harmaline. Some newer synthetics such as
MDMA (ecstasy),
2C-B (nexus),
DOM (STP), and
5-MeO-DIPT (Foxy Methoxy) have also enjoyed some popularity.
Cannabis, one of the most widely used psychoactive drugs in the world, produces effects similar to a low dose of a classic psychedelic, as well as a fairly prominent generally 'inebriated' feeling.
Pharmacological classes and effects
This class of psychedelics includes the major hallucinogens, including
tryptamine-based compounds like
LSD and
psilocybin, and
phenethylamine-based compounds like
mescaline and
2C-B. Many of the
tryptamines and
phenethylamines cause remarkably similar effects, despite their different chemical structure. However, most users report that the two families have subjectively different qualities in the "feel" of the experience, which are difficult to describe. At lower doses, these include sensory distortions, such as the warping of surfaces, shape suggestibility, and color variations. Users often report intense colors that they've not previously experienced, and repetitive geometric shapes are common. Higher doses often cause intense and fundamental distortions of sensory perception, such as
synesthesia or the experience of additional spatial or temporal dimensions. Some compounds, such as
2C-B, have extremely tight "dose curves", meaning the difference between a non-event and an overwhelming disconnection from reality can be very slight. There can be very substantial differences between the drugs, however - for instance,
5-MeO-DMT rarely produces the visual effects typical of other psychedelics. Some drugs, such as the β-carbolines, produce very different effects from the more standard types of psychedelics.
The empathogens are phenethylamines such as
MDMA,
MDE, and similar drugs, the effects of which are characterized by feelings of openness, euphoria, empathy, love, and heightened self-awareness, but not by visual hallucinations. Their initial adoption by the dance club sub-culture is probably due to the enhancement of the overall social and musical experience.
MDA is atypical to this experience, often causing hallucinations and psychedelic effects in equal profundity, but with substantially less mental involvement, to the "feel" of the more "typical" psychedelics in the
phenethylamine family such as
2C-B and
DOM, and is possibly both a serotonin releaser and also a partial serotonin agonist; giving the user, subjectively, the "best of both worlds".
MDA (unlike
MDMA) has also proven to be
neurotoxic, however, so caution with its use must be practiced.
Cannabinoids (CB-1 cannabinoid receptor agonists)
The cannabinoid
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and related compounds are capable of activating the body's endogenous cannabinoid system. Some effects may include: general change in consciousness, mild euphoria, feelings of general well-being, relaxation or stress reduction, increased appreciation of humor, music and other art, joviality, metacognition and introspection, enhanced recollection of episodic memory, increased sensuality, increased awareness of sensation, creative or philosophical thinking, disruption of linear memory, paranoia, agitation, and anxiety, potentiation of other psychedelics, increased awareness of patterns and color.
Other
The effects of
myristicin and
elemicin (found in
nutmeg) are reported are similar to that of cannabis, more so of the
cannabidiol component rather than
THC, but with a much longer duration, slow onset, and undesirable side-effects.
Cryogenine (Vertine) is the active constituent of
sinicuichi. Although vertine has
anticholinergic properties, use of sinicuichi tends to produce psychedelic effects rather than that of a deliriant (this could possibly be dose related). The primary noted effects include auditory distortions, improved memory and relaxation.
Salvia divinorum is an atypical psychedelic. The main ingredient, Salvinorin A, is a kappa opioid receptor agonist, working on a part of the brain that deals with pain.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Psychedelic Drugs'.
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