Quo Vadis? Plants of the Gods and Their Recently Discovered Therapeutic Applications

Plant-based psychedelics, also known as serotonergic hallucinogens (e.g., Mescaline, psilocybin, and N, N-dimethyltryptamine), have an ancient history of medicinal use. The early reports on psychedelics in the 50s ignited the initial interest in the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs in psychiatry [1]. Unfortunately, politically driven prohibitive legislatures in the mid-1960s and subsequent passage of the Substance Act of 1970 –which placed psychedelic drugs in the Schedule I category– effectively ended all major psychedelic research programs [2]. More recently, however, there has been a renewal in interest and promise of psychedelic research (Fig 1).

Accumulated research to date sheds light on the potential of psychedelics as a breakthrough therapy for different psychiatric disorders; particularly for conditions that conventional methods like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) proven to be semi- or non-effective (e.g., major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, anorexia nervosa, etc.) [3].

Nevertheless, the therapeutic potential of psychedelics goes far beyond the mental health. During the last five years (2016-2021), 55 clinical studies have been conducted with psychedelics, not only in the field of psychiatry but also in chronic pain (e.g., cluster headaches) and general well-being (e.g., social connectedness). [4] [5]. These recent discoveries provide a scientific road map for investigating and applying natural psychedelics in medicine.

In summary, a new door has been opened for the diverse medical purposes of serotonergic psychedelics. These sacred compounds operate through unique mechanisms that show promising effects for various debilitating and lethal disorders and should be rigorously researched [1], [3].

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
13. Dezember 2021

• References

• 1 Tingying Chi, Jessica A. Gold. “A Review of Emerging Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs in the Treatment of Psychiatric Illnesses.” Journal of the Neurological Sciences, vol. 411, no. August 2019, Elsevier, 2020, p. 116715, doi:10.1016/j.jns.2020.116715.
• 2 Nichols D.E.. et al. “Psychedelics as Medicines: An Emerging New Paradigm.” Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, vol. 101, no. 2, 2017, pp. 209–19, doi:10.1002/cpt.557.
• 3 Carhart-Harris Robin L. Guy M. Goodwin. “The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Past, Present, and Future.” Neuropsychopharmacology, vol. 42, no. 11, Nature Publishing Group, 2017, pp. 2105–13, doi:10.1038/npp.2017.84.
• 4 Andersson Martin et al. “Psychoactive Substances as a Last Resort—a Qualitative Study of Self-Treatment of Migraine and Cluster Headaches.” Harm Reduction Journal, vol. 14, no. 1, Dec. 2017, p. 60, doi:10.1186/s12954-017-0186-6.
• 5 Forstmann Matthias et al. “Transformative Experience and Social Connectedness Mediate the Mood-Enhancing Effects of Psychedelic Use in Naturalistic Settings.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 117, no. 5, Feb. 2020, pp. 2338–46, doi:10.1073/pnas.1918477117.