Direct Analysis of Psilocin and Muscimol in Urine Samples Using Single Drop Microextraction Technique In-Line with Capillary Electrophoresis

The fully automated system of single drop microextraction coupled with capillary electrophoresis (SDME-CE) was developed for in-line preconcentration and determination of muscimol (MUS) and psilocin (PSC) from urine samples. Those two analytes are characteristic active metabolites of Amanita and Psilocybe mushrooms, evoking visual and auditory hallucinations...

Long-Term Analysis of Psilocybin in Cancer Patients With Distress

cancer patient: cancer patientWith the technological advances that have been made in diagnostics for cancer, more disease is being detected at an earlier stage. Although this generally improves the patient's chances for survival, a diagnosis of cancer can often provoke significant psychological distress in patients. A significant number of cancer patients wi...

Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the de novo production of psilocybin and related tryptamine derivatives

Psilocybin is a tryptamine-derived psychoactive alkaloid found mainly in the fungal genus Psilocybe, among others, and is the active ingredient in so-called "magic mushrooms". Although its notoriety originates from its psychotropic properties and popular use as a recreational drug, clinical trials have recently recognized psilocybin as a promising candidate ...

Dissolving the self

Psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin, LSD and DMT are known to induce powerful alterations in phenomenology. Perhaps of most philosophical and scientific interest is their capacity to disrupt and even “dissolve” one of the most primary features of normal experience: that of being a self. Such “peak” or “mystical” experiences are of increasing interest for th...

Can Psychedelics Radically Change SUD Treatment?

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Clinical & ResearchFull AccessCan Psychedelics Radically Change SUD Treatment?Katie O'ConnorKatie O'ConnorPublished Online:20 Mar 2020https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2020.2a12AbstractThough the field is young, psychedelics appear to hold promise as a treatment for addiction, even as barriers to research...

The Novelty of Ayahuasca Scale and the prediction of intentions to use

Abstract Objective Given the growing popularity of ayahuasca and other hallucinogens, we sought to identify related expectancies and their role in why people might use this psychoactive brew rather than classic hallucinogens like LSD or psilocybin. Method Experienced users (N = 139) completed an online survey about their use of hallucinogens (including ayahu...

Trip: Psychedelics, Alienation, and Change

Psychedelics, but Not Ketamine, Produce Persistent Antidepressant-like Effects in a Rodent Experimental System for the Study of Depression

Psilocybin shows efficacy to alleviate depression in human clinical trials for six or more months after only one or two treatments. Another hallucinogenic drug, esketamine, has recently been U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved as a rapid-acting antidepressant. The mechanistic basis for the antidepressant effects of psilocybin and ketamine appear...

A single psilocybin dose is associated with long-term increased mindfulness, preceded by a proportional change in neocortical 5-HT2A receptor binding

Psilocybin Therapeutic Research: The Present and Future Paradigm

Psilocybin, an active component in "magic mushroom", may have the potential to meet the therapeutic needs for a number of indications without the addictiveness and overdose risk of other mind-altering drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, alcohol, methamphetamine, and so forth. The need for new therapies is urgent because addiction, overdose, and suicide deaths ha...

Psychedelic Birth: Bodies, Boundaries and the Perception of Pain in the 1970s

‘Why is psychedelic culture dominated by privileged white men?’ asks historian Mike Jay, referring to a recent study of psychedelic users who are more than likely to be college-educated white males.1 This appears logical, given the figureheads (such as Timothy Leary) who attained cult-like status half a century ago. Many today continue to view psychedelics a...

What does „mystical“ mean in the context of experience withpsychedelics? Critique of perennialism in experimentalpsychology

Experimental research on mystical experience induced by psychedelics suffers from two major problems. The general theoretical problem lies in the conceptualization of mystical experience, specifically in the idea that mystical experience is sui generis phenomena and that psychedelics like psilocybin or LSD are controllable shortcuts to this experience. The m...

Microdosing psychedelics: Demographics, practices, and psychiatric comorbidities

Rationale: Microdosing psychedelics - the practice of consuming small, sub-hallucinogenic doses of substances such as LSD or psilocybin - is gaining attention in popular media but remains poorly characterized. Contemporary studies of psychedelic microdosing have yet to report the basic psychiatric descriptors of psychedelic microdosers. Objectives: To examin...

Scalable Hybrid Synthetic/Biocatalytic Route to Psilocybin

Psilocybin, the principal indole alkaloid of Psilocybe mushrooms, is currently undergoing clinical trials as a medication against treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder. The psilocybin supply for pharmaceutical purposes is met by synthetic chemistry. We replaced the problematic phosphorylation step during synthesis with the mushroom kin...

Prophylactic Effects of Psilocybin on Chronic Cluster Headache

Self-reported negative outcomes of psilocybin users: A quantitative textual analysis

Psilocybin, a substance mainly found in mushrooms of the genus psilocybe, has been historically used for ritualistic, recreational and, more recently, medicinal purposes. The scientific literature suggests low toxicity, low risk of addiction, overdose, or other causes of injury commonly caused by substances of abuse, with growing interest in the use of this ...

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Tryptamines Found in Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: Norbaeocystin, Baeocystin, Norpsilocin, and Aeruginascin

A general synthetic method was developed to access known tryptamine natural products present in psilocybin-producing mushrooms. In vitro and in vivo experiments were then conducted to inform speculations on the psychoactive properties, or lack thereof, of the natural products. In animal models, psychedelic activity by baeocystin alone was not evident using t...

Rostral Anterior Cingulate Thickness Predicts the Emotional Psilocybin Experience

Psilocybin is the psychoactive compound of mushrooms in the psilocybe species. Psilocybin directly affects a number of serotonin receptors, with highest affinity for the serotonin 2A receptor (5HT-2Ar). Generally, the effects of psilocybin, and its active metabolite psilocin, are well established and include a range of cognitive, emotional, and perceptual pe...

Population Survey Data Informing the Therapeutic Potential of Classic and Novel Phenethylamine, Tryptamine, and Lysergamide Psychedelics

Introduction: The majority of contemporary psychedelic research has focused on ayahuasca, LSD, and psilocybin, though there are hundreds of novel psychedelic compounds that may have clinical utility. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of classic and novel phenethylamine, tryptamine, and lysergamide psychedelics via a l...

Emotions and brain function are altered up to one month after a single high dose of psilocybin

Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic compound that may have efficacy for the treatment of mood and substance use disorders. Acute psilocybin effects include reduced negative mood, increased positive mood, and reduced amygdala response to negative affective stimuli. However, no study has investigated the long-term, enduring impact of psilocybin on negative aff...