FWD 2
Botanical Research at the Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century
HerbalEGram: Volume 7, Number 6, June 2010
Botanical Research at the
"Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century"
From April 15-19, 2010, over 1200 scientists,
ethnobotanists, physicians, therapists, anthropologists, artists, and citizens
from more than 20 countries convened
in San Jose, California,
to discuss the current state of research into psychedelic (“mind-manifesting”)
substances, including many psychoactive botanicals. The largest conference in
the United States
to focus entirely on psychedelic science in 40 years, “Psychedelic Science in
the 21st Century” was presented by the Multidisciplinary Association
for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in
collaboration with the Heffter
Research Institute, the Council on Spiritual Practices, and the Beckley
Foundation. The conference included nearly 100 presentations ranging from the
psychopharmacology and clinical applications of psychedelic substances to
anthropological studies of indigenous healing practices. Nearly 200 physicians
and other medical practitioners received Continuing Medical Education (CME) or Continuing Education (CE) credits for their participation.
Although much of the conference centered on synthetic
psychedelics such as MDMA and LSD, more
than a third of the presentations discussed botanicals. Salvia divinorum and pituri (a preparation of Duboisia
hopwoodii)received only minor
attention, while psychoactive fungi (e.g., Psilocybe cubensis and Amanitamuscaria), ayahuasca (a preparation of Banisteriopsis caapi
and Psychotria viridis), and ibogaine (the primary alkaloid from Tabernanthe
iboga) were the primary focus. While many presenters addressed the uses of
psychedelics for specific
psychiatric and biomedical conditions, others discussed their use as tools for basic research into the complex relationship
between psychopharmacology and conscious experience. Linking them was an
enthusiasm for the return of
psychedelics to mainstream scientific and medical research since its
suppression 4 decades ago.
Psilocybin Research
A significant portion
of the conference addressed psychoactive fungi. The majority
of these focused on psilocybin, a naturally-occurring psychedelic tryptamine
found in hundreds of fungus species. Outstanding was a series of studies
of psilocybin for relieving anxiety
related to life-threatening cancer. These studies, one recently completed
by Charles Grob, MD, and colleagues at the Harbor-UCLA Medical
Center and another ongoing by Roland
Griffiths, MD, and colleagues at Johns
Hopkins University,
both showed promising results. A third study is underway at New York University, but it is too early for a presentation of the results. Christopher
Wiegand, MD, and colleagues presented another major
study exploring the safety and
efficacy of psilocybin for the
treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD). The growing number and success of these and other studies suggest
that (as long as funding is available) the mainstream availability of such
treatments for anxiety, OCD, and
even cluster headaches may become a reality in the next couple of decades.
While clinical studies of psilocybin stole the show,
conference attendees also learned about research into its basic pharmacology
and cognitive effects. For example,
Robin Carhart-Harris, PhD, revealed the preliminary results of an fMRI study of
the effects of intravenous psilocybin on brain activation and blood flow. Other
presentations discussed the effects of psilocybin on hippocampal neurogenesis
and learning in mouse models and the mechanisms underlying psilocybin's
cognitive effects.
Ayahuasca Research
Even the conference organizers
were surprised at the amount of research into the use of ayahuasca as a
sacrament in contemporary Brazilian religious
movements, as a possible treatment for
drug addiction in Western medical contexts, and as a potential tool for improving overall psychospiritual health. The
volume of this research prompted MAPS to organize
an entire track of presentations centered on the pharmacological, religious,
medical, and social aspects of ayahuasca use.
Ayahuasca is a botanical decoction traditionally used in
ritual settings by indigenous Amazonian and Andean communities. It contains a
number of psychoactive compounds including the psychedelic alkaloid N,N-dimethyltryptamine
(DMT) and several monoamine oxidase-inhibiting harmines (MAOIs). The recent worldwide surge of interest in ayahuasca from
ethnobotanists, the media, and medical practitioners has led to a proliferation
of research into the possible addition of ayahuasca to the Western
pharmacopeia—and much of this research was presented for
the first time at the conference.
Ayahuasca is only beginning to attract the attention of
biochemists and psychopharmacologists. Jordi
Riba, PhD, and colleagues' study of the pharmacology of ayahuasca in healthy
volunteers is among those at the forefront
of this trend. Riba's investigation of the effects of ayahuasca using such
techniques as blood monitoring and
electroencephalography (EEG) caused particular excitement among attendees,
especially since the vast majority
of current ayahuasca research is being done by anthropologists and clinical
practitioners. Also notable was a presentation by Nicholas Cozzi, PhD, of
recently published research into endogenous DMT, suggesting how research on
ayahuasca and similar substances has something to teach us about basic
neurophysiology.
Anthropological studies of ayahuasca use in non-Western
and indigenous contexts focus primarily on the Brazilian syncretic religions
based on the ritual use of ayahuasca, and vegetalismo,an
indigenous shamanic practice in the Peruvian Amazon. For
example, Paulo Barbosa, PhD, discussed a longitudinal study of the effects of
ayahuasca rituals in 2 Brazilian churches (Santo Daime and the União do
Vegetal) suggesting that ritual ayahuasca use is correlated
with improved overall physical and psychological health. Others addressed the
specific components of indigenous ayahuasca use such as singing and sexuality.
Much of the research explored
ayahuasca as a treatment for drug
addiction, including alcoholism. One highlight was an observational study of
Peruvian and Brazilian ayahuasca therapy centers by Beatriz Caiuby Labate,
PhDc, Brian Anderson, and colleagues. They suggested that the effectiveness of
these programs derives from their careful combination of traditional and
contemporary healing
practices. The importance of
hybrid and integrative approaches to addiction treatment was a common thread in
the ayahuasca track, suggesting that research on ayahuasca and other
psychoactive botanical substances could prompt reconsiderations of the very
nature of medical and psychiatric practice.
Ibogaine Research
Ibogaine is a powerful naturally-occurring psychoactive
alkaloid found in the African iboga plant traditionally used as a sacrament in
West African Bwiti religious ceremonies. Despite its prohibited status in the United States,
it has recently received much attention from ethnobotanists and alternative
medicine practitioners as a powerful “addiction interrupter” for severe and intractable drug (especially opiate)
dependence.
Basic research into the pharmacology of ibogaine is just
now emerging to complement the proliferation of case reports
of the risks and efficacy of ibogaine treatment. All of the research and
therapies discussed at the conference agreed that no drug—especially
ibogaine—can be expected to work
miracles. Rather, effective treatment requires therapists to consider addiction
in both physical and psychological terms and to create therapeutic environments
that give patients the cognitive and emotional tools necessary for sustained recovery.
Of particular interest were presentations about Pangea
Biomedics, an ibogaine treatment center in Playas de Tijuana, Mexico. Clinic
director Clare Wilkins highlighted
the importance of integrated therapy
(combining biochemical, psychological, and spiritual approaches) for the Pangea program. Tom Kingsley Brown,
PhD, presented the protocol of a MAPS-sponsored
longitudinal study of addiction and quality of life in patients treated at the
clinic and discussed the advantages—such as cost, treatment length, and
expected outcome—that ibogaine treatment may have over addiction replacement
therapies such as methadone and naloxone.
Conclusion
What may be a new paradigm in medical science was
palpable at “Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century,” and it is a
certainty that there will be more
gatherings like it in the future. Despite the incredible amount of information shared and connections made during the
4-day conference, it was clear by the end that psychedelic science is still in
its infancy. Decades of prohibition and cultural suspicion of these substances
appear to be shifting toward a more
accepting and (some would argue) objective approach to research on psychoactive
substances, particularly those from botanicals.
—Brady Burge
Brad
Burge is a writer and editor for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, as well as a PhD student at
the University of California, San Diego.