Misc. news stories

Imagine a world where you could control your sense of time. Where trips to the dentist flew by in a second and holidays felt like they lasted forever. Time altering pills may sound like science fiction but the time warping effects of psychoactive drugs suggest that deliberate time manipulation may be possible.

Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or severe ADHD symptoms who practiced microdosing with psychedelics reported increases in mindfulness after four weeks, according to new preliminary research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

In a recent study conducted in Canada, researchers have uncovered a potentially promising connection between the use of psychedelic mushrooms and a reduction in psychological distress, particularly among individuals who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. The study was published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

The Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) mushroom carries significant cultural mystique. It’s one of the most recognizable mushrooms and also one of the most well-known entheogens…. The Panther Cap is mysterious—little is said about it other than as a passing aside. But, the potent mushroom has as many reasons to merit discussion.

A three-month study of participants in ayahuasca rituals found that these individuals self-report small decreases in narcissism after these ceremonies. However, reports from the participants peers did not corroborate these changes. The study was published in the Journal of Personality Disorders.

People who have used psilocybin hold strong expectations about its antidepressant effects, with those experiencing higher levels of mystical experiences, emotional breakthroughs, and ego dissolution holding greater expectations, according to new research published in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology.

Scientists have discovered cannabidiol, a compound in cannabis known as CBD, in a common Brazilian plant, opening potential new avenues to produce the increasingly popular substance.

As policymakers, governments, NGOs and activists work to craft urgent responses to protect tropical forests…the report says that “their efforts will fail as long as those committed to environmental protection neglect to recognize, and grapple with, the elephant in the room”—namely “the global system of criminalized drug prohibition, popularly known as the ‘war on drugs.’”

Image from:Pyschoactive Drugs.jpg uploaded by Thoric. (Wiki Commons)

Yopo is a powerful psychedelic snuff used for healing and shamanic practice in the Amazon’s Orinoco basin. Crisis puts people and cultural knowledge at risk.

Scientists have begun to investigate whether psychedelic substances could aid in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. A preliminary study, published in Scientific Reports, has found that more than 30% of individuals with OCD who consumed these substances reported positive effects lasting for more than three months.

Consciousness is the black hole of neurology; a singularity hidden by an event horizon of subjective experience nobody else can access. We can only presume other brains – like our very own – can turn acoustic vibrations into songs of joy and sadness, electromagnetic waves into blue skies and warm sunsets, or the smell of skin into motherly reassurance.

In a new scientific study published in Scientific Reports, researchers have uncovered surprising findings about the effects of two commonly known drugs, MDMA and methamphetamine, on human connection and feelings of closeness with conversation partners.

Psychoactive plants bridge, be it the spirit world or distant cultures…Just as consuming them can blend one reality with another, the plants travel the world, crossing borders with the humans that carry them…Sometimes, their history is nearly forgotten. Such is the case of espand (Syrian rue), whose rituals were lost through the cracks of time.

The rejected law, which was anticipated to take effect in 2025, would have done away with criminal penalties for people possessing natural psychedelics for personal use. It also would have required the state to form a group to study and make recommendations about the drugs’ therapeutic use.

Civil war has broken out in the field of consciousness research. More than 100 consciousness researchers have signed a letter accusing one of the most popular scientific theories of consciousness – the integrated information theory – of being pseudoscience. Immediately, several other figures in the field responded by critiquing the letter as poorly reasoned and disproportionate.

Image by: Martin420 (Wiki Commons)

In 1976, Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin was on a roll. The “godfather of psychedelics” had left the Dow Chemical Company, where, after developing the first biodegradable pesticide, he’d been given the freedom to research psychedelic compounds.