Entheogens

(Gr:"That which causes God to be within an individual")

-The term entheogen is used to reIer to any psychoactive substances when used Ior their religious or
spiritual eIIects, whether or not in a Iormal religious or traditional structure. This terminology is oIten
chosen to contrast with recreational use oI the same substances.

By Brandon Gosselin
V00732335















$olanaceae (Nightshade) Family
This Iamily includes Datura, Mandragora, Belladonna, Henbane, Brugmansia, Paprika, Chili pepper
Potato, Tomato, Eggplant, and Tobacco.

itchcraft:
The most important group oI plants used in witchcraIt was the Solanaceae Iamily. The
hallucinogenic members oI this Iamily (Datura, Mandragora, Belladonna, Henbane, and
Brugmansia being the most common oI these) were used historically in order Ior mankind to
make contact with supernatural beings and to accomplish supernatural Ieats. The image oI
witches Ilying through the air on broomsticks is common throughout western culture and is a
deIining example oI these claims. The truth behind these claims is, however, based Iirmly in the
natural world: European witches would rub a mixture oI these plants over a large portion oI their
skin and would consequently take a Iigurative 'trip-commonly represented by a witch on a
broomstick- to a rendezvous with the supernatural beings in which they believed. These trips
were usually accompanied by erotic sensations and hallucinations.

ctive Ingredients (Tropane lkaloids):

The active ingredients oI the Solanaceae Iamily oI plants are atropine, scopolamine and
hyoscyamine. These drugs are secondary metabolites oI the plants in this Iamily and they are all
classiIied as anticholinergic drugs. Anticholinergic substances block the neurotransmitter
acetylcholine in the central and peripheral nervous system and are used in medicine to treat
gastrointestinal disorders, genitourinary disorders, respiratory disorders, dry mouth, sinus
bradychardia and insomnia. These drugs are also eIIective antidotes Ior poisoning by
cholinesterase inhibitors like Parathion and Marathion. Like most drugs however, there are side
eIIects which accompany prolonged usage or large doses oI these drugs.

Anticholinergics are also classiIied as deliriants, a sub-class oI hallucinogens which are
characterized by stupor, utter conIusion, conIabulation, and holding Iull and liIelike
conversations with imagined people. When a large amount oI an anticholinergic drug is ingested,
one may experience a toxic reaction known as Acute Anticholinergic Syndrome. The symptoms
oI this syndrome include ataxia, double vision, conIusion and disorientation, memory problems,
photophobia and in rare cases seizures, coma and death. Acute Anticholinergic Syndrome is
reversible with the use oI cholinergic agents like Physostigmine and the eIIects wear oII over
time as the toxin is excreted. Anticholinergic drugs are generally considered to be the least
enjoyable drugs Ior recreational usage because they do not elicit the euphoria that most other
recreational drugs do and because oI this the risk oI addiction is very low.

Legality

In the USA and Canada, the plants in the Solanaceae Iamily are uncontrolled, meaning all
parts oI the plant and its extracts are legal to cultivate, buy, possess, and distribute without a
license or prescription. II being sold as a supplement however, sales must conIorm to national
supplement laws and iI sold as a drug or Iood, sales are regulated by the FDA.
,9:7,
(1imson weed, devil's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple)

Description:
There are nine species in the Datura genus, all oI which are herbaceous,
leaIy annuals and short-lived perennials which can reach up to 2 meters in height. The leaves are
alternate, 1020 cm long and 518 cm broad, with a lobed or toothed margin. The Ilowers are
erect or spreading, trumpet-shaped, 520 cm long and 412 cm broad at the mouth; colors vary
Irom white to yellow, pink, and pale purple. The Iruit is a spiny capsule 410 cm long and 2
6 cm broad, splitting open when ripe to release the numerous seeds.

Habitat:
The historic source oI Datura is not known, but today it grows wild in all the world's
warm and moderate regions where it is Iound along roadsides and in dung heaps. In North
America, Datura inoxia is native to the American Southwest and Datura stramonium is a mostly
Eastern species that was probably introduced to the Americas Irom the West Indies.

History:
From the Hindi dhatr, meaning"thorn apple", Datura was originally used as a
shamanistic tool, one that could help a shaman gain entrance to other worlds oI existence. The
medicinal qualities oI this plant were probably discovered by shamans and medicine men.
Datura stramonium speciIically was used as a sacrament in North America and South Asia. The
Hindu god Shiva was oIten depicted as smoking cannabis and Datura and people still oIIer the
Iruit oI the Datura plant to Shiva during Iestivals and holy days.








Toxicity:
The seeds and leaves oI the Datura plant are oIten used as a hallucinogen, but naive users
oI the plant have an increased risk oI overdose and oIten require hospitalization. Typical
symptoms oI Datura intoxication are a complete inability to diIIerentiate reality Irom Iantasy,
hyperthermia, tachycardia, bizarre behaviour, and mydriasis (pupil dilation) resulting in
photophobia that can last several days. Amnesia is oIten reported with Datura intoxication as
well.

uriosity (Zombies!!!):
Although heavily criticized, the case oI Clairvius Narcisse is an interesting look at how
Iolklore and dominating social belieIs can shape the eIIects oI a drug on an individual and was
the Iocus oI ethnobotanist Wade Davis` book The Serpent and the Rainbow. On May 2, 1962,
Clairvius Narcisse was declared dead in Haiti, yet in 1980 he returned to his home village. AIter
investigating Narcisse and a Iew other people who underwent the same ordeal, researchers came
to believe that these people received a dose oI a mixture oI tetrodotoxin (puIIerIish venom) and
buIotoxin (toad venom) to induce a death-mimicking coma then were retrieved aIter being buried
and given doses oI Datura stramonium in order to keep them in a compliant state. Davis does not
suggest that the zombie powder containing tetrodotoxin was used Ior maintaining "mental
slaves" but Ior producing the initial death and resurrection that convinced the victim and those
who knew them that they had become zombies (made possible by the milieu created by the
belieIs oI the Haitian Vodou religion).

























tropa belladonna
(Belladonna, Deadly Nightshade)

Description:
tropa belladonna is a branching herbaceous perennial oIten growing as a sub shrub
Irom a Ileshy rootstock. Plants grow to 1.5 metres (4.9 It) tall with 18 centimetres (7.1 in) long
ovate leaves. The bell-shaped Ilowers are purple with green tinges and Iaintly scented.
The Iruits are berries, which are a shiny black when ripe and approximately 1 centimetre in
diameter.

Habitat:
tropa belladonna is widely distributed over Central and Southern Europe, South-west
Asia and Algeria where is exists as a wild plant. It exists as a cultivated plant in England, France,
and North America.

History:
The species name belladonna (It:beautiIul woman) comes Irom the original use oI
deadly nightshade to dilate a woman`s eyes in order to enhance her beauty. The juice Irom the
berries was also used to stain the lips a deep purple colour. BeIore the Middle Ages, Belladonna
was used both as an anaesthetic and as a poison and it was used Ior centuries thereaIter Ior
treating headache, menstrual symptoms, peptic ulcers, histaminic reaction, inIlammation, and
motion sickness. Shamans, witches and sorcerers have purportedly used Belladonna Ior
thousands oI years as a means to enter alternate realities to acquire inIormation, to Ily through
the air, and to shape shiIt into animals.

Toxicity:
Belladonna is one oI the most toxic plants in the Western Hemisphere and every part oI
the plant contains tropane alkaloids. The berries are especially worrisome because they are an
attractive red and are sweet to the taste, making them perIect treats Ior unwary children. Two to
Iive berries are enough to kill a child and ten to twenty are a lethal dose Ior adults. The root is the
most toxic part oI the plant and the ingestion oI a single leaI by an adult can prove Iatal. The
plant is saIely palatable, however, by some animals such as rabbits, birds, deer, and cattle.

uriosity (The Devil, itch Hunts, and Torture):
It is purported by legend that Belladonna is cared Ior by the Devil who spends every
night tending this plant and who holds exclusive rights Ior planting and harvesting it. One night a
year, on Walpurgis night (April 30), the Devil leaves his plants in order to prepare Ior the witch`s
Sabbath, and on this one night it is saIe Ior mortals to harvest his Iorbidden crop.
The original witch hunts are supposed to have been brought about by the increased use oI
Belladonna and herbs like it by peasants and the subsequent decline in the Church`s control over
the population.
In the Middle Ages, Belladonna was used as a means oI torture. The psychologically
weakened victim would be conIused and unsure oI what was real and what was Iantasy and
would succumb to interrogation more easily. It is thought that many innocent people were
convicted oI crimes due to Ialse conIessions resulting Irom exposure to this plant.

































andragora
(andrake)

Description:
The parsnip-shaped root is oIten biIurcated, lending it a resemblance to a human Iigure.
This root gives oII at the surIace oI the ground a rosette oI ovate-oblong to ovate, sinuate-dentate
to entire leaves, 5 to 40 centimetres (2.0 to 16 in) long, somewhat resembling those oI the
tobacco-plant. A number oI one-Ilowered nodding peduncles spring Irom the neck bearing
whitish-green or purple Ilowers, nearly 5 centimetres (2.0 in) broad, which produce globular,
orange to red berries, resembling small tomatoes.

Habitat:
The Mandrake is native to Southern Europe and the Middle East. This plant can be
cultivated anywhere that there is a warm climate and mild winters and is Iound today growing in
the moist soils oI Eastern North America.

ythology and Folklore:
According to legend, when the mandrake is dug up it lets loose a scream that kills all who
hear it. Because oI this purported quality oI the Mandrake root, diIIerent cultures came up with
several 'saIe ways to harvest this plant such as tying a dog to the plant, walking away and
calling the dog. The dog would Iollow its owner, pulling the Mandrake root out oI the ground
and dying in the process while its owner was now Iree to go back and collect the plant. Other
common Iolklore regarding this plant was that it would only grow in ground on which the semen
oI a hanged man had dripped.

Biblical References:
In Genesis 30:14-22 the Mandrake is purported to have restored the ability oI Rachel,
Jacob`s barren wiIe, to have children. This led to a traditional Jewish view that Mandrake root
was an ancient remedy Ior barren women. In Song oI Songs 7:12-13, the distinctive smell oI the
mandrake is alluded to.



References in Literature:
William Shakespeare reIers to the Mandrake and Mandragora in Othello, Antony and
Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, and King Henry V. J.K. Rowling makes extensive reIerences to
the Mandrake throughout her Harry Potter series, and Salman Rushdie writes about the healing
properties oI the Mandrake and its tendency to grow in semen-seeded ground in his book The
Enchantress oI Florence.






























Hyoscy,2:s nige7
(Henbane, $tinking Nightshade)

Description:
oscamus niger is a biennial herb growing up to 1 meter with hairy 3-8 inch long
leaves that produces veined yellow Ilowers and large quantities oI seeds.

Habitat:
Henbane originated in Eurasia and is now globally distributed.

$hamanistic Uses:
The Ilower essence can be used without Iear oI poisoning, and is particularly good Ior
vision quests and practitioners involved in exploring death. This can reIer to physical death, or a
more spiritual death, such as the death oI personality or the ego. For those undergoing extreme
liIe transitions, henbane can be supportive in helping avoid Irustration and anger.

uriosity (Famous Poison):
Henbane is thought to be the 'hebenon which was poured into the ear oI Hamlet`s
Iather.











Brugmansia
(ngel`s Trumpets)

Description:
OIten conIused with Datura, Brugmansia are long-lived woody trees or bushes, with
pendulous, not erect, Ilowers that have no spines on their Iruit.

Habitat:
Brugmansia is native to the subtropical regions oI South America along the Andes,
Colombia, Northern Chile, and Southeastern Brazil. The plant grows best in moist, Iertile, well-
drained soil out oI the sun and in climates Iree oI Irost.

History:
In the Amazon, Brugmansia is used Ior vision journeys, shape shiIting, divination and
clairvoyance, love magic and aphrodisiacs, protective amulets, and incense. The magical use oI
this plant is mainly the purview oI curanderos (healers) and brujos (witches) with the Iormer
respecting the plant as very powerIul and using it cautiously and the latter using it Irequently
with little discrimination. The pre-conquest Chibcas oI Colombia used a concoction oI
Brugmansia, tobacco and maize beer in order to put the slaves and wives oI dead kings into a
narcotic sleep in order to bury them alive with the king.

uriosity (necdote):
An unnamed nineteenth century Peruvian gave the Iollowing description oI his
observations oI the psychoactive eIIects oI Brugmansia on an Indian man:

'He was seen to be Ialling into a heavy stupor, his eyes
vacantly Iixed on the ground, his mouth convulsively
closed and his nostrils dilated. In the course oI a quarter
oI an hour, his eyes began to roll, Ioam issued Irom his
mouth, and his whole body was agitated by IrightIul
convulsions. AIter these violent symptoms had passed,
a proIound sleep Iollowed Ior several hours(sic)
duration and when the subject had recovered, he related
the particulars oI his visit with his dead ancestors. He
appeared very weak and exhausted.
Psychedelics

lassification:
Psychedelic drugs are a subclass oI hallucinogenic drugs whose primary action is to
produce alterations in cognition and perception. Although psychedelic drugs are almost entirely
non-toxic and they almost never lead to addiction, they cannot be considered entirely saIe
because there is an ever-present danger that the person taking the drug can injure himselI or
herselI as a result oI the altered mental state. The Iive criteria Ior a drug to be hallucinogenic are:
1. In proportion to other eIIects, changes in thought, perception, and mood should
predominate
2. Intellectual or memory impairment should be minimal
3. Stupor, narcosis, or excessive stimulation should not be an integral eIIect
4. Autonomic nervous system side eIIects should be minimal
5. Addictive craving should be absent.

Neurology and onsciousness:
BeIore gaining popularity in the counter culture, hallucinogens were used to help
scientists understand the nature oI consciousness and how the brain works. ProI Roland GriIIiths
at the Johns Hopkins School oI Medicine in Baltimore Maryland recently published a study oI 36
healthy volunteers aged 24-64 who had never beIore taken a hallucinogen. These volunteers
were given psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) and then observed in the lab.
When the group were interviewed again 14 months later, 58 said they rated the experience as
being among the Iive most personally meaningIul oI their lives, 67 said it was in their top Iive
spiritual experiences, and 64 said it had increased their well-being or liIe satisIaction.
Psychedelic drugs act on serotonergic receptors which result in either excited or inhibited levels
oI cAMP, inisitol Triphosphate, and diglyceride which are chemicals responsible Ior a variety oI
biological Iunctions.

Legality:
Most well known hallucinogens (aside Irom dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine and
dimenhydrinate) are illegal in most Western countries. In the United States, hallucinogens are
classiIied as a schedule 1 drug (they have no currently accepted medical use, there is a lack oI
saIety Ior medically supervised use oI the drugs, and there is a high potential Ior abuse).












Peyote
(Lophophora illiamsii)

Description:
Peyote is a small spineless cactus which Ilowers sporadically and produces small edible
pink Iruit and has small black seeds.The top oI the cactus that grows above ground, also reIerred
to as the crown, consists oI disc-shaped 'buttons.

Habitat:
Peyote is native to South western Texas and Mexico. It is Iound between elevations oI
100-1900 meters, especially where there are limestone hills.

History:
Peyote has been used by Native Americans in South western North America since the
Archaic period (8000-2000 BCE). In the nineteenth century, American Indians who belonged to
the Native American Church began to use peyote in religious and spiritual practices. Peyote is
reIerred to by members oI this church as 'the sacred medicine and is used to aid in spiritual,
physical, and social ills.

eans of dministration:
The most common method oI administration is to chew and swallow the Iresh or dried
'buttons. Peyote is very bitter and the user oI Peyote usually experiences nausea and vomiting
within an hour aIter ingestion. A method oI administration which sidesteps this bitterness and
nausea is to prepare and administer a rectal inIusion.

ctive Ingredient:
Mescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine) is
a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid oI
the phenethylamine class (Molecules with a modiIied
amine side-chain). It should be noted that the Peyote
experience is somewhat diIIerent than that oI pure
mescaline. This is probably due to the other alkaloids
present in Peyote such as Hordenine, N-
Methylmescaline, Anhalonine, and several others. Not
all oI these other alkaloids are
psychopharmacologically active singly, but in
combination they appear to alter the Peyote 'trip.

Neural ction:
It is known that mescaline activates the Serotonin 5-HT2A receptor with a high aIIinity
as a partial agonist, but how this action leads to psychedelic eIIects is still unknown. Mescaline
also stimulates dopamine receptors, but whether it acts as a receptor agonist or initiates the
release oI dopamine is unknown. Tolerance is built with repeated usage and causes cross-
tolerance with LSD, DMT, and psilocybin.

Literature:
Mescaline and Peyote have appeared several times in popular culture. Aleister Crowley
reported taking mescaline in his diary, and Hunter S. Thompson recounts an experience on
mescaline in his book Songs oI the Doomed. The most noteworthy appearance oI mescaline in
popular culture has to be Aldous Huxley`s The Doors oI Perception in which is the memorable
quote:

'To be shaken out oI the ruts oI ordinary perception, to be shown
Ior a Iew timeless hours the outer and inner world, not as they
appear to an animal obsessed with survival or to a human being
obsessed with words and notions, but as they are apprehended,
directly and unconditionally, by Mind at Large this is an
experience oI inestimable value to everyone and especially to the
intellectual.

Legality:
Both mescaline and Peyote are illegal under the statutes oI the U.S. Federal Government.
Members oI the Native American Church are permitted the ritual use oI peyote because they had
established it as a religious sacrament long beIore these laws came into existence. Members oI
this church are not permitted to use mescaline however.



















Psilocybin ushrooms
(agic ushrooms,$hrooms)

Description:
Psilocybin mushrooms are Iungi that contain the psychoactive
compounds psilocybin and psilocin. There are approximately 190 species oI psilocybin
mushrooms and most oI them Iall in the genus !silocbe.

Habitat:
Magic mushrooms are indigenous to the
shaded parts oI the map(leIt). Those
parts include: Central America, South
America, India, Indonesia/Southern
Asia, and Eastern Australia.





History:
There is evidence that Psilocybin mushrooms have been used since around 6000-
9000BCE in Spain, the Sahara Desert, Algeria, and South America. Psychoactive mushrooms
have been used medicinally by cultures worldwide and have been used as a sacrament in healing
rituals and to Iacilitate visionary states in healers and priests.

ctive Ingredients:
Psilocybin is the naturally occurring prodrug (or inactive Iorm oI a drug) which is present
in Psilocybin mushrooms. When Psilocybin is dephosphorylated, the active metabolite Psylocin
is produced and it is this metabolite which causes the psychedelic eIIects oI the mushroom.
Psylocin acts as a Serotonin agonist, and the psychedelic eIIects are thought to be brought about
by increased Serotonin activity in the preIrontal cortex.

Effects:
Noticeable changes to sensory input become apparent around thirty minutes aIter
ingestion oI the mushroom. These shiIts in perception can cause strange visual and auditory
phenomena such as seeing auras, seeing open-and closed-eye visuals, increased auditory acuity,
and synaesthesia. The emotional eIIects oI a trip are strongly dependent upon one`s set (state oI
mind) and setting (physical and social environment).

edicinal Uses:
Use oI Psilocybin mushrooms has been reported to help patients with severe OCD and
OCD- related depression by sending these disorders into complete and immediate remission
lasting Ior several months. Psilocybin mushrooms have been used by people with terminal cancer
to help them deal with the anxiety accompanying their realization oI their own mortality. A
notable story is that oI Pamela Saduka who claims that Psilocybin treatment transIormed her
outlook. According to Dr. Charles Grob:
"Pamela had lost hope. She wasn't able to make plans Ior the
Iuture. She wasn't able to engage the day as iI she had a Iuture leIt
|and| her epiphany` during the treatment was the realisation that
her Iear about the disease was destroying the remaining time she
had leIt

Legality:
Psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations
1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances; however, psilocybin mushrooms are not covered
by the UN. Psilocybin mushrooms are prohibited in the U.S. and Canada and carry severe
penalties.




























Lysergic cid Diethylamide
(L$D/L$D-25, Lysergide, cid)

History:
LSD was Iirst synthesized by Albert HoImann in 1938 Irom ergotamine, a chemical
derived by Arthur Stoll Irom ergot, a grain Iungus that typically grows on rye. Between the
1950s and the 1970s, the US CIA began a program named Project MKULTRA, a mind control
experiment which included administering LSD, oIten without the subject`s knowledge, to CIA
employees, military personnel, doctors, prostitutes, mentally ill patients and members oI the
general public. Recreational use oI LSD by youths and the loss oI the investigating scientists`
credibility (due to their becoming inIatuated with the drug) led to the drug being prohibited.

Effects:
There are both short-term and long-term eIIects oI LSD. The short term eIIects are
physical eIIects such as dilated pupils, elevated blood sugar, and increased heart rate and sensory
eIIects such as altered experiences oI time, emotions, and memories. The long term eIIects are
psychoemotional: some users report signiIicant changes in their personality and perspective. Any
immediate adverse eIIects can be treated with benzodiazepines.

hemical Properties:
LSD is sensitive to oxygen, ultraviolet light, and chlorine, especially in solution, though
its potency may last Ior years iI it is stored away Irom light and moisture at low temperature. In
its pure Iorm it is a colorless, odorless, and mildly bitter solid.

edicinal Uses:
LSD has been used historically in psychiatry to varying degrees oI success as a treatment
Ior alcoholism, pain, headaches, Ior spiritual purposes, and to enhance creativity. Switzerland is
currently researching the possibility oI using LSD to treat end-oI-liIe anxiety, the preliminary
results oI which are promising.

Legality:
In Canada, LSD is a controlled substance and the possession, sale or acquisition oI LSD
without the proper permissions can result in jail time.