Hallucinogens

(Psychedelics)

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 Hallucinogens

substances that alter sensory

processing in the brain,
causing perceptual
disturbances, changes in
thought processing, and
depersonalization

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 Modern day history of
hallucinogens

 The Native American Church

– The American Indian Religious Freedom
Act of 1978
 Timothy Leary and the League of
Spiritual Discovery
– The Psychedelic Experience

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 The nature of hallucinogens

 Many drugs can exert

hallucinogenic effects
– LSD types
– Phenylethylamines
– Anticholinergic agents

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Nature of hallucinogens

Psychedelic

Psychotogenic

Psychotomimetic

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 Sensory and psychological
effects of hallucinogens
 Altered senses
– synesthesia
 Loss of control
– flashbacks
 Self-reflection
– “make conscious the unconscious”
 Loss of identity and cosmic merging
– “mystical-spiritual aspect of the drug
experience”
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 Traditional hallucinogens:
LSD types agents
 LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide),
mescaline, psilocybin,
dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and
myristicin
 These drugs cause predominantly
psychedelic effects

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Of high school seniors
sampled:

11.3% had used in 1975

8.6% has used in 1992
12.2% had used in 1999

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 Traditional hallucinogens:
LSD types agents
 Physical properties of LSD
– In pure form - colorless, odorless,
tasteless
– Street names - acid, blotter acid,
microdot, white lightning

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 Traditional Hallucinogens
 Physiological effects
– Massive increase in neural activity
– Activates sympathetic nervous system (rise in
body temp., heart rate, and blood pressure)
– Parasympathetic nervous system (increase in
salivation and nausea)

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 Traditional hallucinogens:
LSD types agents
 About half of the substance is cleared
from the body within 3 hours, and more
than 90% is excreted within 24 hours
 Effects of this hallucinogen can last 2-12
hours
 Tolerance to the effects of LSD develops
very quickly

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 Other LSD types agents
 Mescaline (Peyote)
– Mescaline is the most active drug in peyote;
it induces intensified perception of colors and
euphoria
– Effects include dilation of the pupils,
increase in body temperature, anxiety, visual
hallucinations, and alteration of body image,
vomiting, muscular relaxation; in very high
doses may cause death
– Street samples are rarely authentic
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 Other LSD types agents
 Psilocybin - its principal source is the
Psilocybe mexicana mushroom
– It is not very common of the street
– Hallucinogenic effects produced are quite
similar to LSD
– Cross tolerance among psilocybin, LSD,
mescaline
– Stimulates the autonomic nervous system,
dilates the pupils, increases the body
temperature
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 Other LSD types agents
 Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)
– A short-acting hallucinogen
– Found in seeds of certain leguminous trees
and prepared synthetically
– It is inhaled and similar action as psilocybin

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Other Hallucinogenic (LSD type)
 Nutmeg
– Myristica oil responsible for physical effects
– High doses can be quite intoxicating
– Can also cause unpleasant trips

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Phenylethylamine hallucinogens
 The phenylethylamine drugs are
chemically related to amphetamines.
 They have varying degrees of
hallucinogenic and CNS stimulant effects
 Phenylethylamines that predominantly:
– Release serotonin are dominated by their
hallucinogenic action
– Release dopamine are dominated by their
stimulant effects
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Phenylethylamine hallucinogens
 Dimthoxymethylamphetamine
(DOM or STP)
 “Designer” amphetamines
 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA)
 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA)

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 Anticholinergic hallucinogens
 The anticholinergic hallucinogens include
naturally occurring alkaloid substances
that are present in plants and herbs
 The potato family of plants contains most
of these mind-altering drugs
 3 potent anticholingergic compounds
– Scopolamine
– Hyoscyamine
– Atropine
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Anticholinergic hallucinogens

 Atropa Belladonna: The Deadly

Nightshade
 Mandragora Officinarum: The Mandrake
 Hyoscyamus Niger: Henbane
 Datura Stramonium: Jimsonweed

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 Other hallucinogens
 Phencyclidine (PCP)
– It was developed as an intravenous
anesthetic, but found to have serious
adverse side effects
– It differs from the other traditional
hallucinogens
 It is a general anesthetic in high doses
 It causes incredible strength and extreme violent
behavior
 Management of the severe psychological
reactions requires drug therapy
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 Other hallucinogens
 Phencyclidine (PCP) physiological effects
– Hallucinogenic effects, stimulation,
depression, anesthesia, analgesia
– Large doses can cause coma, convulsions,
and death
 PCP psychological effects
– Feelings of strength, power, invulnerability;
perceptual distortions, paranoia,
violence, psychoses,

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Other hallucinogens: inhalants
 The most commonly abused inhalants are
volatile substances that can cause
hallucinations, intoxication, and euphoria.
– Volatile solvents
– Anesthetics
– Nitrites
 Mild doses - mild stimulations, lack of motor
control, dizziness, hallucinations
 High doses - violent behavior, heart
arrhythmia, unconsciousness, death22

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 From the forest to the front
lawn?
 This lecture reviews basic information on
most of the hallucinogen and dissociative
intoxicants growing throughout the U.S.
 Psychoactive composition, geographic
distribution, and brief overview on
preparation and/or intoxication will be
reviewed

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Ephedra – Caffeine-like
Stimulant

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 The Ephedra Equation
 Most “dietary supplements” marketed as
psychoactive intoxicants contain ephedrine
and/or caffeine from a variety of botanical
sources.
 In China, Ma Huang is used directly as a tea or
compounded with other herbs.
 Historically in the U.S., it was used as a
stimulant tea: Mormon Tea, Brigham Tea, and
other names.
 Contains: ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine, nor-
ephedrine, methyl-ephedrine, tannins, saponin,
and flavone
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Ephedra grows in the deserts
of the Southwest

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 Ephedra of the US
E. trifurca, E. viridis, E. torreyana, E. nevadensis and E.
californica

 100 gm dried ephedra could contain anywhere

from 0 to 2.6 gm of ephedrine
 Herbalists do offer pure extract
preparations

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 Psilocybe Mushrooms: Potent
Hallucinogen
 Psilocybin: 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-DMT
 Psilocin: 4-hydroxy-N,N-DMT
 Psilocybe cubensis typically contains 1.6
mg psilocybin per gram of dried
mushroom
 40 mcg/kg intoxicates
 3 to 4 hour duration

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Psilocybe Mushrooms
 Small brown
mushrooms that stain
blue to the touch
 Illicit cultivation but
also foraged from
temperate climates

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 Psilocybe Mushrooms:
Religious Use

Religious use continues in Oaxaca, Mexico

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Psilocybin content

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 Dimethyltryptamine – Potent
Hallucinogen (DMT)
 N,N-Dimethyltryptamine
 10 to 20 mg smoked : 15 minute intoxication
 Approximately 100mg oral ingestion in presence
of an MAOI: 3-4 hour intoxication
 Many sources
 Religious use of ayahuasca continues in Brazil;
indigenous and “modern” religions: Santo
Daime and Uniao do Vegetal. Both seek
permission to use in the U.S.

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 DMT…it’s as common as
crabgrass…
 “Canary” grass; Phalaris aquatica, P.
arundinacea, P. canariensis, P. tuberosa
 Desmanthus illinoensis; Prairie
Bundleflower
 Many other sources; mostly S. America.

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 DMT content
 Alkaloids reported as mg/100g raw dried plant +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
 P. tuberosa: DMT 100 mg+; 5-Me-DMT 22 mg+;
5-OH-DMT 5 mg
 P. arundinacea DMT 60+ mg
 Desmanthus illinoesis (root bark) DMT 340 mg
 Psychotria viridis: DMT 200 mg

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Phalaris spp.

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Desmanthus illinoesis

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Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

Sedative-hypnotic properties and

possibly hallucinogenic/dissociative
properties
Sources: Peganum harmala, Passiflora
spp.,
USED TO MAKE DMT ORALLY
ACTIVE
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Peganum harmala

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 Peganum harmala
 Commonly called Syrian rue
 Contains reversible MAOIs that may also
be psychoactive (2 to 4% beta-carboline
content).
 Ayahuasca’s MAOI source only has 0.5%
beta-carboline content.
 Passiflora: approx. 1%

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 Passiflora incarnata
 Passion flower; fruit used in drinks;
some herbal preparations as a
“sedative”

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Peyote – Potent Hallucinogen

Lophophoria williamsii

Contains mescaline

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Natural Range of Peyote

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Harvesting Peyote

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Peyote
 Lophophoria williamsii
contains 1.5% mescaline (-
3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine)
 3mg/kg potent intoxication
 Up to 8 to 10 hour duration
 Continued religious use in
North America
 Other cacti used in South
America and also…

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Trichocereus spp.

 Most popular source

of non-sacramental
mescaline in the U.S.
isn’t peyote…
 These ornamental
cacti can be found
almost everywhere

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 The Peyote Ceremony

Stewart OC. Peyote Religion. Norman, OK: Aberle DF. The Peyote Religion Among the Navaho .
University of Oklahoma Press, 1987. Chicago, IL: Aldine Publishing Co., 1966.
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The Peyote Ceremony

 Reasons for a
meeting
 The Road Chief and…
 Tobacco prayers
 Ingestion of Peyote
 Power of song
 Water ceremony
 The morning after

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 Lysergic Acid Amide

Ipomoea spp. (esp. I. purpurea) Argyria nervosa

Morning Glory Hawaiian Baby Woodrose
5-10 grams of seeds 4-8 seeds ingested
Aztec: Oliliuqui 48
 Salvia divinorum
potent hallucinogen
 Many other Salvia spp. may also contain
psychoactive diterpenes. “Salvinorin A”
 Related to Sage plants/Mint family
 Does not grow in the United States
naturally, but can readily be cultivated.
Mexican origin
 First reported in 1962 but popularity
increased via Internet…

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Salvia divinorum

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Coleus?

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Datura stramonium Potent
Dissociative

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 Datura
 Leaves typically cut and smoked
 Contains atropine, scopalomine, and…
 Ancient ceremonial use in the U.S.
 Occasional report of death by ingestion of
root
 Many other sources for atropine and
scopalomine…mandrake, henbane…

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Amanita muscaria
Found throughout the
U.S.
Muscimol is the
primary psychoactive
alkaloid
Dissociative

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 Bufo Frogs…
 Contains bufontinin but intoxication
primarily from 5-Meo-DMT
 The toad is NOT licked but glands are
milked for poison

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 Botanical intoxicants…future
mayhem?
 None of these plants are addictive, other than
cultivation of the opium poppy in the U.S., which is
not common. Illicit cultivation of Cannabis spp., of
course, continues.
 Eradication of the illicit drug market of hallucinogens
may drive the “resourceful” to these botanicals more
than today.
 It is not feasible to eradicate these botanicals from
U.S. territory
 The Internet will drive an ever wider dissemination of
information on these botanicals to those seeking this
information

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References

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