Psychedelic Compounds

Psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and many other psychedelics are currently being investigated for their therapeutic and life-enhancing capabilities. Long seen as the enemy of a healthy life, new research is showing their amazing potential to heal and help those with a variety of mental health disorders.

Though psychedelics will not solve all of the world’s problems, they offer a treatment option in which they enable long-lasting positive changes. The reports cover the different routes of action, both at the molecular and psychological levels. They also cover for which purposes each compound is being studied.

Though the focus of the reports is on the medical application of psychedelics, we also partly cover the recreational and underground (coaching & therapy) use of psychedelics.

2C-X is the name for a group of psychedelic compounds synthesized by Alexander Shulgin. The most common these compounds are 2C-B and 2C-I however, clinical evidence for their therapuetic potential is lacking.
5-MeO-DMT is a tryptamine found in both plants and animals sources. Some companies are focusing their attention on their therapeutic potential of this compound.
Ayahuasca has been used for its healing properties for thousands of years. Its main component, DMT, remains a controlled substance. Despite this, some clinical trials have taken place with ayahuasca.
DMT is a powerful yet short-lived hallucinogenic drug that naturally occurs in many plants and animals. It is the main psychoative component of the ayahuasca brew. Some research is underway with this compound.
Ibogaine is found in several plants native to Western Africa and has a long history of traditional use. Now, researchers are investigating the effectivness of using ibogaine to treat substance use disorders.
Oringinally availble as an anaesthetic, ketamine is now widely available as an off-label treatment for various mental health disorders and is one of the only psychedleics under investigation in China.
Kratom is a species of tree that grows in Southeast Asia and Africa. In low doses, kratom leaves act as a stimulant while in high doses, it has analgesic effects.
LSD was widely studied in the 1960s with promising early results. Although LSD has found its way back into the lab, the duration of the trip makes it less likely to developed as medicine.
Known as 'ecstasy' and 'molly,' MDMA is showing serious theraputic potential for the treatment of PTSD and other mental disorders. Clinical trials are in Phase III and many believe MDMA could by FDA approved by 2023.
Mescaline is famously derived from the San Pedro and Peyote cactic. Its healing properties have been known by Indigenous communities in the Americas for thousands of years. This compound is yet to undergo rigorous clincial studies.
Nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, is a widely used mild anaesthetic that may have the potential to treat mental health disorders.
Placebo and psychedelic research intersect in fascinating ways, illuminating the power of mind, belief, & setting in shaping our experiences
The use of psilocybin predates written history. Its therapeutic potential is not going unnoticed as clinical trials have yielded promising results. Movements to decriminalize psilocybin are well underway in the U.S and further afield.
Salvia divinorum is the most psychoactive compound known to man. It differs from other psychedelics given it acts at the k-opioid receptor. Some companies are exploring this compound.

Psychedelic Substances

Psychedelics are broadly defined as all the substances that have an influence on our cognition, that bring us into an altered state. Taking this to an extreme would have us even include water and placebos. Some definitions of psychedelics include only the ‘classical’ psychedelics, those who influence the serotonergic (5-HT2a receptor) system, which includes LSD and psilocybin. Here we investigate the broader area of ‘drugs’ that have psychological effects and which are being investigated to be of therapeutic value.