Review Article Mini Review on Psychedelic Drugs: Illumination on the Hidden Aspects of Mind Lemlem Hussien Salih and Atul Kaushik* Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Asmara College of Health Sciences, Asmara, Eritrea ABSTRACT Psychedelics constitute a class of psychoactive drugs with unique effects on consciousness. Psychedelic means mind/soul "revealing" and refers to the ability of these drugs to illuminate normally hidden aspects of mind or psyche. Many psychedelic agents occur in nature; others are synthetically produced. Naturally occurring psychedelic drugs have been inhaled, ingested, worshiped, and reviled since Address for prehistory. The phenomenology of the hallucinogenic experience is Correspondence extremely complex, sensory, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual, levels. Most psychedelic drugs structurally resemble with Department of neurotransmitters: acetylcholine, two catecholamines (nor Medicinal Chemistry, epinephrine and dopamine), and serotonin. These structural School of Pharmacy, similarities lead to three classes for categorizing psychedelic drugs: Asmara College of anticholinergic, catecholamine-like, and serotonin-like. And also a Health Sciences, fourth class of psychedelic drugs can be included, the psychedelic Asmara, Eritrea anesthetics. This mini review focuses on pharmacological and Tel.- +291-1-186041 medicinal aspects of this class. E-mail: atul_kaushik29 Keywords: Psychedelic drugs, Pharmacological features of @rediffmail.com psychedelic drugs, SAR of psychedelic drugs. INTRODUCTION "Rational consciousness...is but one produced. Naturally occurring psychedelic special type of consciousness, whilst all drugs have been inhaled, ingested, about it, parted from it by the filmiest of worshiped, and reviled since prehistory. screens; there lie potential forms of Native American shamans consumed consciousness entirely different."-William psychedelic plants such as the peyote cactus James. Psychedelics constitute a class of (contains mescaline), psilocybe "magic" psychoactive drugs with unique effects on mushrooms (contains psilocybin), or the consciousness. Psychedelic means mind/soul brew called ayahuasca (contains DMT and "revealing" and refers to the ability of these harmaline) in order to communicate with drugs to illuminate normally hidden aspects God or the spirit realm. By supplying that of mind or psyche. Many psychedelic agents stimulus, psychedelic drugs provide an occur in nature; others are synthetically instrument for experimental investigation of American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical Therapeutics www.ajpct.org Kaushik et al________________________________________________ ISSN 2321 – 2748 what have come to be called altered states of The psychedelic experience is consciousness (ASC). And shall examine relatively new to industrial cultures, and has what they have to teach us about brain historically been at odds with centralized physiology, schizophrenia, dreams, birth and forms of government. Except for the death, artistic and scientific creation, and the accidental discovery of LSD in 1943, roots of religious belief (Photograph). knowledge of psychedelic agents have come as legacies of ancient American religions, Historical Background where these psychic effects are considered These drugs can induce to be of a divine or holy in nature3-6. hallucinations, separating people who use Just over 110 years ago, the German them from reality. Because of the wide pharmacologist Arthur Heffter began a range of psychological effect they produce, systematic investigation into the isolated the single term that might best be used to components of 'peyote' (Lophophora classify these agents has long been debated. williamsii) by ingesting a series of these The term hallucinogen is used because these alkaloids himself. Subsequently, mescaline agents can, in high enough doses, induce was identified as the active component of hallucinations. However, the term is this North American cactus, which had been somewhat inappropriate because illusory used since pre-Columbian times as a phenomena and perceptual distortions are psychoactive sacrament. Peyote persists as more common than are true hallucinations. the central sacrament of several native The term psychotomimetic has also been religions in Mexico and the U.S. used because of the alleged ability of these Following the discovery of LSD, drugs to mimic psychoses or induce psilocin and its phosphate ester (psilocybin) psychotic states. However, most of these were both isolated from the fungi Psilocybe drugs do not produce the same behavioral mexicana and synthesized in the late 1950s7. patterns that are observed in people who Again, the active components were only experience psychotic episodes. Others have identified by human experimentation, after used a descriptive term, such as animal testing gave ambiguous results. To phantasticum or psychedelic to imply that complete the study, synthetic psilocybin was these agents all have the ability to alter returned to the village of Huatla de Jimenez sensory perceptions. In this article the term in Oaxaca, Mexico, its place of botanical psychedelic is used because it allows for origin, and given to the Mazatec shaman more flexibility in grouping together a María Sabina who confirmed the synthetic disparate array of effects into a quantifiable substance to be "the same God" she had and recognizable syndrome1. Abraham, previously known only through the Aldridge, and Gogia2 define a psychedelic mushroom8. drug as “any agent that causes alterations in Throughout the 1950s psychedelics perception, cognition, and mood as its became an obvious and powerful influence primary psychobiological actions in the on the growing field of molecular presence of an otherwise clear sensorium.” psychiatry, initially as models for psychosis This definition separates the pure and eventually as adjuncts to psychotherapy. psychedelic drugs from other substances that At the same time, chemical warfare can cause altered states of thinking and researchers explored these compounds for perception, such as poisons that affect the their potential as "truth serums" and adjuncts mind and deliriants that produce clouding of to "brain washing"6,9. Through both military consciousness and amnesia. and medical channels, these substances then AJPCT[1][5][2013]432-444 Kaushik et al________________________________________________ ISSN 2321 – 2748 began to surface in artistic and intellectual normal alterations in sensory, emotional and circles throughout the world. And in spite of cognitive effects. The most positive proscription of some psychedelic drugs, accounts describes mystical revelations such popular experimentations have still as gaining direct knowledge of God or an continued. all- encompassing cosmic unity. More commonly reported is a kaleidoscopic CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES display of intensely colorful visions, ranging from continuously unfolding abstract The phenomenology of the designs to fully formed images of animals, hallucinogenic experience is extremely plants, landscapes or more bizarre scenes. complex, operating, again, at physiological, They also enhance creativity; enhance the sensory, emotional, cognitive, and we could operation of the mind and emotions, and say, spiritual, levels. Psychedelics induced produce effects highly therapeutic for the alterations are so drastic from our normal psychological growth of the individual10. states of consciousness, that, again, we may Psychedelic drugs are not addictive. call the state induced by hallucinogens an Even enthusiastic proponents of Altered State Conciousness (ASC). psychedelics take them infrequently due to The physiological effects of the intensity of the “trip.” Animal research hallucinogenic induced ASC are reasonably indicates that Homo sapiens are the only straight-forward: pupils dilate, heart rate species that will voluntarily take a increases, breathing patterns are altered, psychedelic drug again after having chills and tremors are experienced, experienced the effects. Although laboratory spontaneous motor motions such as dance animals such as rats or monkeys will readily and gestures may result, and sleeping is self-administer most other drugs abused by significantly impaired. The controversy humans, including cocaine, heroin, begins when we go beyond the obvious amphetamine, nicotine and alcohol, they physiological symptoms of these drugs. At find psychedelic drugs highly aversive sensory, emotional and cognitive levels a (Yokel, 1987). wide variety of conflicting reports exist. Perhaps the easiest way to conceptualize the PHARMACOLOGICAL FEATURES variety of views of the effects of psychedelic drugs is to realize that they lie along a Mounting evidence continues to spectrum. show strong correlations between receptor At one extreme of this spectrum, the activity and behavior; however, the psychic effects of psychedelics are viewed in a effects are not contained within the negative light and thought of as a chemistry of these or any other, neuropathology; sensory alterations; psychoactive drugs. Instead, neurochemical 'hallucinations', emotional changes are seen interactions are thought to affect neuronal to be related to paranoia and the disjointed activity, and receptor sites for neuroactive behavior of schizophrenics, and cognitive compounds are one substrata of the neural alterations are considered to be delusions. circuitry which leads to mental activity. As Thus, to some, all alterations caused by with other drugs, the psychedelics