Describe the medical and spiritual uses of hallucinogens both currently and in the past.

There quite frankly are many drugs that cause hallucinations. These drugs have been used to invoke spiritual encounters in the past and some are still used today. Hallucinogens found in plants and mushrooms were used by humans for many centuries in spiritual practice worldwide. Some are used to treat mental disorders, yet these types must be used under an environment that is supervised.  One key pint is unlike cocaine, meth, alcohol, and other narcotics hallucinogens are not physically addictive, but they can cause a psychological addiction in which people rely on them to think clearly. Ironically the thinking is not clear and an altered state rather. These drugs are so unpredictable and act differently on each person. Depending on the persons state of mind, or how they feel, what type of surroundings they are in; all effect how the drugs will make them react to them. In other words, a severely mentally ill person may react different to LSD than a healthy minded person. No one can guess the outcomes of hallucinogens.

The Past

·         Shaman, or spiritual leaders use these drugs to reach past spirits and tell the future of clans. They used natural hallucinogens found in plants and mushroom.

·         Archaeological evidence also shows that psychoactive drugs (drugs that affect the mind or behavior) were used in ancient Egypt, Greece, Europe, and many other cultures.

·         There is pollen from plants and flowers that were used in ancient Iraq, that were used as medicinal purposes as well and caused hallucinations.

·         The Peyote Cactus was used in many different forms in America by natives and Miso-Americans and is still used today.

·         Before 1519 there is a group of people called the Aztecs in which we all have read and seen so much about and they used a hallucinogen called Psylocybe mexicana, which contain the fungi psilocybin and psilocin.

·         My ancestors the Vikings were known to use Amanita muscaria and its close relative, Amanita pantherina, are also found in the United States. Both contain psychoactive ingredients called ibotenic acid and muscimol. These were used widely in Europe and the Americas and many medicine women or women doctors of old time called mid-wives would use these drugs

The Present day uses

Many on the list above are still active in many cultures around the world today.

·         LSD, Marijuanna, and PCP are still very active in America and abroad

·         Harmine, another psychedelic chemical that has been used for centuries, is obtained from the seeds of Peganum harmala, a plant found in the Middle East.

·         Morning glory seeds (Ololiqui) is used by many South-Western Natives today.

Most of these have been abandoned by present day practices except for marijuana which aids in cancer, and eye corrective therapy patients. You be surprised to know that some present-day veterinarians use PCP on animals to calm them down. Another key issue with these drugs are not so much the physical damage they can cause but rather what they do to the human brain.

Reference

Medical Discoveries 2017. Retrieved from  http://www.discoveriesinmedicine.com/Enz-Ho/Hallucinogens.html#ixzz53QSrX5rU