{"id":15720,"date":"2022-01-06T13:30:11","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T18:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/?p=15720"},"modified":"2023-11-01T13:51:21","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T17:51:21","slug":"mescaline-is-associated-with-major-positive-psychiatric-outcomes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/mescaline-is-associated-with-major-positive-psychiatric-outcomes\/","title":{"rendered":"Mescaline Is Associated With Major Positive Psychiatric Outcomes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research from Johns Hopkins has found that the naturalistic use of mescaline is associated with self-reported psychiatric improvements and enduring positive life changes (1<\/a>). But what does this mean? What is mescaline? How is it used in a naturalist capacity? What kind of psychiatric improvements? Well, let\u2019s have a look at the <\/span>study<\/span><\/a>, which was published in 2021, to better understand the significance of this finding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is Mescaline?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Mescaline is a hallucinogenic compound that\u2019s derived from the infamous Peyote cactus ( <\/span>Lophophora williamsii<\/span><\/i>), the San Pedro cactus (<\/span>Trichosurus pachanoi<\/span><\/i>), and the Peruvian Torch cactus (<\/span>Trichosurus peruvianus<\/span><\/i>). This alkaloid\u2019s compound chemical structure is similar to that of amphetamine and is administered orally. The effects of this hallucinogen are said to typically last between 8 to 12 hours (2<\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The study\u2019s team explains that mescaline is a naturally \u201coccurring phenethylamine and a serotonin-2A\/2C receptor agonist that can be prepared synthetically or extracted (1<\/a>).\u201d They go on to explain that this drug has been used for <\/span>thousands of years<\/span><\/a> by Native Americans during religious ceremonies and for the treatment of various physical ailments (2<\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mescaline is considered to be illegal by the authorities in the United States, but Native Americans recognize it as a sacrament. Interestingly enough, mescaline is extracted from peyote, and when used in religious ceremonies, \u201cit is exempt from its classification as a Schedule 1 controlled drug under the 1994 American Indian Religious Freedom Act [AIRFA] (2<\/a>).\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Mescaline<\/b><\/h2>\n

This study is the first international study to examine the possible medical use of mescaline and was published in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science in March 2021. The team of researchers included Agin-Liebes, Haas, Lancelotta, Uthaug, Ramaekers, and Davis. They began by explaining that \u201cdespite promising early preliminary research and favorable anecdotal reports, there is limited research investigating mescaline\u2019s psychotherapeutic potential (1<\/a>). They also explain that psychiatric conditions are contributing \u201csubstantially to the global disease burden.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team states that the \u201cprimary objective of this study was to explore the potential therapeutic and enduring effects of mescaline, and the mechanisms that may contribute to therapeutic effects (1<\/a>).\u201d They specifically assessed mescaline use for <\/span>depression<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>anxiety<\/span><\/a>, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)<\/a>, <\/span>as well as <\/span>alcohol<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>drug use disorders<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The study involved the administration of an anonymous online questionnaire to adults who had to report on their mescaline use in a naturalistic setting. This type of setting can be explained as the place and manner in which the substance is most natural, or normally, being consumed. They recorded responses from 452 participants and then proceeded to assess the self-reported improvements in \u201c<\/span>depression<\/span>, <\/span>anxiety<\/span>, post-traumatic stress disorder (<\/span>PTSD<\/span>), and <\/span>alcohol<\/span> and drug use disorder (1<\/a>).\u201d The study reported that 68-86% of their respondents who had clinical conditions reported improvements after the participants\u2019 most memorable mescaline experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Survey Information From the Study<\/b><\/h2>\n

The survey portion of this study asked participants to comment and respond to the following criteria <\/span>(1<\/a>):<\/span><\/p>\n