Psychoactive Drugs Overview and Stimulants

Psychoactive Drugs: Overview

• Psychoactive drugs from plants and fungi have been used by various cultures for religious rituals, hunger alleviation, and for their stimulant, depressant, and hallucinogenic effects.
• Medicinal and recreational uses of some drugs, like cocaine, overlap.
• Most psychoactive drugs are alkaloids that impact neurotransmission.

Stimulant Drugs

Betel Palm (Areca catechu)

• A mild stimulant widely used in India and Southeast Asia.
• Prepared by grating the nut, mixing with lime and spices, wrapping in a betel pepper leaf.
• Chewing can cause coughing and discolouration of teeth.
• Some evidence suggests it may prevent tapeworm infections.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

• A highly addictive stimulant.
• Native to South America, part of the Solanaceae family.
• Used for 1600 years, introduced to Europe by Spaniards in the 1500s.
• Active ingredient nicotine is highly addictive and affects the central nervous system (stimulant and tranquilizing effects).
• Poisonous in high doses, a potent insecticide.
• Smoked as cigars, cigarettes, or pipes, and can also be chewed or snuffed.
• Hand-picked and cured for quality.

Hallucinogenic Drugs

Solanaceous Drugs (Tomato Family)

• Some plants in the Solanaceae (Tomato family) produce hallucinogenic deliriant drugs.
• Scopolamine, found in henbane, belladonna, and related plants causes a feeling of flying.
• Dangerous in high doses (nausea, convulsions, death).

Morning Glory (Ipomoea violacea)

• Seeds contain lysergic acid derivatives causing nausea, vertigo, constipation, and hallucinations.
• Used in Aztec rituals.

Peyote Cactus (Lophophora williamsii)

• Native to northern Mexico and the adjacent U.S.
• Contains mescaline, causing strong hallucinations and nausea.
• Used in Southwest American native religious ceremonies and for contacting the spirit world.
• Dried buttons traded among Native Americans.

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa)

• Used for 3000 years in China and India (for fiber, food, lighting, paint, etc.).
• Primarily known for psychoactive properties.
• Active ingredient: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the resin of female plants.
• Forms include sinsemilla, ganja, and hashish.
• Popularized in Europe during the 1840s (artistic and literary circles)
• Used medicinally (chronic pain/nausea relief).
• Highly profitable (often illegal).
• Controversial health effects (psychological dependence, lung diseases and potential exacerbation of psychoses).
• Legal status varies globally. (Personal use tolerated in some places, medicinal use in others like the US and some European countries, legal in Canada & Uruguay).

Magic Mushrooms (Various Species)

• Some mushroom species cause hallucinations in small, controlled doses.
• Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) used in Northern Asian rites.
• Various "magic" or "sacred" mushroom genera (e.g., Stropharia, Psilocybes, Conocybe, Panaeolus) have hallucinogenic and giddiness-inducing properties.
• Played a significant role in native ritualistic ceremonies in Central and South America.

This quiz covers the usage and effects of psychoactive drugs, particularly focusing on stimulant drugs like betel palm and tobacco. Learn about their cultural significance, medicinal properties, and addictive nature. Test your knowledge on how these substances impact neurotransmission and health.