Biol 1300 Unit 15: Psychoactive Drugs PDF

**Biol 1300 Unit 15** **PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS** Psychoactive drugs from plants and fungi have been long used by human societies, especially in the Americas, for religious rituals, hunger alleviation, and as natural stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. There\'s often no clear distinction betwee...

**Biol 1300 Unit 15** **PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS** Psychoactive drugs from plants and fungi have been long used by human societies, especially in the Americas, for religious rituals, hunger alleviation, and as natural stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. There\'s often no clear distinction between recreational and medicinal use, as seen with cocaine and its derivatives, which are used both medicinally as anaesthetic agents and recreationally. Most psychoactive drugs are alkaloids that mimic, suppress or enhance neurotransmission. **SOME IMPORTANT STIMULANT DRUGS** **BETEL PALM** (Areca catechu): This mild stimulant drug is widely used in India and Southeast Asia. The main ingredient, from the betel palm nut, is grated and mixed with mineral lime and spices, then wrapped in a betel pepper leaf and chewed to form a red paste. Chewing betel nut encourages excessive coughing, spitting, and discolors teeth. There is some evidence that betel chewing helps prevent tapeworm infections in tropical regions. **TOBACCO** (Nicotiana tabacum): Tobacco, native to South America and a member of the Tomato (Solanaceae) Family, is a physiologically addictive stimulant used worldwide (more people are addicted to tobacco than any other natural product). It was first used in Central and South America about 1,600 years ago and spread globally after being brought to Europe by Spaniards in the early 1500s. The active drug, nicotine, is highly addictive and has both stimulant and tranquilizing effects on the central nervous system. In large doses, nicotine is poisonous and an effective insecticide. Tobacco is usually smoked as cigars, cigarettes, or in a pipe, but it can also be chewed or snuffed (taken into the nostrils). It is hand-picked and cured under controlled conditions to ensure high quality. **SOME IMPORTANT HALLUCINOGENIC DRUGS** **SOLANACEOUS DRUGS** (Tomato \[Solanaceae\] Family): Some members of the Tomato Family produce hallucinogenic deliriant drugs. For example, the solanaceous tropane alkaloid scopolamine, found in henbane, belladonna, and related plants, can cause a sensation of flying, which is linked to the myth of witches flying on broomsticks. These alkaloids are dangerous in high doses, potentially causing extreme nausea, convulsions, and even death. **MORNING GLORY** (Ipomoea violacea): Morning glory seeds contain lysergic acid derivatives that cause nausea, vertigo, constipation and hallucinations. They were used by the Aztecs in divine rites and ceremonies. **PEYOTE CACTUS** (Lophophora williamsii): The peyote cactus, native to northern Mexico and the adjacent United States, contains the active ingredient mescaline, which causes strong hallucinations and nausea. Indigenous peoples of southwest North America have long used it in religious ceremonies and to contact the spirit world. Evidence shows that dried mescal buttons were traded by North American natives as far north as southern Manitoba. **CANNABIS** (Cannabis sativa): Cannabis, also known as marijuana or hemp, has been used in China and India for at least 3,000 years. It was utilized as a fiber plant for making ropes, fish nets, clothing, and paper. The seeds were used as food, and the seed oil was burned in lamps and used in paints and varnishes. Medicinally, cannabis is used to relieve chronic pain and nausea, such as during chemotherapy recovery. The plant is known mainly for its psychoactive properties; it was first used this way in India. The psychoactive chemical in cannabis is tetrahydrocannibol (THC), concentrated in the resin from the flowering head of female plants. Various forms of the drug include sinsemilla (mainly leaves), ganja (female flowers and upper leaves), and hashish (purified, concentrated resin). Cannabis was popularized in Europe in the 1840s by the \"Club des Hachichins\" in Paris, attracting artists and writers like Dumas, Delacroix, and Victor Hugo. It spread to England, where it was used by Yeats, Wilde, and others. It was introduced to Jamaica and featured at the 1876 World\'s Fair in the U.S. In Mexico and the U.S., cannabis became popular in some circles in the early 1900s. In the 1930s, a campaign partly motivated by racism led to cannabis being banned in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and most other regions. Personal cannabis consumption is tolerated in some places like Amsterdam and the Kashmir region of India, though it\'s a serious offense in most of India. In parts of the U.S. (e.g., Washington, Colorado, California) and some European countries, marijuana is recognized for medicinal benefits and has semi-legal status. Cannabis is fully legal only in Canada and Uruguay. The health effects and addictive properties of cannabis are still debated; heavy use may lead to psychological dependence, lung diseases, and exacerbate psychoses in those predisposed to schizophrenia and related disorders. Cannabis is estimated to be the most profitable (though often illegal) agricultural commodity in many parts of the world. **MAGIC MUSHROOMS (VARIOUS SPECIES)**: Some mushroom species produce hallucinogenic effects when ingested in small, controlled doses. The fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) has been used in northern Asia in communal rites. The so-called \"magic\" or sacred mushrooms (genera include Stropharia, Psilocybes, Conocybe and Panaeolus) produce mild hallucinations and general giddiness. The sacred mushrooms played an important role in native ritualistic ceremonies in Central and South America.