We provide public education and cultural understanding about psychedelic plant medicines and promote a bridge between the ceremonial use of sacred plants and psychedelic science.
Mission:
Vision:
We envision a world where plant medicines and other psychedelics are preserved, protected, and valued as part of our cultural identity and integrated into our social, legal and health care systems.
Our Programs:
Chacruna Chronicles
Providing public education and making academic knowledge more accessible.
Chacruna Events
Organizing of high-quality conferences, community forums and panels on psychedelics and plant medicines.
Ayahuasca Community Committee
Raising awareness about key issues and promoting positive action.
Racial Equity and Access Committee
Promoting the voices of people of color in the field of psychedelic science.
Women, Gender Diversity, and Sexual Minorities Working Group
Promoting the voices of women and queer people in the field of psychedelic science.
Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants
Documentation, education, and advocacy on the legality of sacred plants.
Upcoming Events:
Plant Medicines, Environmental Justice and the Struggle to Protect Indigenous Homelands
Wednesday, December 1st from 12:00-1:30pm PST
Ethics, Safety, and Abuse in Psychedelic Medicine
Wednesday, December 8th from 12:00-2:00pm PST
Workshop: Reducing the Impact of Bias on Therapy, Education, & Training
Mondat, December 13th from 12:00-3:00pm EST
Protecting Sincere Psychedelic Churches: Chacruna’s Guide to the Law and Best Practices
Wednesday, December 15th from 12:00-2:00pm PST
Religion and Psychedelics Forum
April 22, 23 and 24, 2022
New Books!
SPIRITUALITY
The Role of Mysticism in Psychedelic Trials
A Conversation with Rachael Petersen, Rita Powell and Joe Welker
Wednesday, January 13th from 12-20pm PST
REGISTER FOR...
Sacred Plants, Religious Freedom and the Future of Psychedelic Spirituality
A Conversation with Erik Davis, Kathleen Harrison and Bob Otis
Tuesday, September 8th from 12-2pm...
Curing an Incurable Disease in the Amazon Jungle
Western medicine says that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is incurable, but my blood tests are now...
Healing Sexual Trauma with Ayahuasca
As a teenager, the power of my sacred feminine energy was taken from me by...
Sacred Mushrooms of the Mazatec Tradition: Transforming the Inner Landscape of the Human Psyche
These entheogens, which have been considered as medicines in indigenous traditions, are still an immensely...
CULTURE
Science Has Shown Me the Way Ahead with Psychedelics
In this personal account, Brazilian journalist Marcelo Leite talks about his shift from being primarily a science journalist to focusing on psychedelics. He speaks on his personal psychedelic experiences, the history of psychedelics in Brazil, his educational journey over the years, the overlap between Brazilian practice and Western science surrounding psychedelics, and how all of these things have shaped his journalistic practice.
Michael Pollan Plunges into Mescaline, Opium, and Caffeine in His New Book
Brazilian journalist Marcelo Leite reviews Michael Pollan’s takes on mescaline, opium, and caffeine in Pollan’s new book How To Change Your Mind. Leite explores histories, controversies, and experiences surrounding these psychoactive plants stemming from Pollan’s experiences while also taking into account broader historical and contemporary issues.
Navigating a Double-Edged Sword: Toward Psychedelic Apprenticeship
This article explores the idea of the psychedelic experience as a “double-edged sword” in the way that although spiritual revelations and insights can aid in bettering mental health, these revelations and insights can also lead to further damaging the psychology of an individual. The authors explore potential causes and solutions to this dilemma.
How I Joined the Secret SSRI Circles of 1985
Through this narrative fictional account, Andrew Penn offers a literary image of underground pharmaceutical practice by telling the story of the SSRI circles of 1985 in New York City. He compares this with the growing popularity of psychedelics in the mainstream and excitement for clinical trials while at the same time underground practice still exists.
The Challenges of Kambô Conservation
In this article, Filipe Ribeiro covers the conservation challenges surrounding kambô. The kambô frog’s secretions are used in traditional practice among several Indigenous peoples in the southwest Amazon. With the growing global demand for kambô, some have suggested that the Indigenous approach to collecting the frog’s secretions is harmful to the frog. Ribeiro urges the West to not rush to hasty and superficial judgments regarding traditional practices.
SCIENCE
Psychoactive Mushrooms in Mexico: Overview of Ecology and Ethnomycology
Anya Ermakova provides an overview of the psychoactive mushrooms found in Mexico & the cultural & conservation issues associated with them.
The “Unsung History” of Psilocybin Research: Gastón Guzmán and His Scientific Contribution
Mycologist Gastón Guzmán Huerta dedicated his life to discovering and researching mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe.
Risks of Serotonin Syndrome when Combining Psychedelics with Antidepressants
Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacists Dr.’s Ben Malcolm and Kelan Thomas recently published a review article discussing the risks of serotonin syndrome with various serotonergic psychedelics, either alone or in combination with serotonergic antidepressants. In this article, the authors offer a short summary of their main findings.
Could Synthetic Mescaline Protect Declining Peyote Populations?
The rise in popularity of peyote has unfortunately led to overharvesting which consequently poses a great risk for the future of the species. With the increasing need to protect peyote, synthetic mescaline may offer an alternative gateway into this experience that is bereft of issues regarding sustainability. This article summarizes the chemical composition and production of synthetic mescaline.
Iboga Conservation
This articles highlights conservation issues around Tabernanthe iboga, sacred plant medicine of the Bwiti and a common source of ibogaine used in the treatment of addictions.
POLICY
Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel: 2021 Comprehensive Report
This comprehensive report, which was prepared for the Denver City Council Finance & Governance Committee, provides tools for educating the public on the history, use, research, training, and safety surrounding the use of psilocybin mushrooms. This was put together following the approval of Initiative 301 in Denver.
Guide to RFRA and Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches
Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines & Hoots, A. (2021). Guide to RFRA and Best Practices...
Community Alert! Arrests and Encounters with Law Enforcement are Increasing
This is a community alert about the seizures of sacred plants and arrests by law enforcement that have been increasing across the US, most of which have been in religious and ceremonial settings of indigenous peoples. Chacruna is taking action to provide free education, resources, and support of other organizations who are also advocating for the protection of sacred plants.
Controversies Around California’s Psychedelic Decriminalization Law Senate Bill 519
https://youtu.be/BnaYwqsxkbk
Now, the California legislature is on the verge of becoming the first legislative body to...
Can Coca Leaf Avoid the Wrongs of The Psychedelic Revolution?
On August 25, 2020, a proposal presented in Colombia’s Congress to regulate coca and its derivatives, including cocaine, made history. This article dispels the equation of coca and cocaine; highlights the sacredness of the plant to Indigenous Americas; analyzes the underlying questions of the legislative proposal; and discusses the new economic models and regulation of coca.
INTEGRATION
Let’s Talk About Ketamine on Zoom: A Virtual Group
Ketamine is becoming a popular antidepressant, but how can those who use it retain its benefits and receive long-term depression support?
Love and Psychedelic Psychotherapy: Bridging the Divide
There is incredible potential for the psychedelic renaissance to rehabilitate and revitalize the concept of love in psychotherapy and in our culture more broadly. Studying the emergence of love in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies, from medicine-induced experiences of love, to the importance of the felt sense of love between therapist and client, is a means of bridging the divide between the discourse of therapy and the experience of this powerful healing energy.
Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth
Through our healing process, expanded states can teach us to have compassion and love for...
Psychedelic Leadership Community Build at Psychedelic Liberty Summit
The psychedelic space is going through one of the most impressive and daunting growth spurts...
Children and Psychedelics: Using Indigenous Wisdom to Examine Western Paradigms
For Westerners, the topic of children and psychedelics is a near-untouchable one, mired in taboo...
NEWS
Plant Medicine Healing Alliance Seminar with the Portland Psychedelic Society
Tuesday, August 24th, 7:00–9:00pm PST
Join the Portland Psychedelic Society on August 24th to learn about...
Peer support line helped 16 “bad trippers” avoid the emergency room
The Fireside Project, which helps guide people through their psychedelic experiences, finds success in its first month.
Peyote Conservation & the Decriminalization Movement: Navigating the Complexity
Webinar May 25th, 20214:30-6:00 PST
Registrations close at noon PST on May 25th
IPCI will answer questions...
New Plant Medicine Healing Alliance Launches: Aims to Decriminalize Plant and Fungi Medicines for Group Healing
On Earth Day, Thursday, April 22nd from 10:30am - 11am (PT), leaders of a new coalition, Plant Medicine Healing Alliance, will be hosting a press conference to speak upon their “dual mission of improving access to plant medicines while simultaneously promoting sustainable sourcing and respect for the human, plant, and animal ecologies where the medicine grows.” They will speak about the Indigenous history of sacred plant medicines, the medical perspective of the therapeutic potential of these substances to help people heal from PTSD, especially veterans, and they will ask the Portland City Council to decriminalize these plant and fungi medicines to allow for spiritual growth and access to the treatment that people need.
Remembering an Ayahuasca Hero: Domingos Bernardo (1941-2020)
On August 17, 2020, Domingos Bernardo Gialluisi da Silva Sá moved on to the spiritual...
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