Simon Ruffell, et.al. provide a systematic review of the pharmacological interaction of chemical compounds in ayahuasca. The researchers wanted to better understand which chemicals in ayahuasca are required to achieve positive outcomes, questions remain regarding which components are essential, how they interact, and what happens if they are removed.

Analysis of ayahuasca DNA by geneticists confirms lineages known to traditional users that might be three different species: tucunacá, caupuri, and pajezinho. This study represents a corroboration of traditional Indigenous knowledge with Western science.

In clinical literature, psilocybin, DMT, and MDMA receive a great deal of attention, but, as Ana Camacho shows, the same is not true for the peyote cactus and mescaline. This article looks back on the history of the psychedelic substance in Western science to understand why it is not as popular today as it was during the mid-twentieth century.

In a survey published in 2021, Brazil ranked third place in recent high-impact biomedical studies with psychedelics, mainly because of ayahuasca research initiated in the 1990s. However, clinical experimenters and humanities scholars still go their separate ways, without much cross-pollination between the two fields. They are in a unique position, though, to join forces and go beyond the narrow medicalization paradigm underpinning the psychedelic renaissance.

The relationship between the placebo and psychedelic research is complicated by the psychological aspects of psychedelic therapy. Looking specifically at MDMA trials, Katherine Hendy outlines the history of double-blind studies, how MAPS used placebos in their MDMA trials, and the problems associated with this research methodology.

Does ayahuasca have an effect on one's personality? Researchers have discovered that it may increase openness and decrease neuroticism.

What is the connection between ayahuasca and epigenetics? In this study, the researchers explored whether ayahuasca could be used as a treatment for developmental trauma.

Dr.’s Aryan Sarparast, Chris Stauffer, Kelan Thomas, and Benjamin Malcolm, recently published the first systematic review of drug interactions between psychiatric medications and psychedelics: “Drug-drug interactions between psychiatric medications and MDMA or psilocybin: A systematic review.” In this article, the authors offer a synopsis of their systematic review.

Dr. Anya Ermakova explains the usages of different vines for the preparation of ayahuasca and gives examples of consequences that have resulted from ayahuasca tourism. People are most familiar with scarcity of plant resources, but there have also been other consequences such as jaguar poaching. Are all the consequences of Ayahuasca tourism negative, or can there be positive aspects to it? Read more in this essay.

This excerpt from the book Fly Agaric: A Compendium of History, Pharmacology, Mythology, & Exploration explores the wonderous amanita muscaria mushroom. While many people have considered this mushroom to be dangerous to human health, this essay explores the medicinal therapeutic benefits that may come from consuming it. Kevin Feeney explains its history and analyzes studies that have been conducted surrounding the human consumption of this fungus.