Science

The hallucinogenic tree that cures addiction in one dose

Why, in an age when nearly every party drug is being pushed into federal trials for addiction and mental illness, when drug tourists who fetishize the mysticism associated with indigenous hallucinogens are in the market for ever-bigger thrills, and when the opioid epidemic is killing tens of thousands each year, have so few Americans heard…

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The many colors of kratom explained

Some leaves have red stem and vein, while others can have white or green ones. Each color has a different chemical composition and different concentrations of alkaloids. Kratom comes in a variety of colors, and one often thinks if all the colors of Kratom are same. Many people think that just because different types of Kratom are…

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Testing drugs at festivals is ‘a lifesaver’, study finds

Drug-related hospital admissions down 95% after onsite testing at festival in Cambridgeshire, UK … An alarming rise in drug-related deaths at music festivals can be countered by testing illicit substances onsite, according to the first academic study of its kind, which has triggered calls for similar services to be rolled out at all major events. The Durham…

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A chronic low dose of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) restores cognitive function in old mice

Scientists at the University of Bonn and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) have now achieved this in mice. These animals have a relatively short life expectancy in nature and display pronounced cognitive deficits even at twelve months of age. The researchers administered a small quantity of THC, [one of many] active ingredient[s] in ……

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MDMA helps people build trust and get over betrayal

The study [Neuroscientists at King’s College London and Oxford University and published in the Journal of Neuroscience] aimed to investigate the effect of MDMA on decision-making behaviour.  MRI machines were used to scan the brains of the participants, finding that MDMA can help people to become more cooperative by creating greater activity in specific areas of the brain such…

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Scientists identify [difference between oral doses vs. IV doses of whole plant botanical kratom and two active constituents]

This particular study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (NOTE : led by graduate student Lauren Smith ofThe Scripps Research Institute​) produced results that join another study in the same journal, Journal of the American Chemical Society) (NOTE : led by a Dr. Andrew Kruegel Ph.D. of Columbia University).   [The Scripps study reported]… None of the mice died…

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What is kratom…?

“Importantly, as commonly used in raw plant form, it does not appear to produce the… lethal respiratory depressing effects of classical opioids.” The group included researchers and scientists from Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University and the University of Florida. “It is our collective judgment that placing kratom into Schedule I will potentially increase the number…

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FDA recognizes psilocybin as ‘breakthrough therapy’ for depression

The only reference to psilocybin on the Food and Drug Administration’s website appears in the agency’s Bad Bug Book: Handbook of Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins, where the psychedelic compound is described as a “neurotoxin” found in mushrooms.  The FDA’s dueling portrayals of psilocybin as a scary fungal neurotoxin and a promising treatment for depression…

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