Ancient Roots of Today’s Emerging Renaissance in Psychedelic Medicine

Abstract

An international ban on psychedelics initiated by the United Nations' Convention on Psychotropic Substances in 1971 restricted the clinical use of these ancient psychoactive substances. Yet, in an era marked by rising mental health concerns and a growing ''Deaths of Despair'' epidemic (i.e., excess mortality and morbidity from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism), the structured psychedelic use that has long been a part of ritual healing experiences for human societies is slowly regaining credibility in Western medicine for its potential to treat various mental health conditions. We use a historical lens to examine the use of psychedelic therapies over time, translate ancient lessons to contemporary clinical and research practice, and interrogate the practical and ethical questions researchers must grapple with before they can enter mainstream medicine. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and its contributions to the global mental health burden, we also reflect on how psychedelic therapy might serve as a tool for medicine in the aftermath of collective trauma. Ultimately, it is argued that a ''psychedelic renaissance'' anchored in the lessons of antiquity can potentially help shift healthcare systems-and perhaps the broader society-towards practices that are more humane, attentive to underlying causes of distress, and supportive of human flourishing.

Psychedelia: The interplay of music and psychedelics

“…Evidence includes the ingestion of psychoactive drink among ancient Greeks 9,132 and the ritual ingestion of mescaline, which seems to stretch back somewhere between 5000 and 40,000 years ago. 132,133 Furthermore, the review highlights the physical evidence of psychedelic use that dates back 1000 years through the discovery of a pouch uncovered in South West Bolivia containing residue of psilocybin, among other ingredients. 132,134 Such findings point to a long history of psychedelic use in human societies.…”

“…The use of psychedelics for ritual and religious purposes seems to stretch back thousands of years into human history. A recent review on the ancient roots of psychedelic medicine by George and colleagues 132 discussed the use of psychedelics across several cultures. Evidence includes the ingestion of psychoactive drink among ancient Greeks 9,132 and the ritual ingestion of mescaline, which seems to stretch back somewhere between 5000 and 40,000 years ago 132,133 .…”

“…A recent review on the ancient roots of psychedelic medicine by George and colleagues 132 discussed the use of psychedelics across several cultures. Evidence includes the ingestion of psychoactive drink among ancient Greeks 9,132 and the ritual ingestion of mescaline, which seems to stretch back somewhere between 5000 and 40,000 years ago 132,133 . Furthermore, the review highlights the physical evidence of psychedelic use that dates back 1000 years through the discovery of a pouch uncovered in South West Bolivia containing residue of psilocybin, among other ingredients 132,134 .…”

History repeating: A roadmap to address common problems in psychedelic science

“…All of these selection biases lead to an overestimate of the psychedelic treatment effect, producing a substantial threat to internal and external validity. A related threat is the focus of psychedelic studies on WEIRD (White, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) samples (Breeksema & van Elk, 2021;George et al, 2022;Michaels et al, 2018). As a result, it remains unclear to what extent obtained findings generalize to the population at large.…”

Psychedelic medicine at a crossroads: Advancing an integrative approach to research and practice

“…Mind-altering substances have been used in ceremonial and religious contexts for millennia ( George et al, 2021 ; Guerra-Doce, 2015 ; Miller et al, 2019 ). However, it was only in the 20th century that psychedelic compounds (such as the serotoninergic N, N-Dimethyltryptamine, lysergic acid diethylamide-LSD and psilocybin), glutamatergic dissociative anesthetics (such as ketamine) and empathogenic compounds (such as 3,4-Methylenedioxy​methamphetamine-MDMA) were isolated from mushrooms and herbs or chemically synthesized ( Nichols & Walter, 2021 ).…”