How psychoactive drugs shape human culture: A multi-disciplinary perspective

Abstract

Psychoactive drug use occurs in essentially all human societies. A range of disciplines contribute to our understanding of the influence of drugs upon the human world. For example pharmacology and neuroscience analyse biological responses to drugs, sociology examines social influences upon people's decisions to use drugs, and anthropology provides rich accounts of use across a variety of cultural contexts. This article reviews work from multiple disciplines to illustrate that drugs influence aspects of culture from social life to religion, politics to trade, while acting as enablers of cultural change throughout human history. This broad view is valuable at a time when the influence not only of traditional drugs but a growing armoury of novel drugs is felt and debated.

A ritual by any other name

“…Additionally, following the agricultural revolution, shamanism may have been a contributor to the co-evolution of cultures with local psychoactive substances, especially those that alter perceptions. The universal cultural practice of ingesting psychoactive substances dates back to pre-agricultural societies and was motivated primarily by shamanism, ritual, and medicine (e.g., Wadley 2016). Following the advent of farming, it appears that various cultures began to domesticate psychoactive substances, including those that alter perceptions and mood.…”

Genotoxicity and repair capability of Mus musculus DNA following the oral exposure to Tramadol

“…Drugs are the substances that influence the biological function by mimicking the action of neurotransmitters upon neurons when taken, and the drugs that alters the brain function by altering the mood, behavior and consciousness are known as psychoactive drugs. Psychoactive drugs are used by humans in all societies that affect them as a little dose can change the thinking and feeling of user and are mostly used for the treatment of common medical conditions for example pain, sleep disorders and anxiety but their unauthorized use is also common (Tjäderborn et al, 2016, Wadley, 2016).…”

Novel Psychoactive Substances—Recent Progress on Neuropharmacological Mechanisms of Action for Selected Drugs

“…As long as human record keeping dates back, humans consume psychoactive plant preparations. Since centuries they isolated single compounds yielding “natural drugs,” while since decades synthetic chemistry allowed the innovation of completely new compounds that are not available from natural resources ( 1 , 2 ). Despite the risk of being toxic upon single or chronic consumption, there are constantly new drugs that find their way into drug-taking communities ( 3 ).…”