Ibogaine is a psychoactive chemical found in the Tabernanthe iboga plant. It has both hallucinogenic and dissociative properties, which means it produces both hallucinations and feelings of detachment. Ibogaine-containing brews have been used in rituals in the African spiritual tradition of Bwiti – this is a tradition practised by the Fang people of Gabon and it…
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Cave paintings indicate a huge turning point in the evolution of the human race. They indicate the emergence of creativity and imagination. The origins of art distinguished us from all other animals and it reflects a radical change in our consciousness – it’s when we started using symbols and images to represent our experiences. Jared…
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Before deciding whether drug addiction is a health or criminal issue, it is also important to understand what drug addiction is and how addiction in general works. People sometimes make a distinction between a physical addiction and a psychological addiction to something. Both are physical in nature since psychology boils down to physical processes, but it does seem…
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Pablo Amaringo (1938-2009) was a painter from Pucallpa in Peru, whose paintings are all inspired by his experiences with ayahuasca. Amaringo originally worked as a vegetalista which is a traditional word for a shaman in Latin America who works with plants and vegetables to cure physical and spiritual illnesses. He was also part of the mestizo…
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Dr Robin Carhart-Harris is a neuropsychopharmacologist (or a ‘scientist’ if you want to be more general) who works at Imperial College London. In the past, he worked under David Nutt, the former chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Nutt was fired for being a bit nutty (in the eyes of the…
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