Psychotropics from Plants: From Abuse, to Ceremony, Ritual and Clinical Use

Dear Colleagues,

A new 21st century paradigm of psychotropic substances and extracts from plants is taking shape in the context of helping those with mental health disorders, either in the form of edible alkaloids, smoked substances or via aromatherapy. The world health organization states that one in eight people are living with a mental disorder. Such challenges include eating disorders, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. In this new paradigm of ‘natural psychotropic phytochemicals’, a select group of people who fail to respond to the conventional lines of treatment, have resorted to unconventional therapies with psychotropic plant extracts, to experience reprieve, and while there remains a grey area as to the ethical considerations, such activity has generated a substantial number of anecdotal accounts of success, together with occasions of adverse events ranging from minor to extreme.

Psychotropic substances in plant extracts can be derived either from the plant itself (phytochemicals), from an endophytic symbiont or a fungal pathogen (fungochemicals), such as the ergot fungus (Claviceps purpurea) responsible for the ergotoxine alkaloids (i.e., lysergic acid diethylamide), when infecting members of Poaceae. A significant number of psychotropic species are known in the field of ethnobotany, but have not yet been subject to phytochemical characterization. Where research is focused purely on these ethnobotanical leads, new plant-derived pharmacophores may be discovered, or derivatives of known pharmacophores may be found to have different biological activity.

Because mental health challenges are on the rise in the 21st century, it is becoming imperative to embrace new lines of therapy, albeit combination therapies with conventional lines of treatment or otherwise, to ensure that society is prepared for the rising burden of mental health disorders. However, while research of psychotropic substances from plants is on an upward trajectory, there is a deficit of studies focused on optimizing the germplasm of biota in the construction of sustainable plantations, either in anticipation of regulatory changes, or in response to the same. Thus, known psychotropic plants may require further chemical characterization, to understand chemical signatures at the level of cultivar/variety. Cultivar development will also be influenced by knowledge of synergisms or antagonisms occurring from ingestion of crude extracts, which is relevant to optimization of the therapeutic effects from a specific germplasm.

Much has changed in the 21st century, with the legalization of cannabis and its specific strains, such as CBD and THC for medical purposes, or recreational use in some countries or states. Research of psychedelics is also back on the rise, repeating much of the work that was done in the 60s and 70s but with tighter controls, following the more rigorous standards required of research in the modern era. Ways in which this research can be of benefit to conventional medicine is by seeking additive or synergistic effects between these phytochemicals and conventional pharmaceuticals, which increases the patentability and hence, incentive to make new therapies available to a wider and legitimate market.

The current Special Issue is dedicated to research of psychotropic substances from plants (and fungal pathogens or symbionts), either in the form of chemical characterizations that identify known plant-based CNS pharmacophores, or studies that take knowledge of known psychotropics further. Manuscripts may focus on chemical diversity of known psychotropic plants, studies of psychotropic compounds in vitro or in vivo, side effects or dangers of psychotropics, reviews, or aromatherapy in the treatment of anxiety.

Dr. Nicholas John Sadgrove
Guest Editor

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