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[[Image:Julia set spiral.png|thumb|A fractal pattern similar to the spiral patterns that may be seen as the result of some psychedelic drug experiences.]]
'''Psychedelic drugs''' are [[psychoactive drug]]s whose primary action is to alter the thought processes of the brain and perception of the mind. The term is derived from [[Greek language|Greek]] ψυχή (''psyche'', "mind") and δηλείν (''delein'', "to manifest"), translating to "mind-manifesting." 
"The implication is that the psychedelic drugs can develop unused potentials of the human mind." <ref>W. Andrew, W. Rosen (1993), ''From Chocolate To Morphine:Everything You Need To Know About Mind-Altering Drugs''.New York, Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 93</ref> Psychedelic drugs are part of a wider class sometimes known as the [[hallucinogens]], which also includes related substances such as [[dissociatives]] and [[deliriants]]. Unlike other [[psychoactive drug]]s such as [[stimulants]] and [[opioids]], the psychedelics do not merely induce familiar states of mind but rather shift the locus of experiences so that they are qualitatively different from those of ordinary consciousness. The [[psychedelic experience]] is often compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as [[trance]], [[meditation]], and [[dreams]].

Many psychedelic drugs are thought to disable filters which keep signals unrelated to everyday functions from reaching the [[conscious mind]]. {{Fact|date=October 2007}} These signals are presumed to originate in several other functions of the brain, including but not limited to the senses, emotions, memories, and the unconscious (or subconscious) mind. {{Fact|date=October 2007}} This effect is sometimes referred to as ''mind expanding'', or ''consciousness expanding'', for the conscious mind becomes aware of  things normally inaccessible to it.  

[[Image:Timbres imprégnés de LSD.jpg|thumb|"Blotter" [[LSD]], a psychedelic drug]]
A definition more clearly sets apart a ''classic'' or ''true'' psychedelic is offered by [[Lester Grinspoon]]: “a psychedelic drug is one which has small likelihood of causing physical addiction, craving, major physiological disturbances, delirium, disorientation, or amnesia, produces thought, mood, and perceptual changes otherwise rarely experienced except perhaps in dreams, contemplative and religious exaltation, flashes of vivid involuntary memory and acute psychoses”.<ref>L. Grinspoon, J. Bakalar (1979), ''Psychedelic Drugs Reconsidered''. p. 9. ISBN 0-9641568-5-7</ref>  

Over the decades, the term has been expanded to include far more substances than originally intended. Many pharmacologists define psychedelic drugs as chemicals that have an [[LSD]]- or [[mescaline]]-like action on certain [[serotonin]] receptors. In essence, this means [[tryptamines]] and [[phenethylamines]], as no psychedelics from other chemical families have been discovered, with the possible exception of [[piperazines]] and [[benzodifuranyls]]. Many people have applied the term psychedelic to other drugs including [[Dissociative drug|dissociative]] [[NMDA receptor antagonist]]s such as [[Phencyclidine|PCP]] and [[ketamine]], [[tropane]] [[deliriants]] such as [[atropine]], other psychoactives such as [[Amanita muscaria]] and [[Salvia divinorum]]. However, these should be considered as separate groups. In the medical literature, they are often grouped together as [[hallucinogens]] or [[antidepressants]] (both of which are, in general, considered separate from stimulants).

The first psychedelics course listed in a university catalog is "Foundations of Psychedelic Studies" at Northern Illinois University. Taught since 1981 by Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D., its syllabus is located at: http://www.cedu.niu.edu/lepf/edpsych/faculty/roberts/index_roberts.html

== Traditional use ==

Psychedelics have a long history of traditional use in medicine and religion, where they are prized for their perceived ability to promote physical and mental healing. In this context, they are often known as [[entheogens]]. [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] practitioners using [[peyote]] have reported success against [[alcoholism]], and [[Mazatec]] practitioners routinely use [[psilocybin mushrooms]] for divination and healing. [[Ayahuasca]], a psychotropic drug, is still used in Peru for religious festivals [Posner, 2006]. Link: [http://www.walrusmagazine.com/u/register/?ref=anthropology-plants-with-soul]

== Examples ==

Classic psychedelics include [[LSD]], [[psilocybin]] (main active principle of '[[magic mushrooms]]'), [[mescaline]] (active principle of [[peyote]] and the [[San Pedro cactus|San Pedro]] cactus), [[ergoline|LSA]] ([[Hawaiian Baby Woodrose]] and [[Ipomoea#As_medicine_and_entheogen|Morning Glory Seeds]]) and also [[Ayahuasca]] (known in Beatnik literature as [[yage|yajé]]), a traditional shamanic tea brewed from plants containing [[dimethyltryptamine]] and [[harmine]] or [[harmaline]].  Some newer synthetics such as [[MDMA]] (ecstasy), [[2C-B]] (nexus), [[2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine|DOM]] (STP), and [[5-MeO-DIPT]] (Foxy Methoxy) have also enjoyed some popularity. [[Cannabis (drug)|Cannabis]], one of the most widely used psychoactive drugs in the world, produces effects similar to a low dose of a classic psychedelic, as well as a fairly prominent generally 'inebriated' feeling.

==Pharmacological classes and effects==
===[[Serotonergic psychedelics]] ([[serotonin]] [[5-HT2A receptor]] agonists)===

This class of psychedelics includes the major hallucinogens, including [[tryptamine]]-based compounds like [[LSD]] and [[psilocybin]], and [[phenethylamine]]-based compounds like [[mescaline]] and [[2C-B]]. Many of the [[tryptamine]]s and [[phenethylamine]]s cause remarkably similar effects, despite their different chemical structure. However, most users report that the two families have subjectively different qualities in the "feel" of the experience, which are difficult to describe. At lower doses, these include sensory distortions, such as the warping of surfaces, shape suggestibility, and color variations. Users often report intense colors that they have not previously experienced, and repetitive geometric shapes are common.  Higher doses often cause intense and fundamental distortions of sensory perception, such as [[synesthesia]] or the experience of additional spatial or temporal dimensions. Some compounds, such as [[2C-B]], have extremely tight "dose curves," meaning the difference between a non-event and an overwhelming disconnection from reality can be very slight. There can be very substantial differences between the drugs, however - for instance, [[5-MeO-DMT]] rarely produces the visual effects typical of other psychedelics. Some drugs, such as the β-carbolines, produce very different effects from the more standard types of psychedelics.

===[[Empathogen-entactogen|Empathogens and/or entactogens]] ([[serotonin]] releasers)===

The empathogens are phenethylamines such as [[MDMA]], [[3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine|MDA]], and similar drugs, the effects of which are characterized by feelings of openness, euphoria, empathy, love, and heightened self-awareness, but not by visual hallucinations. Their initial adoption by the dance club sub-culture is probably due to the enhancement of the overall social and musical experience.

===[[Cannabinoids]] (CB-1 cannabinoid receptor agonists)===

The cannabinoid [[Tetrahydrocannabinol]] (THC) and related compounds are capable of activating the body's endogenous cannabinoid system. Some effects may include: general change in consciousness, mild euphoria, feelings of general well-being, relaxation or stress reduction, increased appreciation of humor, music and other art, joviality, metacognition and introspection, enhanced recollection of episodic memory, increased sensuality, increased awareness of sensation, creative or philosophical thinking, disruption of linear memory, paranoia, agitation, and anxiety, potentiation of other psychedelics, increased awareness of patterns and color.

===Other===

The effects of [[myristicin]] and [[elemicin]] (found in [[nutmeg]]) are reported are similar to that of cannabis, more so of the [[cannabidiol]] component rather than [[tetrahydrocannabinol|THC]], but with a much longer duration, slow onset, and undesirable side-effects.

[[Cryogenine]] (Vertine) is the active constituent of [[sinicuichi]]. Although vertine has [[anticholinergic]] properties, use of sinicuichi tends to produce psychedelic effects rather than that of a deliriant (this could possibly be dose related).  The primary noted effects include auditory distortions, improved memory and relaxation.

[[Salvia divinorum]] is an atypical psychedelic. The main ingredient, Salvinorin A, is a kappa opioid receptor agonist, working on a part of the brain that deals with pain.

== See also ==
{{MultiCol}}
*[[Entheogen]]
*[[Psychedelic]]
*[[Psychedelic experience]]
*[[Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants]]
*[[Psychoactive drug]]
*[[Psychedelic plants]]
*[[Psychedelic music]]
*[[Dissociative drug]]
*[[Serotonergic psychedelics]]
{{ColBreak}}
*[[Freedom of thought]]
*[[List of psychedelic drugs]]
*[[Tabernanthe iboga]]
*[[Ibogaine]]
*[[Bwiti]]
*[[Meta-universe]]
*[[Soft drug]]
{{EndMultiCol}}

== References ==
===Notes===
<div class="references-small">
{{reflist|2}}
</div>
===General references===
Roberts, Thomas B. (2006). ''Psychedelic Horizons: Snow White, Immune System, Multistate Mind, New Learning'' Exeter, UK: Imprint Academic. 

* Stafford, Peter. (2003). ''Psychedlics''. Ronin Publishing, Oakland, California. ISBN 0-914171-18-6.

Winkelman, Michael, and Roberts, Thomas B. (editors) (2007) ''Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for Hallucinogens as Treatments'' 2 Vols. Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood.

== External links ==
*[http://ahp.yorku.ca/?p=98 Scholarly bibliography on psychedelic drug use in the history of psychology]

The following review paper is the definitive source of technical scientific information about hallucinogens, including psychedelics:
* David Nichols: [http://www.maps.org/sys/w3pb.pl?mode=search&c_pkey=22684&displayformat=allinfo&type=citation Hallucinogens]

{{Hallucinogens}}

[[Category:Psychedelics|*]]

[[fa:روان‌گردان]]
[[fr:Psychédélique]]
[[he:סם פסיכדלי]]
[[pl:Psychedeliki]]
[[pt:droga psicodélica]]
[[ru:Психоделики]]
[[fi:Psykedeeli]]

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