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Rice blast is a common disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae which affects rice production worldwide, including Brazil. To reduce the use of harmful pesticides, sustainable control options are necessary for managing rice blast. One possible option is to use plant extracts because they produce secondary metabolites capable of inhibiting the pathogen and controlling the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of ethanolic extracts of leaves and flowers from Banisteriopsis laevifollia, a native Brazilian plant, to antagonise M. oryzae. In vitro antifungal activity assays were carried out, in which mycelium growth reduction, conidia germination, and appressorium formation of M. oryzae were evaluated. In addition, in vivo assay for suppression of leaf blast severity by extracts was done. We also explored the identification of secondary metabolites from ethanolic extracts of leaves and flowers by HPLC-HRMS. Results showed that both leaf and flower extracts inhibited mycelial growth in 21.72% and 30.49%, respectively, due to the inhibition of ergosterol production. Additionally, both extracts inhibited melanin production in the mycelium of M. oryzae by inhibiting tyrosine production. Both leaf and flower extracts significantly inhibited conidia germination and appressorium formation. Furthermore, rice leaves treated with the extracts suppressed by 18.17% and 18.97% leaf blast severity, with the 1.00 mg/mL concentration of flower extract and 0.75 mg/mL concentration of leaf extract, respectively, showing the most significant reduction of leaf blast. The extracts contain phenolic compounds, including 2,3,7,8-tetrahydroxy-chromeno-(5,4,3)- chromene-5,10-dione, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propenoic acid, 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-1(2H)-benzopyran-3,5,7-triol, 3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone, 3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone, 4',5,7-trihydroxyflavanone, 3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone, 3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone -3-O-glucoside, and 3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone-3-O-rutinoside, which are likely responsible for the antifungal activity of the extracts. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of plant extracts as a sustainable alternative for the management of rice blast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different study designs of psychedelic trials may impact the blinding and expectance, leading to biased treatment effects. This study aimed to examine the association between antidepressant efficacy and study designs in psychedelic trials. Six databases were systematically searched. Eligible trials were required to investigate the efficacy of psychedelics (psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA], and ayahuasca) in adult patients with depressive symptoms. We only considered oral psychedelic-assisted therapy without concomitant use of antidepressants. The primary outcome was the change in depressive symptoms. There were five study designs of psychedelic trials, including non-active-drug-as-placebo, active-drug-as-placebo, waitlist-as-control, fixed-order, and pre-post designs. In non-active-drug -as-placebo design, psilocybin (k = 4, Hedges' g [g] = 0.87, 95 % confidence intervals[CIs] = 0.58 to 1.16) and MDMA (k = 2, g = 0.65, 95%CIs = 0.26 to 1.05) were associated with large and medium effect sizes, respectively. In active-drug-as-placebo design, both psilocybin (k = 2, g = 0.71, 95%CIs = -0.01 to 1.43) and MDMA (k = 3, g = 0.53, 95%CIs = -0.23 to 1.28) were not statistically significant. In pre-post single-arm (k = 3, g = 2.51, 95%CIs = 1.00 to 4.02) and waitlist-as-control (k = 1, g = 2.88, 95%CIs = 1.75 to 4.00) designs, psilocybin showed a large effect size of antidepressant effect. Ayahuasca also showed a large effect size in both pre-post (k = 2, g = 1.88, 95%CIs = 1.18 to 2.57) and non-active-drug-as-placebo (k = 1, g = 1.60, 95%CIs = 0.84 to 2.36) designs. LSD was associated with a significant antidepressant effect only in non-active-drug-as-placebo design (k = 1, g = 1.49, 95%CIs = 0.80 to 2.17) but not in active-drug-as-placebo design (k = 1, g = 0.44, 95%CIs = -0.90 to 1.78). The antidepressant effects of psychedelics may be overestimated in studies with pre-post single-arm, non-active-drugs-as placebo, and waitlist-control designs. Restricted sample size, difficulty with establishing blinding for participants, and over expectancy limit the estimation of the antidepressant effect of psychedelic-assisted therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Ayahuasca, an entheogen from the Amazon rainforest, has garnered growing interest for treating substance dependence. To date, there is little research concerning the act of ayahuasca-related purging (mainly vomiting), which is considered to be central to healing during ayahuasca rituals. This study explored practitioner perspectives on purging during ayahuasca rituals at the Takiwasi Center in Peru., Method: We conducted in-depth interviews with curanderos (healers), plant preparers, and psychotherapists ( N = 11) at the Takiwasi Center between August and October 2021. Interviews were conducted and transcribed in Spanish. Interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach., Results: Participants described purging as a fluid concept that went beyond the act of vomiting. Participant narratives around purging were organized into three central themes or accounts: spiritual-oriented, which highlighted the relationship between purging and spiritual development; Amazonian-oriented, which emphasized purging as a cathartic expulsion of embodied cargas (loads) that are perceived to lead to sickness; and clinical-oriented, which stressed that purging generates a range of empirically observable therapeutic benefits. All of these explanatory models emphasized the pivotal interconnection between purging and healing during ayahuasca-assisted treatment for substance dependence at Takiwasi., Conclusions: This study highlights practitioner perspectives on purging at the Takiwasi Center, who offer three main explanatory models for this aspect of healing during ayahuasca-assisted therapy for substance dependence. This research contributes to the limited literature on the role of purging in ayahuasca-related healing, which may inform further investigation into differential understandings of the role of purging for therapeutic benefits.

Objective: This article focuses on the outcomes at 1 year post-treatment of a naturalistic evaluation of services provided through the Takiwasi Centre, an accredited Peruvian therapeutic community offering an ayahuasca-assisted, integrative treatment program for addiction rehabilitation., Method: Participants ( n = 52) completed structured interviews and a battery of validated instruments. Outcome measures included the Addiction Severity Index (Version 5), the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Spiritual Religious and Personal Belief (WHOQOL-SRPB) scale. Likert rating scales were used to assess perceived importance and significance of different aspects of the program and overall participant satisfaction., Results: The group change from baseline to the 1-year follow-up was significant and in the anticipated direction for alcohol and drug use severity, depression and anxiety, and some dimensions of quality of life. There was considerable individual variation in outcomes and treatment duration. The majority of participants rated all aspects of the program as important, including the spiritual and therapeutic significance of the ayahuasca experience, which was rated as very significant., Conclusions: Based on the positive 1-year outcomes, and within the limitations of an uncontrolled observational study design, the findings suggest promise for the effectiveness of the use of ayahuasca in a multifactorial treatment context for individuals with significant treatment histories, high levels of comorbidity, and treatment motivation. Results highlight considerable variation in individual experience that merit in-depth qualitative analysis. Implications for ayahuasca-assisted and other psychedelic-assisted treatment alternatives are discussed., Competing Interests: FM was research coordinator at the Takiwasi Centre between 2008 and 2017 and scientific coordinator of the Ayahuasca Treatment Outcomes Project (ATOP) between its creation in 2013 and May 2022. SGA has been research assistant and in charge of data collection of ATOP at the Takiwasi Centre between 2016 and May 2022. OM was employed as a research assistant at Takiwasi for 6 months in 2018.

Objective: To evaluate the comparative effectiveness and acceptability of oral monotherapy using psychedelics and escitalopram in patients with depressive symptoms, considering the potential for overestimated effectiveness due to unsuccessful blinding., Design: Systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis., Data Sources: Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, PsycINFO, ClinicalTrial.gov, and World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform from database inception to 12 October 2023., Eligibility Criteria for Selecting Studies: Randomised controlled trials on psychedelics or escitalopram in adults with depressive symptoms. Eligible randomised controlled trials of psychedelics (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (known as MDMA), lysergic acid diethylamide (known as LSD), psilocybin, or ayahuasca) required oral monotherapy with no concomitant use of antidepressants., Data Extraction and Synthesis: The primary outcome was change in depression, measured by the 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale. The secondary outcomes were all cause discontinuation and severe adverse events. Severe adverse events were those resulting in any of a list of negative health outcomes including, death, admission to hospital, significant or persistent incapacity, congenital birth defect or abnormality, and suicide attempt. Data were pooled using a random effects model within a Bayesian framework. To avoid estimation bias, placebo responses were distinguished between psychedelic and antidepressant trials., Results: Placebo response in psychedelic trials was lower than that in antidepression trials of escitalopram (mean difference -3.90 (95% credible interval -7.10 to -0.96)). Although most psychedelics were better than placebo in psychedelic trials, only high dose psilocybin was better than placebo in antidepression trials of escitalopram (mean difference 6.45 (3.19 to 9.41)). However, the effect size (standardised mean difference) of high dose psilocybin decreased from large (0.88) to small (0.31) when the reference arm changed from placebo response in the psychedelic trials to antidepressant trials. The relative effect of high dose psilocybin was larger than escitalopram at 10 mg (4.66 (95% credible interval 1.36 to 7.74)) and 20 mg (4.69 (1.64 to 7.54)). None of the interventions was associated with higher all cause discontinuation or severe adverse events than the placebo., Conclusions: Of the available psychedelic treatments for depressive symptoms, patients treated with high dose psilocybin showed better responses than those treated with placebo in the antidepressant trials, but the effect size was small., Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO, CRD42023469014., Competing Interests: Competing interests: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/ and declare: support from National Science and Technology Council for the submitted work; no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Ayahuasca is a South American plant hallucinogen rich in the psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine and β-carbolines (mainly harmine). Preclinical and observational studies suggest that ayahuasca exerts beneficial effects in substance use disorders, but these potentials were never assessed in a clinical trial., Methods: Single-center, single-blind, feasibility, proof-of-concept study, assessing the effects of one dose of ayahuasca accompanied by psychological support (without psychotherapy) on the drinking patterns (primary variable) of 11 college students with harmful alcohol consumption. Secondary variables included safety and tolerability, craving, personality, anxiety, impulsivity, self-esteem, and social cognition., Findings: Ayahuasca was well tolerated (no serious adverse reactions were observed), while producing significant psychoactive effects. Significant reductions in days per week of alcohol consumption were found between weeks 2 and 3 (2.90 ± 0.28 vs 2.09 ± 0.41; P < 0.05, uncorrected), which were not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. There were no statistically significant effects for other variables, except for a significant reduction in reaction time in an empathy task., Conclusions: A significant reduction in days of alcohol consumption was observed 2-3 weeks after ayahuasca intake, but this effect did not survive after Bonferroni correction. The lack of significant effects in alcohol use and other variables may be related to the small sample size and mild/moderate alcohol use at baseline. The present study shows the feasibility of our protocol, paving the way for future larger, controlled studies., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

We aim to systematically review and meta-analyze the effectiveness and safety of psychedelics [psilocybin, ayahuasca (active component DMT), LSD and MDMA] in treating symptoms of various mental disorders. Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and PubMed were searched up to February 2024 and 126 articles were finally included. Results showed that psilocybin has the largest number of articles on treating mood disorders (N = 28), followed by ayahuasca (N = 7) and LSD (N = 6). Overall, psychedelics have therapeutic effects on mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Specifically, psilocybin (Hedges' g = -1.49, 95% CI [-1.67, -1.30]) showed the strongest therapeutic effect among four psychedelics, followed by ayahuasca (Hedges' g = -1.34, 95% CI [-1.86, -0.82]), MDMA (Hedges' g = -0.83, 95% CI [-1.33, -0.32]), and LSD (Hedges' g = -0.65, 95% CI [-1.03, -0.27]). A small amount of evidence also supports psychedelics improving tobacco addiction, eating disorders, sleep disorders, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and body dysmorphic disorder. The most common adverse event with psychedelics was headache. Nearly a third of the articles reported that no participants reported lasting adverse effects. Our analyses suggest that psychedelics reduce negative mood, and have potential efficacy in other mental disorders, such as substance-use disorders and PTSD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ayahuasca (AYA) is a psychedelic brew used in religious ceremonies. It is broadly used as a sacred medicine for treating several ailments, including pain of various origins., Aim of the Study: To investigate the antinociceptive effects of AYA and its mechanisms in preclinical models of acute and chronic pain in mice, in particular during experimental neuropathy., Materials and Methods: The antinociceptive effects of AYA administered orally were assessed in the following models of pain: formalin test, Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammation, tail flick test, and partial sciatic nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain. Antagonism assays and Fos immunohistochemistry in the brain were performed. AYA-induced toxicity was investigated. AYA was chemically characterized. The antinociceptive effect of harmine, the major component present in AYA, was investigated., Results: AYA (24-3000 μL/kg) dose-dependently reduced formalin-induced pain-like behaviors and CFA-induced mechanical allodynia but did not affect CFA-induced paw edema or tail flick latency. During experimental neuropathy, single treatments with AYA (24-3000 μL/kg) reduced mechanical allodynia; daily treatments once or twice a day for 14 days promoted consistent and sustained antinociception. The antinociceptive effect of AYA (600 μL/kg) was reverted by bicuculline (1 mg/kg) and methysergide (5 mg/kg), but not by naloxone (5 mg/kg), phaclofen (2 mg/kg), and rimonabant (10 mg/kg), suggesting the roles of GABA A and serotonergic receptors. AYA increased Fos expression in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray and nucleus raphe magnus after 1 h, but not after 6 h or 14 days of daily treatments. AYA (600 μL/kg) twice a day for 14 days did not alter mice's motor function, spontaneous locomotion, body weight, food and water intake, hematological, biochemical, and histopathological parameters. Harmine (3.5 mg/kg) promoted consistent antinociception during experimental neuropathy., Conclusions: AYA promotes consistent antinociceptive effects in different mouse models of pain without inducing detectable toxic effects. Harmine is at least partially accountable for the antinociceptive properties of AYA., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The global use of certain classical psychedelics has increased in recent years, but little is known about their spectrum of toxicity within Australia. We aim to describe calls to New South Wales Poisons Information Centre relating to exposures to classical psychedelics including lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, ayahuasca, mescaline and ibogaine., Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of calls to New South Wales Poisons Information Centre between January 2014 and December 2022. We identified exposures to classical psychedelics within New South Wales Poisons Information Centre database and measured the annual number of exposures, source of call (hospital, health care worker, member of the public), co-ingested substances, clinical features and advice given., Results: There were 737 calls related to relevant psychedelic exposures; 352 (47.8 per cent) to lysergic acid diethylamide, 347 (47.0 per cent) to psilocybin, 28 (3.8 per cent) to N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 4 (0.5 per cent) to ayahuasca, 4 (0.5 per cent) to mescaline and 2 (0.3 per cent) to ibogaine. Cases were predominantly male (77.2 per cent) and aged between 20 and 74 years (65.6 per cent). Psychedelic calls more than doubled from 45 in 2014 to 105 in 2022 and 625 (85 per cent) of all calls were either from or referred to hospital. Co-ingestion of psychedelics with another substance occurred in 249 (33.8 per cent) of calls and the most frequent clinical features related to single substance psychedelic exposures were hallucinations (27.6 per cent), gastrointestinal symptoms (21.7 per cent) and tachycardia (18.1 per cent). Seizures occurred in 2.9 per cent of single substance psychedelic exposures., Discussion: Increasing incidence of psychedelic exposure calls, including those reporting significant toxicity, likely reflects increasing community use. This may in part be driven by increasing interest in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy trials subsequently increasing public awareness., Conclusion: Relatively high poisoning severity contrasts with safety within clinical trials of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy that may relate to the uncontrolled nature of community use which is mitigated within clinical trial environments. Education about safe use may be useful.

Nine new species in four genera of Neotropical Malpighiaceae are described and illustrated: Banisteriopsis rostrata W.R.Anderson (Brazil: Minas Gerais), Bunchosia andina W.R.Anderson (Colombia: Antioquia, Caldas, Nariño, Putomayo, Quindío, Tolima, Valle; Ecuador: Azuay, Napo, Pichincha, Tungurahua); Bunchosia parrae W.R.Anderson (Peru: Loreto, San Martín, Ucayali), Bunchosia phaeocarpa W.R.Anderson (Ecuador: Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Sucumbíos; Peru: Loreto), Byrsonima anisophylla W.R.Anderson (Brazil: Bahia), Byrsonima cardenasii W.R.Anderson (Colombia: Antioquia, Nariño, Riseralda, Santander, Valle del Cauca), Byrsonima goiana W.R.Anderson (Brazil: Goiás), Byrsonima nana W.R.Anderson (Colombia: Meta) and Tetrapterys catarinensis W.R.Anderson (Brazil: Santa Catarina). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This story is about the twentieth-century ethnobotanist, Richard Evans Schultes (1915–2001), and his research on hallucinogenic plants. Ethnobotany can contribute directly to science and technology studies in that the discipline makes cultural ways of knowing its scientific subject. Ethnobotanists must learn about plants through people, and are not able to conceal their interactions with indigenous informants and other ethnobotanists. I focus on an 'enigma' that Schultes presented, concerning the peculiar ability of indigenous Amazonians to distinguish between local varieties of vine that he was unable to tell apart, notably those used to prepare the hallucinogenic beverage ayahuasca. The enigma describes a complicated and irresolvable question thrown up at the uneasy intersection between different ways of knowing about the world, and shows how modern scientific travellers might navigate – or fail to navigate – the uncertain passage between them. Together with Schultes's accounts of his own non-ordinary states of consciousness elicited by ayahuasca, and his writings on the Victorian botanist Richard Spruce, I chart an epistemological gulf between Schultes's modern scientific cosmology and that of his Amazonian informants. In describing his inability to learn about the ayahuasca varieties from Amazonians, Schultes's enigma traces the very limits of the ethnobotanical discipline and reveals the fragility of the processes by which scientific naturalists might impose categories such as 'nature' and 'culture'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a naturally occurring serotonergic psychedelic found in natural plants around the globe. As the main psychoactive component in ayahuasca, which also contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors, DMT has been consumed as plant-based brew by indigenous peoples for centuries. Further research is required to delineate the therapeutic utility of DMT., Areas of Uncertainty: Although previous research has shown that DMT is synthesized endogenously, it may not be produced at physiologically relevant concentrations. Additionally, the phenomenological similarities between the DMT-induced state and near-death experiences led to the popular hypothesis that endogenous DMT is released during the dying process. However, this hypothesis continues to be debated. Generally, DMT and ayahuasca seem to be physiologically and psychiatrically safe, although ayahuasca is known to cause transient vomiting., Therapeutic Advances: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial showed that, within 1 week, ayahuasca causes remission in 36% of patients with treatment-resistant depression. According to top-line results from a recent phase IIa trial, 57% of patients with major depressive disorder experienced remission 12 weeks after receiving a single intravenous dose of DMT., Limitations: There has only been a single published double-blind randomized controlled trial on ayahuasca and 2 on DMT. All clinical trials have had small sample sizes (≤34 participants). DMT requires further research to understand its therapeutic and clinical potential as a psychedelic., Conclusions: Preliminary evidence indicates that ayahuasca and DMT may be more effective than existing antidepressants for treating major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Eating disorders (EDs) are difficult conditions to resolve, necessitating novel treatments. Ayahuasca, a psychedelic plant medicine originating in Indigenous Amazonian communities, is being investigated. Aspects of ceremonial ayahuasca use (purging, dietary restrictions) appear similar to ED behaviors, raising questions about ayahuasca's suitability as an intervention for individuals with EDs. This study explored the perspectives of ayahuasca ceremony leaders on these and other considerations for ceremonial ayahuasca drinking among individuals with EDs. A qualitative content analysis of interviews was undertaken with 15 ayahuasca ceremony leaders, the majority of whom were from the West/Global North. Screening for EDs, purging and dietary restrictions, potential risks and dangers, and complementarity with conventional ED treatment emerged as categories. The findings offer ideas, including careful screening and extra support, to promote safe and beneficial ceremony experiences for ceremony participants with EDs. More research is needed to clarify the impacts of ceremony-related purging and preparatory diets. To evolve conventional models of treatment, the ED field could consider Indigenous approaches to mental health whereby ayahuasca ceremony leaders and ED researchers and clinicians collaborate in a decolonizing, bidirectional bridging process between Western and Indigenous paradigms of healing.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ayahuasca is a beverage used in Amazonian traditional medicine and it has been part of the human experience for millennia as well as other different psychoactive plants. Although Ayahuasca has been proposed as potentially therapeutic as an anxiolytic and antidepressant, whilst no studies have been carried out so far investigating their direct effect on brain emotional processing., Aim of the Study: This study aimed to measure the emotional acute effect of Ayahuasca on brain response to implicit aversive stimulation using a face recognition task in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)., Materials and Methods: Nineteen male experienced Ayahuasca users participated in this study in two fMRI sessions before and after 50 min of the Ayahuasca ingestion. Subjects were presented with pictures of neutral (A) and aversive (B) (fearful or disgusted) faces from the Pictures of Facial Affect Series. Subjects were instructed to identify the gender of the faces (gender discrimination task) while the emotional content was implicit. Subjective mood states were also evaluated before Ayahuasca intake and after the second fMRI session, using a visual analogue mood scale (VAMS)., Results: During the aversive stimuli, the activity in the bilateral amygdala was attenuated by Ayahuasca (qFDR<0.05). Furthermore, in an exploratory analysis of the effects after intake, Ayahuasca enhances the activation in the insular cortex bilaterally, as well as in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (qFDR<0.05). In the psychometric VAMS scale, subjects reported attenuation of both anxiety and mental sedation (p < 0.01) during acute effects., Conclusions: Together, all reported results including neuroimaging, behavioral data and psychometric self-report suggest that Ayahuasca can promote an emotion regulation mechanism in response to aversive stimuli with corresponding improved cognition including reduced anxiety and mental sedation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The knowledge that brain functional connectomes are unique and reliable has enabled behaviourally relevant inferences at a subject level. However, whether such "fingerprints" persist under altered states of consciousness is unknown. Ayahuasca is a potent serotonergic psychedelic which produces a widespread dysregulation of functional connectivity. Used communally in religious ceremonies, its shared use may highlight relevant novel interactions between mental state and functional connectome (FC) idiosyncrasy. Using 7T fMRI, we assessed resting-state static and dynamic FCs for 21 Santo Daime members after collective ayahuasca intake in an acute, within-subject study. Here, connectome fingerprinting revealed FCs showed reduced idiosyncrasy, accompanied by a spatiotemporal reallocation of keypoint edges. Importantly, we show that interindividual differences in higher-order FC motifs are relevant to experiential phenotypes, given that they can predict perceptual drug effects. Collectively, our findings offer an example of how individualised connectivity markers can be used to trace a subject's FC across altered states of consciousness., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None of the authors declare any conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Through the study of form, we explore how relations constitute persons for the Huni Kuin of Western Amazonia. Shamanistic song, and the role in it of patterned design, reveals a specific aesthetics that emphasizes processes of becoming, transformation, and figure/ground reversal. Since bodily substances and actions of others affect the 'thinking body', well-being depends on making visible the relational network that exists inside and outside one's embodied self. An aesthetic battlefield unfolds where the doubles of ingested substances invert the predatory relation and come to envelop the 'eye soul' of the one who ingested them with their design and ornaments. This setting allows us to address the fractal quality of personhood and the permanent disequilibrium between symmetrical and asymmetrical relations in Amazonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banisteriopsis is considered one of the largest genera of Malpighiaceae with 58 species, of which 47 occur in Brazil. The typical calyx and leaf glands of Banisteriopsis are considered relevant to the adaptive success of Malpighiaceae. Comparative studies of anatomical and histochemical characteristics may reveal similarities and assist in the interpretation of the functions performed by such glands. The present study aimed to describe the anatomy of the calyx and leaf glands of 38 species ofBanisteriopsis that occur in Brazil, and to analyze these structures histochemically in B. campestris, B. laevifolia and B malifolia, using standard methods. Calyx glands differ from leaf glands by possessing an irregular surface that is covered by a thick cuticle that is released from the epidermis by the accumulation of secretion; the glands are similar in all the other anatomical characteristics. Both types of glands produce secretions composed of a mixture of protein granules, lipids and polysaccharides. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that foliar glands have given rise to calyx glands in response to interactions with pollinators.

This is the second of a three-part account of a visit to Iquitos at the time of the New Millennium by the narrator, who lives in Colombia and has been drinking yajé (ayahuasca) with its indigenous shamans. For a book he is writing about the subject, decides to investigate the rituals in Peru. It is in the form of a travelogue divided into vignettes: his voyage upriver from Leticia to Iquitos, his impressions of a city which revolves around eco-tourism and his encounter with his host, Zappa, an American expatriate who exports shamanic plants and runs ayahuasca ceremonies.

Ayahuasca is a brew with psychoactive properties that has been used as an entheogen for centuries, with more recent studies suggesting it is a promising treatment for some clinical disorders. Although there is an emerging scientific literature on its effects, to the best of our knowledge no study has explored the self-reported experiences of first-time ayahuasca users with quantitative textual analysis tools. Accordingly, the current study aimed to analyze the subjective experience of naive individuals with depression and healthy controls after consuming ayahuasca. For this purpose, responses from a subsample of participants from a previous clinical trial to open-ended questions regarding their experience with ayahuasca underwent textual analysis. Data from nine patients with treatment-resistant depression and 20 healthy individuals were included, and quantitative textual analysis was performed using IRaMuTeQ 0.7 alpha 2 and R 3.1.2. The analysis identified five clusters: alterations in the state of consciousness, cognitive changes, somatic alterations, auditory experiences, and visual perceptual content. Additionally, findings suggest specific features of the experience of people with depression with ayahuasca, such as increased aversive bodily reactions. The results are consistent with previous findings indicating central axes of the psychedelic experience, and may inform therapeutic approaches using ayahuasca., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The Neotropical genus Mezia (Malpighiaceae) comprises 15 species of lianas (except M. huberi W.R.Anderson, a shrub or small tree). All have multibranched, densely brown-sericeous inflorescences with the ultimate unit a 4-flowered umbel of bilaterally symmetrical flowers. The distinctive pair of large cymbiform bracteoles subtends a rudimentary pedicel and encloses the floral bud. The flowers contain elongate sepals, the lateral four biglandular, yellow petals, the posterior often splotched with red, a heteromorphic androecium, and a tricarpellate gynoecium. The three styles are all free; the posterior pair is lyrate in five species but erect in the others. The samaras have an orbicular to oblate lateral wing and a much smaller dorsal wing; in most species, additional winglets and/or crests are present between the lateral and dorsal wings. Only Mezia mariposa W.R.Anderson has butterfly-shaped samaras lacking additional ornamentation. Four new species are proposed: Mezia andersonii C.E.Anderson, M. bahiana C.E.Anderson, M. fanshawei C.E.Anderson and M. sericea C.E.Anderson. One variety is elevated to species level and provided with a new name, Mezia peruviana C.E.Anderson; a lectotype is chosen for Diplopterys involuta var. ovata Nied. Full descriptions and synonymies are provided, as well as a distribution map. All species are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Females of myrmecophilous butterflies tend to oviposit in plants visited by ant species that engage in stable associations with its larvae. In Banisteriopsis malifolia, caterpillars are attended by the same ants that feed on extrafloral nectaries. A conflict may arise when both the plant and caterpillars compete for ant attention, and ants are assumed to forage on the highest quality resource. By attending caterpillars, ants can be indirectly detrimental to plant fitness because florivorous larvae feed intensively until pupation. In this study, we specifically investigated (i) whether the occurrence of facultative myrmecophilous Synargis calyce (Riodinidae) caterpillars in B. malifolia was based on ant species (Camponotus blandus or Ectatomma tuberculatum) and abundance; (ii) the monopolization of ants by the butterfly larvae and (iii) the florivory rates incurred by the caterpillars on inflorescences. The abundance of S. calyce was six‐fold greater in plants with C. blandus, compared to E. tuberculatum treatments. Caterpillars monopolized up to 50% of C. blandus on the plants, indicating that the resources offered by S. calyce were more attractive to ants than extrafloral nectaries. Florivory by riodinids incurred losses of almost 60% of flower buds. Myrmecophilous riodinids exploited an ant–plant mutualism by attracting aggressive ants that become larvae bodyguards. Thus, this ecological interaction is potentially detrimental to B. malifolia, since the ants, which can provide protection against herbivores, shift to provide defence for one of these herbivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the rediscovery of Banisteriopsis magdalenensis, including an updated morphological description, illustrations, distribution map, and notes on conservation, ecology and taxonomic affinities. The species is endangered and appears to be confined to rocky outcrops in the Atlantic Forest of Northern state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where two populations were found growing apart within the limits of Desengano State Park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used in shamanistic and vegetalistic rituals and has recently received lot of attention due to potential cognitive benefits. Ayahuasca effects are caused by the synergistic interaction of β-carbolines (harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroarmine) contained in Banisteriopsis caapi stalks combined with the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from Psychotria viridis leaves, a potent agonist to serotonin (5-HT) receptors. The present study approaches the effects of chronic and acute exposure to two Ayahuasca concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 ml/L) on the cognitive ability to discriminate objects in a one-trial learning task in zebrafish. Based on the combination of concentrations and exposure regimens, we divided adult zebrafish in five treatment groups: acute 0.1 and 0.5 ml/L, chronic 0.1 and 0.5 ml/L, and control 0.0 (n = 20 for each group). Then we tested them in a memory task of object discrimination. Acute Ayahuasca exposed groups performed similarly to the control group, however chronically treated fish (13 days) presented both impaired discriminative performance and locomotor alterations. Overall, these results indicate that Ayahuasca is a potent psychoactive drug that, in chronic exposure, negatively affects mnemonic parameters in zebrafish. In single exposure it does not affects cognitive performance, but the higher concentration (0.5) affected locomotion. Moreover, we reinforce the importance of the zebrafish for behavioral pharmacological studies of drug screening, in special to psychedelic drug research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the second of a three-part account of a visit to Iquitos at the time of the new millennium by the narrator, who lives in Colombia and has been drinking yajé (ayahuasca) with its indigenous shamans and for a book he is writing about the subject, decides to investigate the rituals in Peru. It is in the form of a travelogue divided into vignettes: his voyage upriver from Leticia to Iquitos, his impressions of a city which revolves around eco-tourism and his encounter with his host, Zappa, an American expatriate who exports shamanic plants and runs ayahuasca ceremonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic beverage produced from the decoction of Banisteriopsis caapi (Bc) and Psychotria viridis (Pv), b-carboline- and N,N-dimethyltryptamine(DMT)- containing plants, respectively. Accumulating evidence suggests that ayahuasca may have therapeutic effects on ethanol abuse. It is not known, however, whether its effects are dependent on the presence of DMT or if non-DMT-containing components would have therapeutic effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the rewarding properties of ayahuasca (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg, orally), Bc (132, 440, and 1320 mg/kg, orally) and Pv (3.75, 12.5 and 37.5 mg/kg, i.p.) extracts and their effects on ethanol (1.8 g/kg, i.p.) reward using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in male mice. Animals were conditioned with ayahuasca, Bc or Pv extracts during 8 sessions. An intermediate, but not a high, dose of ayahuasca induced CPP in mice. Bc and Pv did not induce CPP. Subsequently, the effects of those extracts were tested on the development of ethanol-induced CPP. Ayahuasca, Bc or Pv were administered before ethanol injections during conditioning sessions. While Bc and Pv exerted no effects on ethanol-induced CPP, pretreatment with ayahuasca blocked the development of CPP to ethanol. Finally, the effects of a post-ethanol-conditioning treatment with ayahuasca, Bc or Pv on the expression of ethanol-induced CPP were tested. Animals were conditioned with ethanol, and subsequently treated with either ayahuasca, Bc or Pv in the CPP environment previously associated with saline or ethanol for 6 days. Animals were then reexposed to ethanol and ethanol-induced CPP was quantified on the following day. Treatment with all compounds in the ethanol-paired environment blocked the expression of ethanol-induced CPP. Administration of an intermediate, but not a high, dose of ayahuasca and Bc, as well as Pv administration, in the saline-paired compartment blocked the expression of ethanol-induced CPP. The present study sheds light into the components underlying the therapeutic effects of ayahuasca on ethanol abuse, indicating that ayahuasca and its plant components can decrease ethanol reward at doses that do not exert abuse liability. Importantly, the treatment environment seems to influence the therapeutic effects of ayahuasca and Bc, providing important insights into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deviations in the regular pattern of secondary growth have occurred multiple times over the history of woody plants and these have been treated under the term cambial variant. Here we present a type of cambial variant that has been studied in the 19th century, but that has never been named or had its ontogeny studied in detail. This cambial variant generates a vascular cylinder with a conspicuous crenate pattern and it is found in two lianescent lineages of Malpighiaceae; Stigmaphyllon and a clade informally called the Banisteriopsis nummifera group. Twenty species of Stigmaphyllon and two species of the Banisteriopsis nummifera group were sampled from naturally growing population to investigate ontogenic history starting from shoot apex to the thickest portion of stem by using traditional anatomical methods All species in these two clades have a regular cambium that produces bands of non-lignified axial parenchyma in the xylem by the onset of secondary growth. These xylem parenchyma cells, after a period of secondary growth, acquire meristematic activity and give rise to new, variant cambia referred here as ‘ interxylary cambia ’. These new cambia give rise to new vascular tissues within the secondary xylem. In Stigmaphyllon the variant cambia give rise to a large quantity of variant phloem, and not much variant xylem, while in the members of the Banisteriospsis nummifera group a large quantity of both secondary xylem and phloem is formed by every new interxylary cambia. Xylem and phloem originated from both cambial types have features similar to those of other Malpighiaceae lianas, except for the absence of septate fibers and perforated ray cells, the presence of stratified phloem and prismatic crystals in the phloem of the Banisteriopsis nummifera group and a concentric ring of cortical secretory cells characteristic of Stigmaphyllon . The cambial variant interxylary cambia is here named for the first time, and this new term is proposed to unmistakably denote its origin from within the secondary xylem, which is likely a synapomorphy for these two Malpighiaceae lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banisteriopsis caapi (B. caapi) contains harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine, has monoamine oxidase inhibitory activity, and has reported antiparkinsonian activity in humans when imbibed as a tea; however, its effects are poorly documented. For this reason, motor function was assessed in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-treated common marmosets following administration of B. caapi extract (28.4-113.6 mg/kg; po), harmine (0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg; sc), and selegiline (10 mg/kg; sc), alone or with a submaximal dose of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA; 4-7 mg/kg). L-DOPA reversed motor disability, increased locomotor activity, and induced moderate dyskinesia. B. caapi did not increase locomotor activity or induce dyskinesia but at 56.8 and 113.6 mg/kg improved motor disability. The L-DOPA response was unaltered by co-administration of B. caapi. Harmine (0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg) produced a mild improvement in motor disability without affecting locomotor activity or dyskinesia but had no effect on the L-DOPA-induced antiparkinsonian response. Selegiline (10 mg/kg) alone improved motor function to the same extent as L-DOPA, but with only mild dyskinesia, and did not alter the response to L-DOPA, although dyskinesia was reduced. The findings suggest that B. caapi alone has a mild antiparkinsonian effect but does not enhance the L-DOPA response or reduce dyskinesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malpighiaceae species are recognized for their sepal elaiophores of which secretions reward oil-collecting bees. Information on elaiophore location, structure and functioning is likely to provide valuable insights into pollination ecology and evolution of the family. We characterized the elaiophores in three Malpighiaceae species and compared the patterns of distribution and dimensions of these glands, their structural organization, their histochemistry and their life spans. Intact elaiophores from buds and 1-day flowers (bagged and un-bagged) of Banisteriopsis variabilis, Byrsonima coccolobifolia and Peixotoa reticulata were collected for structural, histochemical and ultrastructural studies. We also reported the behavior of elaiophore-visiting insects. Elaiophores exhibit uniseriate secretory epithelium covered by a thick cuticle and vascularized parenchyma. The secretory surfaces can be flat ( B. coccolobifolia and P. reticulata) or convoluted ( B. variabilis). In B. variabilis and P. reticulata the epithelium has longer cells than in B. coccolobifolia and these become papillose, taking an appearance similar to trichomal elaiophores. The mixed secretions accumulate within subcuticular spaces and may be released either by a natural rupture of the cuticle ( B. coccolobifolia and P. reticulata) or by a sudden rupture caused by the bee activity ( B. variabilis). Different bees were observed exploiting the elaiophores, acting as potential pollinators or oil robbers. A greater diversity of oil-collecting bees was registered in B. variabilis. The differences identified, mainly in relation to the location of the glands on the sepals, in the fine structure of secretory epithelia and cuticle architecture, and in their secretion release mechanisms, in some way, can affect the behavior of visitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]