Can Psychedelics Cure?

Hallucinogenic drugs—popularly called psychedelics—have been used by human societies for thousands of years. Today, scientists are taking a second look at many of these mind-altering substances – both natural and synthetic – and discovering that they can have profoundly positive clinical impacts, helping patients struggling with a range of afflictions from addiction to depression and PTSD.

Peyote is an important medicinal plant that is used in rites of passage and in religious and healing ceremonies in Indigenous communities.

Psychedelics might interact with the brain by turning off the brain’s default mode network and affecting a thin sheet of gray matter called the claustrum. This could shake up communication between different regions of the brain.