Glossary: Psychedelic Medicine

A substance, object, or ritual regarded as sacred and used to facilitate spiritual connection, religious observance, or communion with the divine.

A worldview recognizing the reciprocal relationship between human well-being, biodiversity, spirituality, and stewardship of the natural world.

A geographic location regarded as spiritually significant because of its history, cultural meaning, ceremonial use, or relationship to ancestral traditions.

Plants, fungi, animals, minerals, or other natural substances used within Indigenous healing traditions for physical, emotional, spiritual, or communal well-being. The healing value derives from both the medicine itself and the ceremonial context in which it is used.

A plant regarded within a particular cultural tradition as possessing spiritual significance and used ceremonially for healing, prayer, initiation, or communion with the sacred.

A psychoactive sage native to Oaxaca, Mexico, traditionally used by the Mazatec people for divination and healing. Its primary active compound, salvinorin A, is a potent kappa-opioid receptor agonist rather than a serotonergic psychedelic, producing brief but intense alterations in perception and consciousness.

A fast-growing Andean cactus containing mescaline that has been used ceremonially in South America for more than 2,000 years. It remains an important traditional medicine in Peru, Ecuador, and surrounding regions.

The activities and responsibilities that a professional is educated, trained, and legally authorized to perform.

The ability to monitor and manage emotional, cognitive, physiological, and behavioral responses in a flexible and adaptive manner.

A psychedelic whose principal effects are mediated through the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor.

A neurotransmitter involved in mood, emotion, cognition, appetite, sleep, and perception. Classic psychedelics exert many of their effects through serotonin 5-HT2A receptors.

A potentially life-threatening condition caused by excessive serotonergic activity, characterized by autonomic instability, altered mental status, hyperreflexia, clonus, and elevated body temperature.

The individual's internal state entering an experience, including expectations, beliefs, intentions, emotional state, personality, previous experiences, and psychological readiness.

The external environment in which an experience occurs, including the physical surroundings, interpersonal relationships, cultural context, and level of safety and support.

A person who remains present during an altered-state experience primarily to provide safety, reassurance, and practical assistance while generally avoiding directing the experience.