The possible role of amazonian psychoactive plants in the chemotherapy of parasitic worms — a hypothesis☆
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Cited by (32)
The evolution and ecology of psilocybin in nature
2023, Fungal Genetics and BiologyTobacco use vs. helminths in congo basin hunter-gatherers: Self-medication in humans?
2014, Evolution and Human BehaviorCitation Excerpt :Wyatt (1977), for example, noted the anthelmintic (anti-worm) properties of betel nut, which is widely chewed in Asia and the Pacific. Rodriguez and Cavin (1982) proposed that the origin of tropical hallucinogenic plant use in Amazonia might be explained by the anthelmintic and antimicrobial properties of the plants. Intriguingly, three of the world's most popular recreational drugs are effective treatments against helminths: nicotine (the psychoactive component of tobacco) and arecoline (the psychoactive component of betel-nut) have been used as commercial anthelmintics in animals (Hammond, Fielding, & Bishop, 1997), and cannabis is toxic to plant-parasitic nematodes (Mukhtar, Kayani, & Hussain, 2013).
Ecology and neurobiology of toxin avoidance and the paradox of drug reward
2009, NeuroscienceCitation Excerpt :Sullivan and Hagen (2002) hypothesized that hominins may have exploited plant toxins to overcome nutritional and energetic constraints on CNS signaling. Intriguingly, some recreational drugs are remarkably effective treatments for mammalian pathogens (Rodriguez et al., 1982). For example, nicotine, arecoline (the principal psychoactive component of betel nut, widely chewed in Asia and the Pacific), and THC, three of the world's most popular plant drugs, are potent anthelmintics.
Clinical investigations of the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca: Rationale and regulatory challenges
2004, Pharmacology and TherapeuticsExposure to β-carbolines norharman and harman
2004, Journal of Chromatography B: Analytical Technologies in the Biomedical and Life Sciences
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An earlier version of this manuscript was presented by Eloy Rodriguez at the Annual AAAS Meeting on Traditional Medicine — Cooperation or Antagonism?, San Francisco, January 4–5, 1980.