Psychoactive Drugs Definition And Their Effect On The Human System

What Are Psychoactive Drugs?

A psychoactive plant can be defined as a plant containing chemical substances that cross the blood-brain barrier acting primarily on the central nervous system and resulting in changes in cognition, mood, behavior, consciousness, the perception of the human body. Psychoactive plants can be used for recreation, ritual, spiritual or shamanic purposes or as a tool for studying the mind. Psychoactive drugs are subject to abuse and they could pose a health risk or negative consequences on the individual that abused them. As a result of this, most psychoactive drugs are restricted from general use. 

Psychoactive drugs are gotten from psychoactive plants which are mainly Angiosperms & fungi. The angiosperm families are known to have psychoactive properties include:

1. Family Solanaceae
2. Family Convolvulaceae
3. Family Erythroxylaceae
4. Family Papaveraceae
5. Family Rubiaceae

All parts of psychoactive plants are known to contain hallucinogenic properties ie root, barks, seeds, stems, leaves. Psychoactive drugs can either be taken as snuffs, topically on the skin, anally, smoke or drinking, intravenously(injections). The majority of psychoactive plants comes from the "New World". Fungi with psychoactive properties include mushrooms which belong to the subdivision "Basidiomycotina".

Below Is A Psychoactive Drug List Including The Plant Family They Belong To

COMMON NAME	BOTANICAL NAME	BOTANICAL FAMILY	ORIGIN
ATROPA	ATROPA BELLADONA	SOLANACEAE	EUROPE
COCCAINE	ERYTHROXYLON COCA	ERYTHROXYLACEAE	ANDES
TOBACCO	NICOTIANA TABACUM	SOLANACEAE	SOUTH AMERICA
TEA	CAMELLIA SINENSIS	THEACEAE	CHINA
COFFEE	COFFEA ARABICA	RUBIACEAE	MEXICO
KOLA	COLA NITIDA	STERCULIACEAE	W. AFRICA
CONOCYBE	CONOCYBE TENERA	BOLBITIACEAE
AMANITA	AMANITA MYSCARIA	AMANITACEAE	NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
CLAVICEPS	CLAVICEPS PURPUREA	CLAVICEPITACEAE	SOUTH AMERICA
CHICORY	CHICORIUM INTYBUS	ASTERACEAE	EUROPE
MATE	ILEX PARAGUARENSIS	AQUIFOLIACEAE	SOUTH AMERICA
MANDRAKE	MANDRAGORA OFFICINARUM	SOLANACEAE	MEDITARREAN REGION
OPIUM	PAPAVER SOMNIFERUM	PAPAVERACEAE	WEST MEDITARREAN REGION
MARIJUANA	CANNABIS SATIVA	CANNABACEAE	CENTRAL ASIA
DATURA	DATURA STRAMONIUM	SOLANACEAE	MEXICO
PSILOCYBE	PSILOCYBE CUBENSIS	BASIDIOMYCETES	SOUTH AMERICA
INOCYBE	INOCYBE CORYDALINA	INOCYBACEAE	EUROPE

Psychoactive drugs can be used to block pain and induce unconsciousness during surgical operations. An example of a drug made for this is GABA(Gamma-aminobutyric acid). As an analgesic, the psychoactive plan can be used to manage pain. Eg Opium and this produces compounds such as Ibuprofen, Codeine, Morphine, Aspirin all of which are known fo their pain relieving properties.

Types Of Psychoactive Drugs

Psychoactive drugs are basically divided into four(4) groups which are:

1. Behavioural Stimulants
2. Hallucinogens or Psychedelics
3. Opiates or Narcotic Analgesic
4. Sedatives or Hypnotics

Behavioral Stimulants: These are a group of psychoactive drugs that creates behavioral arousals. They enhance mental alertness, reduces fatigue and suppresses hunger. An example of such compounds is Ephedrine, Nicotine, Caffeine, Amphetamine etc. They have addictive potential if used extensively and long time usage may cause degeneration of the human system.

Sedative or Hypnotics: These are a group of psychoactive plants that causes depression or inhibition of the brain activities. They induce drowsiness, sedation, sleep and reduces anxiety. They operate by reducing the metabolic activity of the brain or by increasing the transmission of inhibitory neurotransmitters. Sedatives can be addictive in nature. A typical example is alcohol and chemical compounds produced from psychoactive plants of this group include: Buspirone, Antihistamine, Seconal, Valium.

Opiates: These are psychoactive drugs that function in pain relieving in the body system. They're often regarded as "Narcotic Analgesic". There are highly addictive in nature and they're of three(3) types which are; Natural opiates, Semi-synthetic opiates, Synthetic opiates.

Natural Opiates: There is derived directly from the Opium poppy(PAPAVER SOMNIFERUM). Examples of such include morphine, codeine.

Semi-synthetic Opiates: These are the by-products of the natural opiates. An example is a heroin which is gotten from morphine. There are non-addicting in nature.

Synthetic Opiates: These are chemically synthesized opiates. An example is Methadone.

Hallucinogens/Psychedelics: These are psychoactive drugs that cause hallucinations. They cause a change in mood, perception, thought all of which deviate from the reality. They can be in natural synthetic form. Examples of natural psychedelics include CANNABIS SATIVA, ATROPA BELLADONNA. From Cannabis sativa, we have the production of THC(Tetrahydrocannabinol), while from Mescal, we have mescaline.

From Atropa belladonna, we get atropine, scopolamine. An example of synthetic hallucinogen is LSD(Lysergic acid diethylamide). Generally, hallucinogens are non-lethal even when consumed in great quantity.

Furthermore, behavioral stimulants act by blocking the uptake of the neurotransmitter known as Norepinephrine. They could also act by activating cellular metabolism. An example is a caffeine or they could stimulate Acetylcholine receptor. While narcotic analgesic acts by mimicking the endogenous neurotransmitter that reduces pain in the body.

Psychedelics functions by binding to brain's receptors while antipsychotics functions by reducing the number of norepinephrine's in the body system.

Chemistry Of Psychoactive Plants

Generally, there are two main groups of chemicals found in the psychoactive plant. We have the nitrogenous alkaloids which are similar to the neural hormones of the brain and we have the non-nitrogenous alkaloids which are found primarily in marijuana. Alkaloids are waste products of metabolism and they provide an important function to the plant but they're not directly involved in the metabolic process of the plant. Examples or alkaloids are mescaline, nicotine, caffeine, quinine, atropine, morphine etc.

These alkaloids are absorbed into the blood stream and they are transported to various parts of the body where they exert their effects. They may be taken orally, anally, intravenously, smoking or drinking, sniffing, or by insertions into body parts. As the blood passes through the liver, some of this substance are removed or chemically degraded and later excreted. Other chemicals are degraded in places where they exert their effects and are transported to the kidneys for excretion. This process of circulation, degradation and excretion accounts for the initial rush or effect felt when psychoactive drugs are taken into the human system followed by the wearing-off of the effect. Some psychoactive plants act only in the central nervous system while others act on both the central and peripheral nervous systems respectively.

Once these drugs reach the nervous system, they alter the normal interaction that occurs among neurons. These neurons release chemical compounds known as "neurotransmitters" which response to stimulations. The neurotransmitter flow across a space known as the synapse between a transmitter neuron and a receiving neuron. Most psychoactive drugs mimic the actions of the five(5) naturally occurring neurotransmitters which are:

1. Serotonin
2. Dopamine
3. Neuropeptides
4. Norepinephrines
5. Acetylcholine

Chemical compounds that mimic the actions of a neurotransmitter are called "Agonist" while the ones that inhibit the actions of neurotransmitters are called "Antagonists".