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psychedelic drug

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Also known as psychedelic

serotonin receptor agonist temporarily altering states of consciousness

Key facts

Synonyms
Serotonergic psychedelic; Classical psychedelic; Classical hallucinogen; Serotonergic hallucinogen; Psychotomomimetic; Entheogen
Use
Recreational , spiritual , medical , microdosing
Mechanism of action
Serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor agonism
Biological target
Serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor
Chemical class
Tryptamines ; Phenethylamines ; Lysergamides ; Others
Legal status
Variable

via Wikipedia infobox

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic hallucinogens or serotonergic hallucinogens, the term psychedelic is sometimes used more broadly to include various other types of hallucinogens as well, such as those which are atypical or adjacent to psychedelia like ketamine and MDMA, respectively.

Classic psychedelics generally cause specific psychological, visual, and auditory changes, and oftentimes a substantially altered state of consciousness. They have had the largest influence on science and culture, and include mescaline, LSD, psilocybin, and DMT. There are a large number of both naturally occurring and synthetic serotonergic psychedelics.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “psychedelic drug” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.