psychedelic drug
Sign in to saveAlso 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.