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Endogenous Hallucinogen Assay The first research project will occur in collaboration with Professor Steven Barker, Ph.D., Everett D. Besch Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Louisiana; and Director, Analytical Systems Laboratory, Equine Medication Surveillance Laboratory for the Louisiana State Racing Commission. David E Nichols, PhD, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Purdue University (Lafayette, Indiana) will also provide collaborative support. Previous investigations into the role of endogenous tryptamine hallucinogens in humans did not have at their disposal methods sensitive enough to measure their very low levels. This project will develop a new technology to measure DMT, 5-methoxy-DMT, and bufotenine, as well as their metabolic breakdown products. Using state of the art equipment, and Dr. Barker’s decades long experience in measuring DMT and related compounds in biological fluids, we hope to improve previous assay sensitivity by at least one thousand-fold. An ultra-sensitive assay will provide a deep view into the function of naturally occurring tryptamine hallucinogens in humans, in both normal and non-normal states. We first will establish values in healthy men and women of all ages. Then, we will compare these values to those found in naturally occurring altered states of consciousness in which endogenous hallucinogens may play a role. These conditions and states include mania, schizophrenia, autism, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and dissociation. Such information may lead to important new breakthroughs in understanding and treating these problems. In addition, we will determine levels in sleep, dreams, meditation, childbirth, and near-death states. Establishing the role of endogenous tryptamines in these states will provide tremendous insight into their origination, and may lead to more reliable means of working with and studying their utility. We believe that once funding is in place, it will take approximately one to two years to develop the new assay, and establish normative values. Subsequent research into these compounds’ role in naturally occurring altered states, occurring in collaboration with research centers around the world, will be ongoing for many years. Ayahuasca In Drug Abuse Treatment The first generation of human research with hallucinogens demonstrated promising early findings when researchers combined these drugs with more traditional treatments of alcoholism and heroin dependence. More recently, the US Food and Drug Administration and National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly approved ibogaine for use in treatment of addictive disorders. This drug, contained in the African hallucinogenic plant, iboga, showed great promise, but toxicity concerns precluded further human research. Many centers in Latin America now are reporting beneficial effects of adding the Amazon plant brew, ayahuasca, to drug abuse treatment programs. Ayahuasca is a mixture of a plant that contains DMT and another plant whose constituents allow DMT to be orally-active for up to 6 hours. This is a much more suitable time period for psychotherapeutic work than the 30 minutes experience from injected DMT. The Cottonwood Research Foundation is located in northern New Mexico, where there is an epidemic of drug abuse among the local Hispanic population. We believe that ayahuasca may provide a culturally-appropriate alternative approach to treating this highly lethal public health crisis. The first stage of this project will involve careful assessment of ayahuasca’s effects in a group of normal volunteers, a project that will require two to three years. Once we have established safety and tolerability data, we will move towards treatment protocols in collaboration with local drug abuse treatment facilities in the area. Preliminary studies using ayahuasca to treat drug abuse will require another three to five years. Research Site One of the long range goals of The Cottonwood Research Foundation is the purchase and development of a site where research, education, and training takes place in an highly focused manner. Such a center, based in an area of natural beauty in northern New Mexico, will house research faculty, staff, and volunteers. It will contain laboratory and computer equipment for ongoing studies‚ analytic and statistical needs. In addition to serving as a clinical research center, it will also provide educational and training activities. The site will feature a library housing all forms of media regarding psychoactive plants and derivatives. It will also contain facilities for symposia, conferences, seminars, and training programs. We will publish proceedings from symposia and conferences that deserve wide exposure. This research site will be the most enduring legacy of The Cottonwood Research Foundation, and will require the greatest input of funds and time. However, its potential for evolving into a unique center of consciousness studies is inestimable. THE SPIRIT MOLECULE weaves an account of Dr. Rick Strassman's groundbreaking DMT research through this multifaceted approach to this intriguing hallucinogen found in the human brain and hundreds of plants. Utilizing interviews with a variety of experts to explain their thoughts and experiences with DMT within their respective fields, and discussions with Strassman’s research volunteers brings to life the awesome effects of this compound, and far-reaching theories regarding its role in human consciousness and evolution. Several themes explored include possible roles for endogenous DMT; its theoretical role in near-death and birth experiences, alien-abduction experiences; and the uncanny similarities in Biblical prophetic texts describing DMT-like experiences. Our expert contributors offer a comprehensive collection of information, opinions, and speculation about indigenous use of DMT, the history and future of psychedelic research, and current DMT research. All this, to help us understand the nature of the DMT experience, and its role in human society and evolution. The subtle combination of science, spirituality, and philosophy within the film’s approach sheds light on an array of ideas that could considerably alter the way humans understand the universe and their relationship to it. | |||||||||||||||
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