PSYCHO ACTIVE column by Wai. Send in additions or requests to: Wai/Psychoactive, BM Uplift, London, WC1N 3XX. Ibogaine. by Bob Arctor. Ibogaine, derived from the plant iboga, is a natural psychedelic which produces a wildly hallucinogenic trip lasting around 30 hours. The African Bwiti tribe has used it for centuries in hunting rituals and entertainment purposes. It has another interesting property for it seems to be able to cure people of their class A addictions. So much so that even the American NIDA (National Institute on Drug Addiction) is getting involved. It was a chance discovery. In 1962 a pre-hippy era beatnik heroin addict named Howard Lotsof took a few Ibogaine capsules and did the trip. When he had come down, to his utter surprise, he discovered that his heroin craving had vanished. With the memory of this experience he started an enterprise in the late 80's to send addicts to Holland for treatment. Out of 30 clients, 20 were 'cured' of those 12 stayed drug free for over a year. Impressed by these claims, the relevant research establishments investigated the matter further and confirmed the drugs effectiveness on animals. The only catch being that small amounts of brain damage was observed in a part of the brain dealing with the coordination of movement. The US FDA (Federal Drugs Administration) is in the process of considering the use of Ibogaine on human crack cocaine addicts among whom there seems to be a very high mortality rate. The rationale being that it's probably better to have a few neurones zapped than be dead. Zofran aka Ondansetron. by Donna Hawthorne One of the more recent drugs on the market, Ondansetron has been hyped as the wonder drug of the nineties. It is claimed to be able to treat mental problems ranging from nausea, anxiety, drug addiction, to schizophrenia. Research has also been done suggesting its potential use as a 'smart' drug. Developed by Glaxo, Ondansetron is one of a new generation of 'magic bullet' psycho-actives. It works by binding very selectively to a particular receptor in the brain (5HT3) blocking its functioning. This means the number of side effects is kept low as opposed to some of the older treatments which exert their action all over the place thereby producing myriad undesirable symptoms. In a study done on elderly patients suffering from memory impairment, twelve weeks treatment with Ondansetron significantly improved the patient's memories as opposed to a placebo which didn't. From physiological studies, it seems Ondansetron exerts its memory enhancing effects by indirectly boosting the action of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, via its action on 5HT3 receptors. This is of interest because acetylcholine has long been implicated as being important in normal memory function and its depletion is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, many popular smart drinks such as Durk and Sandy's Memory fuel(TM) and Earth girl's super sonic cybertonic, contain choline which is used by the brain to actually produce acetylcholine. The idea being that, more choline in your body leads to more acetylcholine for your brain to use, and so an improved memory facility. At present Ondansetron is being marketed as a treatment for cancer patients suffering from chemo-therapy induced nausea but with the investment put into the drug, Glaxo will probably be promoting its use in other areas as well. Known side effects- Headache, constipation, warm or flushing sensation in the head. Scopolamine. By Charles Freck Scopolamine is derived from the Henbane plant which has been used by European witches for centuries. The reason for its use in witchcraft is possibly related to a research paper published in the journal Brain and Cognition vol 15 p 236, a few years ago. It described the use, by Colombian gangsters in Bogota, of a scopolamine and tranquilliser mixture, fired from a spray device into the faces of unsuspecting victims. This would put them into a trance state, becoming totally obedient slaves. After emptying out their bank accounts and going home to fetch their jewellery etc., the victims would have no recollection of the episode whatsoever when the drug wore off. During the 50's, scopolamine was investigated extensively by the American CIA, as a potential truth drug. However, due to certain psychedelic properties that the drug has, 'truths' elicited would be prone to distortion and so the project was abandoned. Scopolamine works by blocking m-acetylcholine receptors in the brain. This is also one of the effects of the psychedelic fungus, Fly Agaric (amanita muscaria or the red one with white spots). A better understanding of how scopolamine affects the brain might, in the future, provide important clues regarding philosophical questions of 'free' will or lack of. In the mean time, make sure nobody sprays you in the face with something weird! Prozac (Fluoxitene). By Bob Arctor The most widely prescribed anti-depressant in the world, 9 million users so far; prozac is a drug that has been the topic of much controversy in recent times. It was the subject of a TV documentary a few years back which reported side effects ranging from the suicidal to the elicitation of violent murderous behaviour. However, around the same time an article in Time magazine, which was actually about the Church of Scientology, described the cult's systematic attempts to discredit the psychiatric establishment by funding lawsuits regarding the claimed adverse side effects of well known psychiatric drug treatments. The purpose being to protect their self interests as it seems contemporary mainstream thinking on the mind/brain is at conflict with the church's own ideas on mental healing. More recently, last Summer an American psychiatrist called Peter Kramer released a book claiming that Prozac can not only cure depression but can also help 'normal' people lead happier lives by making them more extrovert, energised and motivated etc. This idea however has be the subject of much criticism and the only supporting evidence is of the purely anecdotal nature. But this has not stopped a growing number of people from getting prescriptions for the drug, trying it and going on to say good things about it. In around a years time the patent for Prozac runs out, ending Eli-Lilly's monopoly and enabling other pharmaceutical companies to make their own clones. This should bring prices down furthering the drugs use and perhaps make it the next big thing in the world of pop pharmaceuticals. HEAD SEZ: Don't take Prozac! Resist the New Soma! Known side effects - Nausea, loss of appetite, nervousness, insomnia, drowsiness, fatigue, sweating, rashes, dizziness and headache, bland acceptance of the status quo etc.