Hallucino

Hallucinogenic drug - alkaloid substance that alters consciousness; also called psychotomimetic, or, popularly, psychedelic or mind-expanding drug. Hallucinogens include mescaline, or Peyote; psilocin and psilocybin, from the mushrooms Psilocybe mexicana and Stropharia cubensis; LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide); belladonna; and mandrake. Marijuana has hallucinogenic properties but is pharmacologically distinct. Hallucinogens have been used by primitive societies in both the Old and New Worlds to facilitate meditation, cure illness, placate evil spirits, and enhance mystical and magical powers. They produce a wide range of effects, from pleasant to very disturbing, depending on dosage, potency, and the personality and environment of the drug taker. Effects include altered perception of time and space and of the color, detail, and size of objects; also the experience of imaginary conversations, music, odors, tastes, and other sensations. Hallucinogens are not physically habit-forming, but tolerance, i.e., the need to take increased quantities to induce the original effect, may develop.

Source:

The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia
by Columbia University Press

INDEX

---

---