For inquiries regarding the utilization of ethnobotanicals, or in case you are experiencing an adverse situation or difficulty integrating and experience, please read this page. For inquiries regarding legal support , please read this page.
With the increase in practices with psychoactive plants, the number of people facing difficult experiences is also growing. For more than a decade, ICEERS’ El Faro Support Center has offered a safe, free and confidential space to accompany these processes.
Numerous international experts and organizations have come to Barcelona to study the CSC model and explore ways to implement it in their own regions. In
A new ICEERS report estimates the number of people drinking ayahuasca worldwide and analyzes fatalities reported by the media.
A new report Coca Leaf in Court: Cultural Rights and the Toxicological Labyrinth published by Constanza Sánchez, Dr. José Carlos Bouso, Pien Metaal, and Roberto Castro highlights the concerns with how coca cases are addressed in Spain, and the precedence this sets in other parts of the world.
Psychoactive plants and fungi are becoming more well-known, and we are beginning to hear more about amphibians whose secretions are also able to alter consciousness. The toad known as “Bufo” is increasingly being talked about in the media and online forums. The Latin nomenclature of Bufo alvarius is often used to refer to a species of toad that produces large quantities of the psychoactive substance 5-MeO-DMT within its specialized skin glands, most prominently, its parotid glands. But this infamous amphibian goes by many other names, scientific or otherwise, which we will get into more detail about here.
According to a newly released study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, ayahuasca may help support a healthy lifestyle. The long-term impact investigation was carried out by the Research team at ICEERS, in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Madrid, University Rovira i Virgili, University of São Paulo, and Leiden University. The study assessed 377 participants taking part in ayahuasca ceremonies in the Netherlands.
In March 2022, Italy’s government made the two principal ingredients of ayahuasca Schedule I controlled substances. Read our comments here.
ICEERS started the first ever Phase II clinical trial exploring the potential of ibogaine to treat opioid dependency. Click here to learn more.
Dr. José Carlos Bouso, ICEERS’ Scientific Director, will participate in the subcommittee of the Congress to study the regulation of therapeutic cannabis in Spain, contributing his vision as an expert in the field of medical cannabis.
The 2021 Ayahuasca Technical Report includes 26 pages with all the latest research-based facts about ayahuasca, its uses, pharmacology, legal status and therapeutic effects, signed by 11 world-class experts and researchers.
Constanza Sánchez, José Carlos Bouso, Natalia Rebollo | April 2021 In March 2020, the results of a significant trial related ayahuasca importation in Spain concluded with an acquittal that paves the way for the future
Ricard Faura, Andrea Langlois | April 2021 When ICEERS decided to begin the Iboga and Ibogaine Community Engagement Initiative, we were responding to a community request. Many people in the international community dedicated to iboga
It is hard to walk a path you cannot see. A collective vision can serve as a guiding light, supporting community leaders, visionaries, practitioners, and policy-makers as we navigate through unknown terrain. It helps us remain focused on a future even though the exact path there is not yet fully illuminated. The purpose of the Iboga/ine Community Engagement Initiative was to engage with the global community to crowdsource opinions and ideas about what an ideal future looks like for iboga and ibogaine in global society.
The sudden interruption of almost all maritime, air, and land travel worldwide due to the pandemic has opened the door for many communities to reflect on interdependences within a globalized world, particularly when it comes to “supply chains” for clothing, food, and plant medicines. One of the key impacts for communities that work with teacher plants (such as ayahuasca) outside of the Amazon has been the need to reconsider how they are procuring medicine for their ceremonies.
This post is Part 2 in a series exploring the impact of the pandemic on ayahuasca communities (read Part 1). ICEERS seeks to support the community by providing a bird’s eye perspective on trends, movements, and the bridge between traditional practices and emerging ones. After the pandemic hit, we took the time to speak with a handful of individuals involved or are well acquainted with communities in Europe, North America, Central America and South America.
It’s no doubt that 2020 will be remembered for the rapid and abrupt arrival of a pandemic that, in a matter of months, impacted the whole world. What remains to be seen is how communities will be forever changed and what adaptations or changes to how we live will remain with us.
What is the situation of Cannabis Social Clubs in Europe? The European Journal of Criminology has recently published a study, conducted by Dr. Mafalda Cardal and Tom Decorte, in collaboration with ICEERS’ Deputy Director, Òscar Parés, to provide an accurate picture and in-depth understanding of this growing phenomenon across the old continent.
In most parts of the Global South, traditional healers outnumber mental health workers, making up the health care system that local people have access to and trust. In a recent article, published in the Health and Human Rights Journal, José Carlos Bouso (ICEERS Scientific Director) and Constanza Sánchez (Law, Policy & Human Rights Director) address the need to include traditional healing practices in the global mental health agenda.
Last week, mass media outlets spread the news that the known ex-pornography actor Nacho Vidal was arrested by the Civil Guard for alleged involuntary manslaughter. The events took place on July 28, 2019 in the
World Ayahuasca Conference Free Online Micro-Event A year ago, from May 31-June 2, 2019, the world’s ayahuasca community gathered in the city of Girona for the third edition of the World Ayahuasca Conference (AYA2019), the
Science and economic, social and cultural rights: what place do master plants have in the framework of freedom of research and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress?
The term “natural psychoactive drugs” (NPDs) comprises a great variety of animals, plants, cacti, and fungi, traditionally used in ritualistic contexts all over the world, whose consumption has increased dramatically in the last few decades. In order to study the patterns of use, the desired effects and the mental health status of individuals who make use of them, ICEERS conducted a detailed research through an online questionnaire that was answered by 564 NPD users from 52 different countries. The results have recently been published in the journal Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy.
According to ICEERS associate researcher Débora González, grief is a form of love – it is the price paid for love. As we let go, of a person or of something held near and dear to our hearts, we grieve. It’s a natural and necessary process, not only for adapting to stressful times but also for personal growth and enrichment. And, while death may be the end of life from a biological perspective, what we’ve lost continues to exist after death, through our memories, thoughts, and even in our genes.
The question of how to offer help to indigenous and other Amazonian communities who don’t have access to medical and economic supports that may be available to those in North America and Europe is answered by two words: solidarity and generosity.
