吸一次蟾蜍粉末分泌物，让人快乐一个月

吸一次蟾蜍粉末分泌物，让人快乐一个月

In the last few years, evidence has been emerging that several psychedelicsseem to alleviate the symptoms of depression. Now scientists have tested a new compound - and early trials indicate that it, too, has potential.

在过去的几年里，有证据表明，一些迷幻药可以缓解抑郁症的症状。现在科学家们已经测试了一种新的化合物——早期的试验表明，它也有潜力。

As with many other psychedelics, this one comes from nature, too. Specifically, we're talking 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), secreted by the Colorado River toad (Incilius alvarius).

像其他许多迷幻药一样，这个也来自大自然。具体来说，我们说的是5-甲氧基-N，N-二甲基色胺(5-Meo-DMT)，由科罗拉多河蟾蜍(incilius alvarius)分泌。

Among a small group of people, researchers led by Maastricht University in the Netherlands found that inhaling dried-and-powdered toad secretions resulted in increased life satisfaction, better mindfulness, and a decrease in psychopathological symptoms for the duration of the four-week-long study.

荷兰马斯特里赫特大学领导的研究人员发现，在为期四周的研究期间，吸入干燥和粉末状的蟾蜍分泌物可提高生活满意度，改善心智状态，减少精神病理症状。

According to the team, this result shows more research is needed into the potential beneficial effects of 5-MeO-DMT.

研究小组认为，这一结果表明，对5-Meo-DMT的潜在有益效果，还需要更多的研究。

"A recent survey among users of 5-MeO-DMT (toad, synthetic, or plant derived) indicated that most respondents used 5-MeO-DMT for spiritual exploration and reported mystical-type experiences of moderate-to-high intensity," the researchers write in their paper.

研究人员在论文中写道：“最近对5-Meo-DMT(蟾蜍、合成或植物衍生)使用者进行的一项调查表明，大多数受访者使用5-Meo-DMT进行精神探索，并报告了中度到高度的神秘体验。”

"Interestingly, those respondents who reported a psychiatric disorder mentioned that 5-MeO-DMT had helped them reduce their symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress, or effectively deal with alcoholism and drug abuse."

有趣的是，那些报告有精神疾病的受访者提到，5-Meo-DMT帮助他们减轻了焦虑、抑郁和创伤后压力的症状，或者有效地治疗酗酒和药物滥用。

Users, the researchers noted, have reported that toad goo produces a more intense psychedelic effect than plant- or fungus-based psychedelics. This includes such substances as LSD (from ergot fungus), mescaline (from the peyote cactus), psilocybin (from mushrooms) and ayahuasca (from a vine).

研究人员指出，用户报告说蟾蜍胶比植物或真菌类迷幻药产生更强烈的迷幻效果。这包括LSD(来自麦角真菌)、美斯卡灵(来自Peyote仙人掌)、psilocybin(来自蘑菇)和Ayahuasca(来自藤蔓)。

To investigate this stronger effect, the team set out to conduct an observational study of the potential antidepressant properties the toad psychedelic might have.

为了研究这种更强的效果，研究小组着手对蟾蜍迷幻药——可能具有的潜在抗抑郁特性进行观察研究。

Forty-two participants from around the world completed baseline tests before inhaling a vapour of dried toad dust, and then did the tests again within 24 hours of the inhalation.

来自世界各地的42名参与者，在吸入干蟾蜍粉尘蒸气之前完成了基线测试，然后在吸入后24小时内再次进行了测试。

Then, 24 of those participants completed a final round of testing four weeks later. Of those 24, most reported feeling better about their life, more mindful, and less depressed, anxious and stressed even four weeks after that single dose. And the stronger their psychedelic experience, the more pronounced were the prolonged effects.

然后，24名参与者在4周后完成了最后一轮测试。在这24名患者中，大多数人报告说，即使在服用单次药物4周后，他们的生活感觉更好，更专注，更少抑郁、焦虑和压力。他们的迷幻体验越强，长期效果越明显。

It is important to note that this is not necessarily indicative of the whole gamut of experiences, the researchers said, since nearly half of the participants who completed the 24-hour survey did not return for the final tests.

研究人员说，值得注意的是，这并不一定代表所有的经验，因为完成24小时调查的近一半参与者，没有回来参加最后的测试。

"Their reasons for not completing the assessments are unknown but potentially could be driven by disappointments that emerged over the experience," they write in their paper.

他们在论文中写道：“他们未能完成评估的原因尚不清楚，但可能是因为经历中出现的失望情绪。”

"Most participants listed either 'understanding myself' or 'solving problems' as their motivation for attending the sessions. Other motivations included self-development, the search for a spiritual experience or spiritual healing and curiosity.

“大多数参与者将“了解我自己”或“解决问题”列为他们参加会议的动机。其他动机包括自我发展，寻求精神体验或精神治疗和好奇心。

"It is unknown whether the experience from inhaling vapour from dried toad secretion containing 5-MeO-DMT fulfilled the expectations and motivations of all participants."

“尚不清楚从含5-meo-dmt的干蟾蜍分泌物中吸入蒸汽的经验，是否满足了所有参与者的期望和动机。”

It's also possible to have a bad trip on 5-MeO-DMT, leading to feelings of increased anxiety and paranoia, the researchers noted. So it's possible that the participants who did not return may have had a bad experience.

研究人员指出，5-meo-dmt也有可能出现不愉快的旅行，导致焦虑和偏执的感觉增加。所以，那些没有回来的参与者可能有过不好的经历。

Thus, if only the people who had a good experience completed the assessments, that could have introduced a selection bias into the results, since there was no control group. Additionally, the doses were eyeballed rather than strictly weighed, adding another limitation to the study.

因此，如果只有有良好经验的人完成评估，就可能会在结果中引入选择偏差，因为没有对照组。此外，对剂量进行的是目测，而不是严格称重，这给研究增加了另一个限制。

"The present findings can therefore only be taken as a preliminary indication of the impact of inhaling vapour from dried toad secretion containing 5-MeO-DMT on mental health parameters," the team writes.

研究小组写道：“因此，目前的研究结果，只能作为从含有5-meo-dmt的干蟾蜍分泌物中吸入蒸汽，对心理健康参数影响的初步迹象。”

The researchers do emphasise that the study was done to determine if further research into the potential therapeutic benefits of 5-MeO-DMT is worth pursuing.

研究人员强调，这项研究是为了确定是否值得进一步研究5-甲基-DMT的潜在疗效。

"This study suggests that a single administration of vapour from toad secretion containing 5-MeO-DMT produces rapid and persistent improvements in satisfaction with life, mindfulness and psychopathological symptoms, and that these changes are associated to the strength of the psychedelic experience," the researchers wrote.

“这项研究表明，单次给予含有5-Meo-DMT的蟾蜍分泌物中的蒸汽，可以迅速持续地改善对生活、意识和精神病理症状的满意度，这些变化与迷幻体验的强度有关。”研究人员写道。

"These results provide evidence supporting further research examining the potential therapeutic effect of 5-MeO-DMT."

“这些结果为进一步研究5-Meo-DMT的潜在疗效提供了证据。”

The research has been published in the journal Psychopharmacology.

这项研究发表在《精神药理学》杂志上。