U̼p̼ ̼a̼g̼a̼i̼n̼s̼t̼ ̼t̼h̼e̼ ̼w̼a̼l̼l̼ ̼o̼f̼ ̼n̼e̼u̼r̼o̼t̼r̼a̼n̼s̼m̼i̼t̼t̼e̼r̼s̼ 🌱 🧠
After eating some plants with the CEO of MAPS (the public benefit corp. taking MDMA through FDA clinical trials for PTSD), we were struck by the chemicals adorning our kitchen wall at work.
It reminds me of Michael Pollan, in his new book 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴: “How incredible is it that plants have evolved the precise molecular key to unlock your consciousness?”
It’s not an analog or mimic. Plants and fungi and bacteria synthesize our exact neurotransmitters, perhaps some evolutionary inheritance from signaling in the early days of federating single-cell organisms. 90% of the serotonin in our bodies is made by the bacteria in our gut, not in our brain. Gut bacteria signal each other with the same neurochemicals—such as GABA, serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine and melatonin—that the brain uses to regulate mood and cognition. Respect, on the kitchen wall.
Every culture on Earth has discovered and used a plant or fungus, often several, that alters consciousness. (Pollan notes one exception: the Inuit who live where nothing interesting grows)
Tim Ferriss interviewed Michael Pollan about his new book, and it’s quite good: https://tim.blog/2021/06/28/michael-pollan-this-is-your-mind-on-plants/
MAPS: https://maps.org
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