Magic Medicine

Originally published on Blossom Analysis

Archive note: These notes were published in 2020. Claims and figures concerning Johnson’s book and the research cited in these chapter notes reflect the book and the review period; they have not been updated here.

Magic Medicine by Cody Johnson explores 23 psychedelic plants and substances, or categories of them. I valued its observational approach: it is open to theories and traditions while focusing on the science and descriptions of the drugs’ effects. I found insights here for readers both new to psychedelics and more experienced with them.

Quick Take

Magic Medicine is divided into four parts:

• Classical Psychedelics (serotonin-related/oriented)
• Empathogenic Psychedelics (amplify emotions)
• Dissociative Psychedelics (detached from your body)
• Unique Psychedelics (others)

Across the four parts, Johnson introduces 23 psychedelics or groups of psychedelics. The familiar MDMA, LSD and psilocybin (truffles) appear alongside less familiar compounds such as mad honey, DXM and MDA.

Each chapter describes a compound or group’s effects, short history, discovery and possible medical applications. I found Johnson careful not to be too optimistic or wishful, while still doing a good job of describing how traditional cultures use these substances in rituals.

Throughout the book, I got the distinct feeling that different psychedelics offer different perspectives, or lenses, on perception. When I wrote these notes, many were banned in many countries, which I thought was a shame because many people could not experience those perspectives.

Below are my new insights and interesting details from the book. I have skipped more familiar facts; for those, please consult Erowid or another source, or read the book itself.

Part 1 – Classical Psychedelics

Chapter 1 – 2C-B and the 2C Family

Johnson dates the invention of 2C-B by Alexander Shulgin and Michael Carter to 1975 (see Pihkal). The notes trace its discovery to changes made to the DOB/DOx family (see chapter 5), and describe its use in therapy, possibly still underground, for what they call its lucid and gentle effects. They describe 2C-E as more intense, while 2C-1 and 2C-C are lighter and possibly more tactile.

Chapter 2 – 5-MeO-DMT

For further reading and viewing, the notes recommend this Vice article and the documentary series Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia. The book says 5-MeO-DMT is present in human tissues and is 5 times more potent than N,N-DMT (DMT).

Chapter 3 – Ayahuasca

Johnson describes ayahuasca as made from DMT-containing plants (chacruna and chaliponga) and a carrier, caapi, which contains harmala alkaloids. He discusses its extensive use in traditional healing while noting that, at the time, there were not many rigorous studies of its healing properties, including its effectiveness for addiction.

Chapter 4 – DMT

The notes describe changa as a newer way of smoking DMT, adding MAOIs that potentiate its effects. They describe a slower, more manageable onset than smoking DMT alone. The notes say DMT itself was used by Timothy Leary and friends through injection. They also point to Dr Rick Strassman’s work with 60 volunteers and 400 dosages, documented in DMT: The Spirit Molecule.

Chapter 5 – DOM and the DOx Family

The book gives DOM a duration of 24 hours (a range of 12 to 36) and describes a body high, pleasant tactile experiences and hallucinations at 3-5 milligrams. It also recounts use by Richard Alpert (Ram Dass). For DOI, the notes mention its use in PET scans by replacing iodine with a radioactive isotope, and a finding that it appeared effective in preventing asthma in mice.

Chapter 6 – LSD

The notes describe pure LSD as a white crystalline powder without an odour, usually dissolved in water and added to “tabs”. The book traces it to ergot, a parasitic fungus on rye grains. It recounts Grateful Dead shows being used to distribute LSD and says the band’s original audio engineer and financier, Owsley Stanley, also produced it. The notes also refer to MAPS, known for MDMA research, studying LSD for anxiety in patients with terminal illnesses (paper).

Chapter 7 – Morning Glory

Of the thousands of morning glory varieties, the book identifies only some as psychoactive, including Turbina corymbosa and Ipomea tricolor. The notes also describe morning glory seeds being used to treat excessive bleeding after childbirth. They credit Albert Hofmann with identifying ergot alkaloids, like those associated with LSD, in psychoactive morning glory seeds. Johnson describes their effects as similar to LSD’s, but lighter.

Chapter 8 – Peyote

For related reading, the notes point to Mescaline and The Doors of Perception. The book says peyote has been used for as far back as 6000 years.

Chapter 9 – Psilocybin Mushrooms

The notes recount psilocybin use in the Harvard Psilocybin Project associated with Timothy Leary and Ram Dass. They also praise research by Rick Doblin, of MAPS, which found that prisoner recidivism was unchanged. At the time of these notes, psilocybin was being actively studied for depression, anxiety, OCD and smoking cessation, among other conditions. The notes describe that research as promising and attribute the proposed benefits mostly to “resetting the brain” and being able to “confront/revisit experiences”.

Chapter 10 – San Pedro

San Pedro contains mescaline, like peyote, but is less well known than ayahuasca. One traditional use described in the book is finding lost items.

Chapter 11 – Yopo and Vilca Beans

Yopo and vilca beans are seeds of Anadenanthera trees, used mainly in South America, usually as a snuff inhaled through the nostrils. The book says they contain bufotenine, DMT and 5-MeO-DMT. It also reports significant concentrations of natural bufotenine in the urine of people with schizophrenia and autism, while noting that it is unclear whether this has a causal role or is a byproduct.

Part 2 – Empathogenic Psychedelics

Chapter 12 – MDA

The notes credit Gordon Alles with discovering amphetamine in 1927 and MDA in 1930 (the “A” stands for amphetamine). Johnson places MDA’s effects somewhere between those of MDMA and cocaine or amphetamine, and recounts its widespread use in psychotherapy before 1970, notably by Leo Zeff and Claudio Naranjo.

Chapter 13 – MDMA

The book gives the historical estimate that almost 7% of American adults (20+ million) had tried MDMA. It characterises the experience this way: “If alcohol is a social lubricant, MDMA is a full tune-up of body and mind, generating a sense of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being”. The notes report the book’s claim that frequent high doses (daily/weekly) are neurotoxic, while moderate doses were not correlated with brain damage. They also report its attribution of most MDMA-linked deaths to other factors, including too much water, overheating and co-drug use.

Part 3 – Dissociative Psychedelics

Chapter 14 – DXM

Dextromethorphan (DXM) is a cough suppressant. The book says the unpleasant taste of cough syrup is intentional, to discourage people from taking “too much”. It describes low dosages as producing euphoria, anaesthesia and unusual bodily sensations, and high dosages as producing profound out-of-body experiences.

Chapter 15 – Ketamine

At the time of these notes, ketamine was being used in clinics for antidepressant effects and studied for alcoholism, opioid addiction and chronic pain. The notes say it was “Stumbled upon” by Calving Stevens in 1962 as a derivative of PCP. They quote the book’s account of its supply: “The synthesis of ketamine is quite complex, so the black market supply is most often diverted from legitimate sources”. The book also recounts use by John C. Lilly, described here as quite the mad scientist, who subsequently invented the isolation tank (sensory-deprivation chamber). It gives a historical estimate of 2.7 million Americans having tried ketamine (close to 1%).

Chapter 16 – Nitrous Oxide

The notes call nitrous oxide the smallest psychedelic: one oxygen atom attached to two nitrogen atoms. Johnson dates its discovery by Sir Joseph Priestley to 1772 and describes later use by aristocrats; the book estimates that 16 million Americans (5%) had tried it. It describes direct inhalation from a container through a gas mask as dangerous and inhalation from a balloon as safer. The chapter also mentions use by William James (1842-1920), the father of psychology, continued use for labour pain relief, and a pilot study of its use with talk therapy for antidepressant effects (pilot study).

Chapter 17 – Salvia

Salvia divinorum is part of the mint family. The book calls its active ingredient, salvinorin A, the most potent psychoactive compound in nature and describes effects at half a milligram. It says salvia is usually made into a water diffusion or chewed, though it can also be smoked. The notes recount its use as a back-up psychedelic by María Sabina, a Mazatec healer, and say it acts on the kappa opioid receptor (KOR).

Unique Psychedelics

Chapter 18 – Amanita Muscaria

Amanita muscaria is the red mushroom with white spots familiar from Disney films. The book recounts its use by traditional cultures in Siberia, specifically Kamchatka, and says it cannot be cultivated but grows beside birches or pines, with other trees sometimes working too. It says fly agaric “produces stillness of mind, delusions often mistaken for reality, and a sense of detachment”. The notes identify muscimol as an active ingredient and ibotenic acid as a compound converted into it. They also say it can be extracted (read: drunk) from urine up to 5 times.

Chapter 19 – Cannabis

The notes place cannabis in the Cannabacae family alongside hackberries and hops. They describe its protein-rich seeds being used for hemp sprouts, hemp milk and hemp oil, and also mention hemp fibre. The book discusses medical effects for neuropathic pain, epilepsy and MS, as well as anti-inflammatory effects, while cautioning that “Cannabis is not a miracle drug … most of its medical benefits remain anecdotal or speculative, and it does have real side effects.”

Chapter 20 – DiPT

The notes credit Alexander Shulgin and Michael Carter with discovering DiPT in 1980. Johnson describes auditory hallucinations that are usually not pleasant or enhancing. One early tester said, “Piano sounds like a bar-room disaster”; another described greater awareness of sounds for a time after the effects of DiPT.

Chapter 21 – Fish and Sea Sponges

According to the book, some sea sponges contain 5-Bromo-DMT. It describes the effects as psychedelic but not necessarily pleasant, with tightness in the chest often reported. The notes suggest that many more aquatic animals may contain psychedelics, though most remain unfamiliar to us.

Chapter 22 – Iboga

Iboga is traditionally found in Gabon; at the time of these notes, it was also being used in detox centres in Mexico, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Canada. The book says it acts on serotonin and other receptors associated with more dissociative effects. It describes use in small dosages as a stimulant; higher dosages can bring an inability to stand, vomiting and photosensitivity. The effects may last up to 20 hours, with after-effects for days. Howard Lotsof promoted iboga for its anti-addiction potential after, according to the notes, using it to end a heroin addiction, as did 5 of 7 of his friends. The notes add that long-term evidence of this treatment’s effectiveness was still lacking.

Chapter 23 – Mad Honey

The book places mad honey in Nepal and Turkey, where bees encounter azalea, a type of rhododendron. It says one spoonful can produce a mental high, sensations of movement and spatial distortion, while higher doses can cause convulsions, hallucinations, vomiting and breathing problems. The notes also describe it being used multiple times in warfare by inducing opposing forces to consume it.