What are hallucinogens?

Hallucinogens, also called psychedelic drugs are the specific type of drugs that alter our perception, causing strong hallucinations and sensations. Hallucinogenic substances can be found in many plants or mushrooms, but they can also be made by humans. The most popular hallucinogens are LSD, psilocybin (can be founded in mushrooms), mescaline, and DMT (the main component of ayahuasca). They have been used since ancient times by many cultures across the world for their mystical and spiritual associations. Hallucinogens by disrupting communication between our brain's chemical systems, cause weird, unrealistic sensations. The user of psychedelic drugs can hear voices and see images that aren't real, they can have different perceptions of time and colors or mixed sensory experiences, like seeing sounds. Some hallucinogens can be addictive, but they are not the most addictive type of drugs. Many of them are not considered addictive, because they do not cause uncontrollable drug-seeking behavior. Psychedelic drugs have been used for medical and therapeutic purposes for a long time. Nowadays, many of them because of their side effects and addictions, are no longer used in medicine. But they actually have the potential to treat some mental disorders and help people struggling with depression or anxiety, a lot of hallucinogens are studied till today and can be really useful in future psychological medicine.