The Drug Science Podcast

In this episode of the drug science Podcast, we meet with Mike Jay, author and 2024 Cheiron Book Prize winner who has written extensively on scientific and medical history with a special interest in Psychedelics.  In this Podcast, he discusses with us his newest book, Free Radicals: How a Group of Romantic Experimenters Gave Birth to Psychedelic Science, which tells the story of early invention and experimentation with Nitrous Oxide (Laughing gas). He discusses various key figures at this time and the work they conducted, including Humphry Davy and Thomas Beddoes as well as discussing early theories into the potential use of gas in medicine which lead to the development of the Pneumatic Institute. Further, they discuss how this 18th-century research links to the psychedelic renaissance    Free Radicals: How a Group of Romantic Experimenters Gave Birth to Psychedelic Science [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Radicals-Romantic-Experimenters-Psychedelic/dp/0300282613#:~:text=Book%20details&text=When%20he%20and%20its%20researchers,his%20group%20of%20unorthodox%20experimenters.] Mike Jay Author [https://g.co/kgs/F4HCZ4x] Humphrey Davy [https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history-science-technology-medicine/humphry-davy-laughing-gas-and-the-era-self-experimentation] Humphry Davy Book [https://g.co/kgs/UAqQF8t] Thomas Beddoes [https://www.lindahall.org/about/news/scientist-of-the-day/thomas-beddoes/] Joseph Priestley [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Priestley] Davis Giddy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davies_Gilbert] Miners lung [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25135-black-lung-disease] Tuberculosis [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tuberculosis-tb/] Michael Pollan [https://michaelpollan.com/] Default mode network [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_network] Mescaline Drug Science Podcast with Mike Jay [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc7unAGevA0] Link in show notes  [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/donate] ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/support-drug-science/]

Join us in the latest episode of the Drug Science Podcast, where we talk with Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley, Director of Research for Heroic Hearts Project UK, Chief Scientific Officer of NW PharmaTech, and founder and CEO of Hystelica. In the episode, she explore where psychedelic studies have largely ignored women’s physiology, particularly in failing to acknowledge and control for hormonal fluctuations. Grace particularly emphasises the necessity for greater investigations and understandings around the intersection of psychedelics and the menstrual cycle, explaining how Hystelica attempts to bridge this gap with naturalistic and observational studies. Throughout, the discussion examines how, by researching these unknowns, we can discover new treatment opportunities that better serve women’s health. Heroic Hearts Project UK [https://www.heroicheartsuk.com/] Hystelica [https://hystelica.com/about/] NWPharmaTech [https://nwpharmatech.com/] MDMA [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/mdma] Psilocybin [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/psilocybin] Retreats Study [https://hystelica.com/portfolio-items/survey-perspectives-of-women-at-psychedelic-retreats] Mothers of the mushroom [https://mothersofthemushroom.com/research/] Microdosing Study [https://hystelica.com/portfolio-items/survey-microdosing-psychedelic-substances-menopausal-symptoms/] ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/support-drug-science/]

In this latest episode of the Drug Science Podcast, we talk with Natalia Rebollo and Jesús Alonso Olamendi of the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service (ICEERS). They discuss the lasting legacy of colonialism in the psychedelic culture of indigenous communities, stressing the need for the sacredness of these substances to be uplifted and not commodified. Throughout, they explore their work with ICEER’s Ayahuasca Defense Fund and how it has begun to change the narrative surrounding psychedelics in prohibitionist countries. Operating between indigenous communities and the Western world, they provide a unique perspective that shows how both communities can learn from each other.   ICEERS [http://iceers.org] Ayahuasca Defense Fund [https://www.iceers.org/adf/] Ayahuasca [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/ayahuasca] DMT [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/dmt] Ayahuasca Legal Battle in France [http://iceers.org/sacred-medicine-trial-legal-battle-ayahuasca-france] Technical Report on Ayahuasca [https://www.iceers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ayahuasca_Technical_Report_ICEERS_2021_ENG-2.pdf] Colombia's CND68 Resolution [https://idpc.net/blog/2025/03/cnd68-historic-vote-initiates-overdue-review-of-un-drug-control-machinery] Ibogaine [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/ibogaine] Spanish Ibogaine Trial [http://iceers.org/ibogaine-research-methadone-tolerance] Contact Email [law@iceers.org] ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/support-drug-science/]

Tune in to the latest episode of the drug science podcast where David Nutt meets with Tim Kerr, a doctoral research student in Psychiatry at King’s College London. Tim discusses his journey from slowly falling into drug addiction and dealing whilst studying for his medical degree eventually leading to arrest and imprisonment. Tim shares how he used this time in an open prison to apply for and study a Neuroscience masters with Kings College London with the support of the Longford trust, a charity that supports people with lived experience of prison to access higher education.    The Longford Trust [https://www.longfordtrust.org/] Howard League for Penal Reform [https://howardleague.org/] NHS Practitioner Health [https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/] Alcoholic liver disease [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-related-liver-disease-arld/] Jaundice [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544252/#:~:text=Jaundice%2C%20also%20known%20as%20hyperbilirubinemia,increased%20production%20or%20impaired%20excretion.] Ecstasy [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/mdma] Ketamine [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/ketamine] Cocaine [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/cocaine] Freud and cocaine [https://psychcentral.com/health/freud-and-his-biggest-addiction] Nitrous oxide [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/nitrous-oxide] GHB  [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/ghb-gbl] Spice [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/spice] Weed [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/cannabis] Venlafaxine [https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/venlafaxine/about-venlafaxine/#:~:text=It's%20used%20to%20treat%20depression,are%20available%20only%20on%20prescription.] Modafinil  [https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/modafinil-oral-route/description/drg-20064870] Open and closed Prison [https://prisonjobs.blog.gov.uk/your-a-d-guide-on-prison-categories/] Alcoholics Anonymous [https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/] ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/support-drug-science/]

Join us in the latest episode of the Drug Science Podcast where David Nutt meets with Psychedelic psychotherapy experts Laurie Higbed and Owain Winfield to dive into how to use psychedelics in psychotherapy. In this episode, they discuss the different techniques used with different psychedelics for different conditions to optimise this type of therapy and why these differences are necessary. They discuss MDMA, Ketamine and Psilocybin in a range of applications including trauma and addictions. MDMA [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/mdma] Ketamine [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/ketamine] Psilocybin [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/psilocybin] Substance Misuse [https://www.apohs.nhs.uk/advice/substance-misuse/] PTSD [https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/overview/#:~:text=Symptoms%20of%20post%2Dtraumatic%20stress,insomnia%2C%20and%20find%20concentrating%20difficult.] MAPS [https://maps.org/] MDMA study into Substance Use Disorder [https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/files/273405463/BIMA_Paper_for_Pure.pdf] Compass Pathways [https://compasspathways.com/] Compass Pathways Psilocybin for Treatment Resistant Depression [https://compasspathways.com/our-work/treatment-resistant-depression/] Awakn life sciences [https://awaknlifesciences.com/] Amygdala [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24894-amygdala] Link in show notes [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/donate] ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://www.drugscience.org.uk/support-drug-science/]