March First Thursday Monthly Meeting

Join the Psychedelic Society of St. Louis on the first Thursday of each month at Urban Eats from 6PM – 8:30PM.

Topic: The history and cultural significance of psychedelic substances

Psychedelic substances have a rich and complex history, dating back thousands of years. They have been used for spiritual, medicinal, and recreational purposes by various cultures around the world.

Very approximate timeline of psychedelic use:

• 6000 BCE: Evidence suggests that the use of psilocybin mushrooms was widespread among early human societies in Africa.
• 2000 BCE: Evidence of the use of peyote, a psychedelic cactus, by indigenous cultures in Mexico and the southwestern United States.
• 1500 BCE: Ayahuasca, a brew made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and other plants, is used in spiritual and healing ceremonies in the Amazon basin.
• 1000 BCE: Soma, a psychedelic drink made from a plant that is still unidentified, is used in religious ceremonies in ancient India.
• 900 BCE: The Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient Greece involve the use of a psychoactive substance called kykeon.
• 100 CE: The use of cannabis is documented in Hindu and Buddhist texts.
• 1500 CE: The Aztecs use psilocybin mushrooms in religious ceremonies.
• 1700s: The use of peyote spreads to Plains Indian tribes in North America.
• 1938: Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann discovers the psychedelic effects of LSD.
• 1949: R. Gordon Wasson and his wife Valentina become the first westerners to participate in a Mazatec mushroom ceremony in Mexico.
• 1950s-1960s: Psychedelic substances gain popularity in Western culture through figures like Aldous Huxley and Timothy Leary.
• 1970s: The use of psychedelics becomes associated with the counterculture movement and is eventually criminalized in many countries.
• 1990s-2000s: Interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for mental health conditions begins to grow, leading to renewed research and clinical trials.

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