PostsThe use of chemicals to enhance our lives is a notion that creates taboo ideas of drug use. But utilizing the properties of items that grow around us is a common feature of everyday living. Herbal medicine such as liquid zeolite, ellagic acid, fish oil and omega 3 are often used to enhance different aspects of our lives and improve our well being. This use of herbs and natural flora to help us can also be viewed in the indigenous cultures of the Australian and Canadian Aborigines, Native Americans, as well as African cultures. Nowadays, however, the notion of taking certain chemicals has become taboo due to the effects on the mind they are proven to have. Can there be benefits to using these drugs?
Many additives are added to drinks and foods for their basically drug-like qualities. The use of guarana in energy drinks, for instance, is a well known chemical additive used to enhance the alertness and vitality levels of the drinker. While these drinks are quite legal, they’re not recommended for young people or pregnant females, and doctors warn against having a large amount of these kinds of liquids, if at all.
Along with the natural chemicals in the drinks, they are also of course high in caffeine. This is an additive which has become incredibly popular. The fact is, of course, that drinking a large amount of coffee or energy drinks will create a reaction in the body that is highly similar to that given by speed or known toxic chemicals. The difference, it seems, lies in the view our society has of such chemicals.
This taboo has not always been the case, though. While hallucinogenics are today seen as some of the most harmful chemicals it is possible to have, the properties of natural drugs such as ayuhuasca and psilocybin mushrooms was commonly used in the shamanic rituals of native peoples.
The idea of beginning use of hallucinogenic drugs to gain the wisdom held by indigenous peoples is a tempting one. But it needs to be remembered that psychedelics were taken by indigenous peoples as part of a wider relationship with nature, these were “local plants” just as creatures were local food and day- to -day life was a local widescreen entertainment system. How can the life-changing capabilities of psychedelics be totally realized within such an unnatural environment as that which we live in, beyond the momentary high?
The answer is that with any substance, it cannot be believed that drugs will be the complete answer. It’s only through a deeper understanding of ourselves and our connection with the Earth that we can begin to explore deeper questions of what it is to be human, and how we can most effectively use our limited time on this Earth. The negative reactions of all drugs can be easily viewed in those who regularly injest them, and it’s vital to remember the dangers every kind of drug has.
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