Partnered with the Center for Humanities, the Allen Centennial Gardens ran its second annual year of the Borghesi-Mellon Psychedelic Pasts, Presents, and Futures workshop’s interactive greenhouse tour held at the D.C. Smith Greenhouse Friday. The Borghesi-Mellon’s workshops aim to deepen the conversation around the uses of psychedelics and other drugs as medicine, according to the Centers for Humanities website.
The greenhouse tour originated from the event runners’ desire to host something during the spring, specifically around Environmental History Week and Earth Day. Growing from this concept, the event then shifted to focus on how each plant relates to an apocalyptic theme, according to lead organizer for the workshop Liz Birkhauser.
“This is our second time doing this now, and we have people, facilities and students from all over the campus presenting on human, plant-or-fungi and environmental relationships,” Birkhauser said. “They’re looking at those through the lenses of the four horsemen of the apocalypse which are conquest, war, famine and death.”
The tour included a variety of plants that spanned different uses and rarity. Specifically, marijuana, succulents, potatoes, saffron, the Chinese caterpillar fungus — officially known as Ophiocordyceps sinensis — and many more.
Graduate student Sean Kim described the application of marijuana for fiber, grain and medicinal purposes. Campton’s area of research covers what environmental and genetic factors explain why some plants produce a purple pigment in their leaves. This pigment is beneficial for the plant and also benefits human health because it contains anthocyanins — the same substance found in dark berries, Kim said.
“For the apocalypse, cannabis would be my number that I’d be gathering seeds for [because] I would want to have a good time in the apocalypse,” Campton said. “Also, for fiber, for food and then for medicine. So there’s a lot of different uses — it’s very versatile and when I think of other crops, you don’t see it being utilized in all different ways.”
Second-year pharmacy student Nick Apitz described how Mesembryanthemum cordifolium — or the Baby Sun Rose succulent — is linked to antidepressant properties. Within the plant are Mesembrine alkaloids which inhibit the reuptake of serotonin so that more is available in the brain, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine.
Ultimately, this plant and those within its family have historically been traced back to uses in South Africa for its mood and stamina-elevating properties. Now, this compound is used for the development of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which relate to the ongoing mental health crisis, according to Apitz.
Similarly, the desirable Chinese caterpillar fungus has multiple medical purposes due to its nutritional qualities which boost the functioning of one’s kidneys, liver, immune system and more, according to master’s student in the psychoactive pharmaceutical investigations program Mika Hess. These fungi effectively take control of caterpillars’ minds so they may continue in their life cycle. Ultimately, this fungus would not only be beneficial due to its health properties if an apocalypse occurred but also in a sense they create an apocalypse for the caterpillars themselves.
“They basically brainwash the caterpillars when they’re in their lava stage,” Hess said. “They’ll get the caterpillar to go about two to three centimeters below the surface of the soil and have them specifically point their heads upwards. Then they’ll finish eating the inside of their bodies … in the spring they’ll sprout up from the soil.”
For anyone interested in learning more about the relationship between psychedelic clinical science and drug development, more information may be found at the Center for Humanities website.
