Cottonwood Research Foundation

Welcome,
We are delighted to announce the formation of The Cottonwood Research Foundation in Taos, New Mexico. Steven Barker PhD at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Andrew Stone from Stone Design in Albuquerque, and I Rick Strassman established the Foundation in the Spring of 2007 as a New Mexico non-profit corporation. We are now a Federal tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

The Cottonwood Research Foundation will perform scientific studies into human consciousness, using the lens of naturally-occurring hallucinogenic medicines. We will apply our findings to the full spectrum of the human condition—including treatment of physical and psychological illnesses, religious and spiritual issues, and creativity studies.

We founded the Cottonwood Research Foundation to address several needs that exist within the research and therapeutic communities:

Emphasis on naturally-occurring compounds
This will partake of two specific approaches:

1. Naturally-occurring hallucinogens in humans
We believe the existence of hallucinogenic tryptamine compounds in the human body, such as N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 5-methoxy-DMT, and bufotenine requires explanations taking into account multiple perspectives. These discussions should address evolutionary, cultural and social, and spiritual implications.

Earlier investigators in this field focused on the tryptamines’ relevance to psychosis, it is just as likely that they play a role in mediating other states of consciousness, such as dreams, religious/spiritual experiences, creativity, near-death states, as well as normal waking consciousness.

2. Naturally-occurring plant medicines
Indigenous cultures have a longstanding, rich, and varied knowledge-base regarding the existence, use, and side effects of an enormous number of psychoactive plant medicines. These include DMT-containing ayahuasca, ibogaine-containing iboga, mitragynine-containing kratom, mescaline-containing peyote, and salvinorin-containing Salvia divinorum. We intend to thoroughly integrate this empirically derived shamanic knowledge with contemporary Western medical, psychological, and religious/spiritual models. By doing so, we will develop a new model for the optimal use of these medicines, in addition to understanding the states to which they provide access.

Direct involvement by the Foundation in designing and performing research
Two of our three board members are established, hands-on researchers in the hallucinogen field. Dr. Barker has decades of experience in basic science studies of endogenous tryptamines, and runs a well-established and well-funded analytical laboratory affiliated both with LSU and the State of Louisiana.

My own background in initiating the US renaissance in clinical hallucinogen research in the 1990’s will also contribute to our ability to design approvable and fundable studies. Our DMT projects at the University of New Mexico established the model for subsequent studies at several universities around the US. In addition to the DMT work, we had begun psilocybin studies, and had approval and drug to begin LSD research.

Thus, the Cottonwood Research Foundation brings a unique combination of background, expertise, and success in obtaining funding for research projects, and we apply that unique background in designing and running our own studies.

Cottonwood Campus
Our long range goal is to purchase and develop a physical site in northern New Mexico which will bring together the many approaches and disciplines necessary for the fullest possible understanding of human consciousness, revealed through the tools provided by hallucinogenic plant medicines.

We envision this site partaking of aspects of a research clinic, liberal arts university, religious/spiritual training site, creative arts center, and graduate school.
In this multidisciplinary capacity, faculty, staff, and students will perform both basic and therapeutic clinical studies, working towards the establishment of new treatments for an array of physical and psychological conditions.

The campus also will contain academic departments that can apply their respective skills and datasets to more fully understand and apply the phenomena of interest. These would include Anthropology, Psychology, Religious Studies, Humanities, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and Cognitive Science.

Those wishing to further their spiritual/religious training would have the opportunity to become involved in projects at our campus; as may those involved in aesthetic or scientific creative endeavors.

We will have training programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and operate a visiting scholars exchange program where experts in their respective fields can spend extended amounts of time with us in New Mexico, and the New Mexico faculty could travel abroad to further their own expertise.

In the twelve years since our University of New Mexico studies ceased, the field of psychedelic medicinal research has advanced, but we strongly feel much more can be done. We believe the Cottonwood Research Foundation will take the field to its next stage of evolution.

We welcome any ideas, comments, or suggestions you may have. We also welcome any and all donations.
Rick Strassman MD
President and Co-Founder

Research:
1) Development of new technology capable of measuring previously undetectable levels of the compounds: N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, bufotenine, and metabolites, all of which occur widely in the plant and animal kingdom. We will develop this technology at Louisiana State University, and apply it by measuring levels of these compounds in humans in normal and various abnormal states and conditions. The specimens will be gathered at university settings throughout the US and overseas.

2) Perform research into effects, mechanisms of action, and relevance of plant-based psychoactive materials in psychiatric research and treatment. Any and all requisite local, state, and federal regulatory conditions will be closely followed.

Education and Training:
1) Organize and implement symposia and conferences on the chemistry, pharmacology, anthropology, and medical uses of plant-based psychoactive materials throughout history and across cultures. Publish the proceedings.

2) Organize and implement smaller scale conferences and symposia on current research applications of plant-based psychoactives.

3) Collect and organize written, electronic, and other formats of information for reference use. Begin publishing a catalog of resources.

4) Train individuals in the use of plant-based psychoactives for use in clinical research protocols using the faculty organized and media collected from 1), 2), 3) above.

Projects:
Endogenous Hallucinogen Assay

The first research project will occur in collaboration with Professor Steven Barker, Ph.D., Everett D. Besch Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Louisiana; and Director, Analytical Systems Laboratory, Equine Medication Surveillance Laboratory for the Louisiana State Racing Commission. David E Nichols, PhD, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Purdue University (Lafayette, Indiana) will also provide collaborative support.

Previous investigations into the role of endogenous tryptamine hallucinogens in humans did not have at their disposal methods sensitive enough to measure their very low levels. This project will develop a new technology to measure DMT, 5-methoxy-DMT, and bufotenine, as well as their metabolic breakdown products. Using state of the art equipment, and Dr. Barker’s decades long experience in measuring DMT and related compounds in biological fluids, we hope to improve previous assay sensitivity by at least one thousand-fold.

An ultra-sensitive assay will provide a deep view into the function of naturally occurring tryptamine hallucinogens in humans, in both normal and non-normal states. We first will establish values in healthy men and women of all ages. Then, we will compare these values to those found in naturally occurring altered states of consciousness in which endogenous hallucinogens may play a role. These conditions and states include mania, schizophrenia, autism, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and dissociation. Such information may lead to important new breakthroughs in understanding and treating these problems.

In addition, we will determine levels in sleep, dreams, meditation, childbirth, and near-death states. Establishing the role of endogenous tryptamines in these states will provide tremendous insight into their origination, and may lead to more reliable means of working with and studying their utility.

We believe that once funding is in place, it will take approximately one to two years to develop the new assay, and establish normative values. Subsequent research into these compounds’ role in naturally occurring altered states, occurring in collaboration with research centers around the world, will be ongoing for many years.

Ayahuasca In Drug Abuse Treatment
The first generation of human research with hallucinogens demonstrated promising early findings when researchers combined these drugs with more traditional treatments of alcoholism and heroin dependence. More recently, the US Food and Drug Administration and National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly approved ibogaine for use in treatment of addictive disorders. This drug, contained in the African hallucinogenic plant, iboga, showed great promise, but toxicity concerns precluded further human research.

Many centers in Latin America now are reporting beneficial effects of adding the Amazon plant brew, ayahuasca, to drug abuse treatment programs. Ayahuasca is a mixture of a plant that contains DMT and another plant whose constituents allow DMT to be orally-active for up to 6 hours. This is a much more suitable time period for psychotherapeutic work than the 30 minutes experience from injected DMT.

The Cottonwood Research Foundation is located in northern New Mexico, where there is an epidemic of drug abuse among the local Hispanic population. We believe that ayahuasca may provide a culturally-appropriate alternative approach to treating this highly lethal public health crisis.

The first stage of this project will involve careful assessment of ayahuasca’s effects in a group of normal volunteers, a project that will require two to three years. Once we have established safety and tolerability data, we will move towards treatment protocols in collaboration with local drug abuse treatment facilities in the area. Preliminary studies using ayahuasca to treat drug abuse will require another three to five years.

Research Site
One of the long range goals of The Cottonwood Research Foundation is the purchase and development of a site where research, education, and training takes place in an highly focused manner. Such a center, based in an area of natural beauty in northern New Mexico, will house research faculty, staff, and volunteers. It will contain laboratory and computer equipment for ongoing studies‚ analytic and statistical needs.

In addition to serving as a clinical research center, it will also provide educational and training activities. The site will feature a library housing all forms of media regarding psychoactive plants and derivatives. It will also contain facilities for symposia, conferences, seminars, and training programs. We will publish proceedings from symposia and conferences that deserve wide exposure.

This research site will be the most enduring legacy of The Cottonwood Research Foundation, and will require the greatest input of funds and time. However, its potential for evolving into a unique center of consciousness studies is inestimable.

Public Awareness: “The Spirit Molecule” - the Movie.
http://www.youtube.com/user/dmttsm

THE SPIRIT MOLECULE weaves an account of Dr. Rick Strassman's groundbreaking DMT research through this multifaceted approach to this intriguing hallucinogen found in the human brain and hundreds of plants. Utilizing interviews with a variety of experts to explain their thoughts and experiences with DMT within their respective fields, and discussions with Strassman’s research volunteers brings to life the awesome effects of this compound, and far-reaching theories regarding its role in human consciousness and evolution. Several themes explored include possible roles for endogenous DMT; its theoretical role in near-death and birth experiences, alien-abduction experiences; and the uncanny similarities in Biblical prophetic texts describing DMT-like experiences. Our expert contributors offer a comprehensive collection of information, opinions, and speculation about indigenous use of DMT, the history and future of psychedelic research, and current DMT research. All this, to help us understand the nature of the DMT experience, and its role in human society and evolution.

The subtle combination of science, spirituality, and philosophy within the film’s approach sheds light on an array of ideas that could considerably alter the way humans understand the universe and their relationship to it.

News:
December 8th, 2008

Assay Project: I recently had the pleasure to spend a couple of days at LSU visiting Steve Barker PhD, Vice-President of Cottonwood, and Ethan McIlhenny, who has begun his PhD project with Steve, developing a new generation of assays to measure DMT, 5-methoxy-DMT, bufotenine, precusors, and metabolites. Ethan is nearly finished establishing measurement methods for over 20 compounds, and once the methodology is perfected, we should be able to measure extraordinarily small concentrations of all the major players in the “endogenous hallucinogenic tryptamine neuronal system.” I am one of Ethan’s PhD committee members, and while we had Skyped in the past, this was our first chance to meet. He’s hard-working, intelligent, and has keen insight into the issues we’re dealing with. He’s also collecting and making in PDF files, an enormous number of published references regarding DMT and related compounds. Before too long, we will post an overview of the assay methodology and preliminary results.

Digital library: Inspired by Ethan’s efforts in compiling PDF files of relevant DMT articles, I’ve begun looking into how Cottonwood might establish a digital library for public use of this material. Any ideas are most welcome.

DMT Documentary: Mitch Schultz, producer of the film, hopes to take a 2-3 month sabbatical early next year, in order to apply himself 100% (and then some) to the film. We continue requiring a major infusion of capital, so please consider donating what you can through Cottonwood, which is the film’s fiscal sponsor. That is, your donations are tax-deductible, and Cottonwood also benefits by keeping 5% of the donations for providing this service. We will be editing down the 75 hours of talking heads, begin work on computer graphics, and write and film the narration.
Rick Strassman MD

May 5th, 2008

Our first round of fund-raising letters went out late this Winter, and the response was quite favorable. We now have some money in the bank, which will allow us some breathing room with respect to feeding and nurturing our infrastructure. Targeted donations have been for the assay project, and the DMT documentary, as well as for general operating expenses.

Some excellent and exciting news is that Dr. Steve Barker at LSU, one of our board members and the mastermind behind the development of the endogenous tryptamine assay, will have a full-time graduate student working on the assay project. This student begins in June, and has 3 years of support from LSU to work full-time on the assay, which will be his PhD thesis. We believe that the degree of scientific knowhow and legwork involved in measuring such low quantities of compounds, occurring in the billionths of a gram per milliliter, will be immense. Having a full-time PhD student working on this for several years is ideal.
Rick Strassman MD