
-
At least 13 dead, 20 missing in Texas flash flood
-
Sabalenka outguns Raducanu to reach Wimbledon last 16
-
BRICS nations to gather without Xi, Putin
-
Heavy snow hits Turkey's northeast as wildfires rage
-
Brazil's Gabigol wins appeal in anti-doping case
-
Salah 'frightened' to return to Liverpool as fans mourn tragic Jota
-
Siraj 'loving the challenge' of leading India's attack against England
-
France says 'major issues' remain despite brandy price accord with China
-
'Always hiding': Haitian laborers fear Dominican deportation push
-
Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks coach White leaves Bulls
-
UK rock legends Oasis kick off 'historic' comeback tour
-
Alcaraz in Wimbledon last 16 as seeds tumble again
-
Kipyegon, Duplantis, Thompson highlight Eugene Diamond League
-
Australia wrest back control against West Indies
-
Erratic Alcaraz battles into Wimbledon fourth round
-
Search on for survivors of Pakistan building collapse
-
Blink and you'll miss it: Shelton wraps up match in 71 seconds
-
India on top despite Smith and Brook's hundred heroics in 2nd Test
-
Sweden beat rivals Norway at Women's Euro 2025
-
India on top despite Smith and Brook's hundred heroics in third Test
-
E.Guinea launches ICJ case against France over Paris mansion
-
Red Bull boss says Verstappen wants to stay despite Mercedes links
-
Russia brushes off talks after largest assault on Ukraine
-
Oldest surviving Tour de France yellow jersey wearer Marinelli dies at 99
-
Driven Leclerc determined to restore Ferrari to the top of F1
-
Dozens pay tribute to Liverpool star Diogo Jota in Portugal
-
Greece on high alert as heat and wind fuel fire outbreaks
-
Norris tops Silverstone practice as Horner quizzed over Verstappen
-
Brathwaite out for nought in 100th Test before West Indies rebuild
-
Russia brushes of talks after largest assault on Ukraine
-
England's James ready for Euros opener with France, says Wiegman
-
Keys latest to fall in Wimbledon wipeout as Alcaraz resumes title bid
-
Smith and Brook tons lead England revival against India in second Test
-
France praises China Cognac progress, warns of unresolved issues
-
Australian Open champion Keys stunned at Wimbledon
-
Hamas says holding consultations on Gaza truce proposal
-
Top gun Pogacar targets fourth Tour de France triumph
-
Heavy snow hits Turkey's northeast as southwest burns
-
Pakistan building collapse kills 7
-
Osaka still dreams of glory despite latest Wimbledon flop
-
Hamilton on top after opening practice for British GP
-
Alcaraz back in action at Wimbledon as Raducanu eyes Sabalenka shock
-
Court strikes suspension for Nigerian senator who complained of sexism
-
Riquelme leaves Atletico Madrid for Real Betis
-
Osaka blows chance to reach Wimbledon fourth round
-
England's Smith stuns India with blistering century in second Test
-
Meltdown: Swiss glaciers hit annual tipping point weeks early
-
Salah 'frightened' to return to Liverpool after Jota death
-
Wimbledon pays tribute to Jota after Liverpool star's death
-
Macron to co-chair Ukraine talks with Europe leaders while in UK: Elysee

Brazilian ritual root gets second life as potential anti-depressant
Long used in Indigenous Brazilian rituals, the jurema preta plant, which contains a potent psychedelic, is gaining ground as a potential treatment for depression.
At street stalls where medicinal herbs are sold, customers can buy the plant's root which contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a hallucinogenic substance that researchers say could be used to alleviate symptoms.
Following instructions he found on the internet, Guaracy Carvajal extracted DMT at home in 2016 from roots he bought on the street.
The 31-year-old software programmer, who had tried various treatment for chronic depression he has suffered since adolescence, said the drug makes it "feel like you've solved something in your life."
Physicist Draulio Araujo, who has conducted extensive research on the drug, said "the response is rapid. One day after treatment, (patients) already showed a significant improvement in their depression symptoms."
Yet he also warned that it "is not a magic cure" and that psychedelics "are not for everyone."
As a researcher at the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Araujo and his team treated 14 people with the drug for six months.
The patients inhaled vaporized DMT, under medical supervision.
"It's common for our patients to say that something changed, that a key opened something," he said.
His patients also received psychological therapy, and some continued with conventional pharmaceutical drugs.
Neuroscientist Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, also of the Brain Institute, said "we have patients who improve significantly, others who don't improve at all."
Araujo's findings were published in the scientific journal Nature in April. In 2024, he published another study with promising results in the journal Psychedelic Medicine.
As for Carvajal, who stopped using jurema preta some time ago, he said the drug really allows a person to "start to have a lighter life."
It helped him get through a time when he was in "a state of questioning myself" about "work, day-to-day life," he said.
- Spiritual channels -
Brazil occupies a fairly prominent place in DMT research due to the substance's prominence in society, Araujo said.
While there is no ban on the cultivation or possession of jurema, which is also known as Mimosa tenuiflora, consumption of DMT is prohibited, except for religious and scientific use.
Jurema's roots are combined with other plants in a wine-like beverage that is consumed at rituals that include dancing and drums, part of Indigenous tradition in northeast Brazil where the plant grows.
"It's not hallucination," said Joyce Souza, a young woman attending a jurema ceremony in Planaltina, on the outskirts of Brasília.
"My spiritual channels become more accessible, I can communicate better with myself," Souza said.
Gathered in a house courtyard and dressed in white, the group of mostly novices waited for more seasoned practitioners to enter a trance and bring messages from ancient spirits.
Meanwhile, back in the lab, Araujo is hoping to expand his DMT research to a study of 100 patents.
"Let's say that in five years we'll have... a clear picture on when it will reach a real clinical setting," he said.
A.Malone--AMWN