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Cannabis contains compounds that directly target cannabinoid receptors. Psychedelics like Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD<\/span>) target serotonin receptors. By acting through serotonin pathways, LSD<\/span> affects endocannabinoid synthesis and function, according to a recent study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology<\/em>.1<\/sup><\/p>\n The October 2022 BJP<\/span> study, featuring contributions from Dr. Vincenzo Di Marzo, Gabriella Gobbi, and several other scientists, sought to quantify serotonin and endocannabinoid-like molecules in the brains of mice that were sacrificed after a seven-day LSD<\/span> regimen. Repeated 30 microgram doses of LSD<\/span> per kilogram of body weight elicited anxiolytic and prosocial behavior. The researchers from Canada, Italy and Australia also examined how LSD<\/span> affected the microbiome of the mice after the seven-day, 30-microgram dose routine.<\/p>\n The study noted anti-depressant and anti-anxiety effects triggered by LSD<\/span>, which altered endocannabinoid tone and affected the serotonin metabolite, kynurenic acid, without impacting the levels of serotonin or its precursor tryptophan. Increased interaction among mice and anxiolytic behavior occurred, in part, through endocannabinoid signaling and corresponded to changes in a few key families of gut bacteria. These results were seen after repeated doses of LSD<\/span>, not after a single session.<\/p>\n Psilocybin, ayahuasca, mescaline, and LSD<\/span> cause a psychedelic \u201ctrip\u201d by binding to 5HT<\/span>-2A, a serotonin receptor. This is one of 14 serotonin receptors, which induce a family of enzymes known as phospholipases (PL<\/span>s). Various serotonin receptors induce different PL<\/span>s. And two compounds (agonists) that activate the same receptor can promote different enzymes.<\/p>\nLSD<\/span> Impacts Endocannabinoid Tone by Binding to Serotonin Receptors<\/h2>\n