An entheogen, in the strictest sense, is a psychoactive substance used in a religious or shamanic context. Entheogens generally come from plant sources which contain molecules closely related to endogenous neurochemicals. They occur in a wide variety of psychedelics of various religious rites and have been shown to directly provoke what users perceive as spiritual/mystical experiences (see Good Friday Experiment).
In a broader sense, the word "entheogen" refers to any molecule which stimulates the central nervous system through one of the two main neurological pathways: Phenethylamine (which is a brain chemical associated with the adrenaline pathway, and a precursor of Mescaline and 2C-B) and Tryptamine (a brain chemical associated with the natural metabolism of serotonin, a precursor of Psilocin, psilocybin, DMT.) Through enzyme reactions, the brain creates more complex molecules with a higher binding affinity with unique neurological and cognitive results.
These chemicals are the essence of the entheogens and are banned neurotransmitters, despite their use predating written language. Entheogens are molecules which induce alterations of consciousness identical in many ways to those documented for ritual ingestion of traditional shamanic inebriants.
Examples are far reaching ancient sources predating the modern era: such as Greek: kykeon; African: Iboga; Vedic: Soma, Amrit.
Entheogens have been safely utilized in a ritualized context for thousands of years.
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