entheogen

[ en-thee-uh-jen ]

noun

1. a hallucinogenic or psychoactive substance, usually derived from a plant or fungus, and typically used as part of a religious or spiritual experience:

   The plant, a type of salvia, has a long history of use as an entheogen by the Indigenous Mazatec in Mexico.

Other Words From

• en·the·o·gen·ic [en-thee-, uh, -, jen, -ik] adjective

Example Sentences

Humans have been using them as an entheogen — that is, a drug with a spiritual purpose — since ancient times in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

From Salon

"It has been speculated that it may well be the oldest entheogen or hallucinogen known to mankind," Blom wrote.

From Salon

In 1979, a group of classical scholars and ethnobotanists writing in the Journal of Psychedelic Drugs proposed a new word, “entheogen,” meaning that which brings the presence of God within us.

From New York Times

The flower contains the alkaloids scopolamine and atropine, which are considered an entheogen—a psychoactive compound used in a spiritual context.

From Science Magazine

“Those words trigger the audience into thinking of a recreational purpose when ‘entheogen’ means getting in touch with the spirit within you or having an experience with God.”

From Los Angeles Times