The Ethnopharmacology of Stimulants in Modern and Traditional Contexts: Research on Psychoactives between Myths and Reality.

Naturally occurring stimulants have long shaped human societies, embedded in ritual life, healing practices, patterns of labour, and networks of economic exchange. Across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, communities developed detailed and context-specific knowledge of stimulant plants well before the emergence of modern neuropharmacology. From coca, betel, and kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) to coffee- and tea-based caffeine traditions across the globe for millennia, many of these substances remain in widespread use today, yet their biological actions are often reduced to overly simplistic explanations or a single active constituent.This Research Topic examines the ethnopharmacology of traditional stimulant plants and their preparations as both cultural and biological agents. By integrating historical perspectives, phytochemical research, and receptor-level neurobiology, it explores how stimulant compounds engage nicotinic, adenosinergic, glutamatergic, opioid, autonomic, and other signalling pathways in ways that expand beyond the binary classifications of “beneficial” versus “harmful.”Attention is given to traditional preparation and dosing practices that shape physiological and experiential outcomes, offering insights relevant to contemporary pharmacology, neuroscience, and public health.Contributions should address one or more of the following areas, with particular emphasis on:· Ethnopharmacological investigations of stimulant plants and preparations—including coca, Ephedra species, areca and betel nut, kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), cola nut, and caffeine-containing plants situated within their regional, historical, and contemporary contexts of use across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.· Analyses of neurochemical mechanisms underlying traditional and novel stimulant effects, with emphasis on cholinergic (nicotinic and muscarinic), adenosinergic, adrenergic, parasympathetic inhibitory, opioidergic, and glutamatergic pathways, and their interactions within autonomic and excitatory systems.· Studies examining how traditional preparation methods, formulation strategies, and dosage practices modulate physiological outcomes such as arousal, cognition, endurance, and focus across cultural and historical settings.· Comparative and critical perspectives that bridge traditional knowledge systems and modern pharmacological frameworks, addressing how myths, stigmas, and regulatory narratives diverge from biochemical and ethnographic evidence.Ultimately, this Topic focuses on the integration of ethnographic evidence with contemporary neuropharmacological research, fostering dialogue across disciplines including ethnobotany, neuroscience, and traditional medicine. It invites contributions that reflect the complexity, cultural embeddedness, and biological diversity of stimulant psychoactives, and that reconsider how traditional stimulant plants are understood within modern scientific frameworks.All submissions must adhere to best-practice guidelines for pharmacological studies on plant and fungal extracts and natural products, including the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology and the ConPhyMP statement (Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205). Detailed documentation of material origin, extraction, and processing is essential; manuscripts lacking this information will be desk-rejected. The full guidelines and ConPhyMP self-assessment tool are available at: https://ga-online.org/best-practice/ Topic editors: Oliver Grundmann, Erin Berthold, Darshan Singh Darshan Singh Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78676/the-ethnopharmacology-of-stimulants-in-modern-and-traditional-contexts-research-on-psychoactives-between-myths-and-reality