entheogen

American  

[en-thee-uh-jen] / ɛnˈθi əˌdʒɛn /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• entheogenic adjective

Example Sentences

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