Jon Atkinson - Psychoactive Probiotics: A User’s Guide

Psychoactive probiotics are presented as a means of interaction between organisms, suggesting that microbes and humans share neuro-active chemical signals to influence consciousness and state-regulation. Just as plants under stress produce histamine, certain microbes may modulate neurotransmitter levels across diverse kingdoms, effectively serving as a form of non-human communication through chemical signaling. This framework posits the gut microbiome as an enteric neural network that functions similarly to a second brain. Probiotics can act as regulators of this ecosystem, influencing mood, stress, and overall cognition, effectively mirroring the decentralized and complex systemic interactions seen in various biological and even socio-economic systems.