Damian Sendler: There are several varieties of morning glories that possess psychedelic-like properties thanks to the presence of symbiotic bacteria, according to new research from Tulane University published in Communications Biology. 

Professor Keith Clay of Tulane’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology says substances found in the seeds of a common tropical vine named after its trumpet-shaped flowers could be used to cure mental and physical illnesses and promote well-being. 

Damian Jacob Sendler: Researchers from Tulane, Indiana University, and West Virginia University collected samples of morning glory seeds from worldwide herbarium collections and screened them for ergot alkaloids, a compound associated with the hallucinogenic drug LSD, but which have also been used for treating migraine headaches and Parkinson’s disease, respectively. 

Damian Sendler

Morning glory seeds contain high levels of ergot alkaloids that are created by specific fungal symbionts passed down from mother plants to their children. Ergot alkaloids were identified in one-quarter of the more than 200 species investigated, making them symbiotic. 

ergot alkaloids are found only in certain branches of the morning glory evolutionary tree, according to Clay, and each branch has its own unique mix of these alkaloids. 

Ergot alkaloids are named after the fungus that caused devastating outbreaks of Saint Anthony’s Fire, a sickness caused by eating of the fungus, in the Middle Ages. An ergot alkaloid known as LSD is a synthetic derivative of the naturally occurring ergot alkaloids produced by their fungal partners in morning glories. 

Damien Sendler: Such alkaloid compounds have long served as a means for indigenous peoples of Central and South America to regulate human fertility as well as their mental health. For obstetric difficulties throughout labor and delivery, as well as migraine and Parkinson’s disease treatment, they’ve recently become more popular. 

As Clay put it, “We’ve known a lot about fungal alkaloid chemistry and its effects on the brain and body for a long time.” Coevolution between morning glories and their symbiotic fungi has never been demonstrated before in this work, and this coevolution can be seen in the varied mixes and levels of ergotalkaloid concentrations across the evolutionary tree.”

Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.