Summary on substance abuse workshop by Hansika

Hi Yasaswi!

I hope you are doing well! I really enjoyed yesterday's presentation. It was so interesting and your research was a simple yet life-changing solution. A lot of people suffered from substance abuse and it is very hard to break the addiction. I think the yueju herb is an amazing solution because it is natural and more accessible. I wrote the summary of the substance abuse below.

Thank you!

Hansika

Substance Abuse

Addiction is a dependency/craving of a certain substance. When someone consumes the substance, positive emotions cloud their brain which associates consumption and feelings. The brain constantly wants more. The person's connection to consuming substances grows and becomes stronger. The chain becomes hard to break; addiction is formed.

Ketamine, a narcotic drug used by doctors as anesthesia for medical procedures, was proved to reduce the association between consumption and emotions with an experiment. In a research study, a group of alcoholics were split into two groups. One group got a fake drug and the other took ketamine. However, the disadvantages were the cost and health issues. It was expensive, not accessible by the majority population, and restricted to wealthier families. Ketamine is also narcotic and is not compatible with younger children as it has side effects on people who are not yet mature.

An alternative method is the yueju herb. It is an antidepressant herb that is popular in China and consists of several plants. The yueju herb has properties that have the same neurological reactions to ketamine. It is also safer because it is natural, and more reliable since it is natural.

Drosophila, more commonly known as fruit flies, are reliable and share 75% of human genetic material. They also have a smaller life cycle so more trails are possible. The first step of the experimental design is to acquire drosophila stocks. Then to get the flies addicted to caffeine and split them into two groups. After, extract Yueju and give it to one group. Then compare the addiction levels of both and see which one works better.

Yujue herb is not only natural but it is cheaper and more accessible. So if it is proven to work better than ketamine, then it would be a more viable option.

Thank you!