DMT is an intense naturally-occurring psychedelic that's been taken for centuries.
The drug is typically used via inhalation or is taken orally in the form of an ayahuasca-like
preparation.
Although it's not as popular as LSD or psilocybin, it is a widely discussed and used psychedelic.
DMT is also present endogenously in the human body.
As always, there will be more information and links to references on TheDrugClassroom.com
which you can find using the link below.
Among the potential positive effects are closed and open eye visuals, spiritual or otherwise
meaningful experiences, euphoria, mood lift, and auditory hallucinations.
The negative effects can include increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, fear,
anxiety, and paranoia.
Although I won't fully discuss ayahuasca here, it does come with some other common effects
that may be considered negative such as vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea.
DMT's effects depend on the dose, though the vast majority of attention is given to its
peak effects.
At low doses, it might provide some mood effects, such as anxiolysis and mood elevation.
These doses typically aren't very hallucinogenic, but they can lead to objects vibrating, items
becoming more colorful, and the appearance of slight geometric patterns.
More complete doses come with effects that are highly variable between users, but some
parts of the experience can be placed into typical groups.
Multiple proposals have been made regarding how to group the effects and experiences.
One commonality between them is that the lowest or initial stage of an experience contains
colorful geometry of increasing prominence in the visual field and behind closed eyes.
A step up from this is the progression to being immersed in what seems like a different
world.
Sometimes a further peak experience of white light and euphoria is obtained, although the
immersion into another world is the most commonly discussed experience.
Depending on dose and individual response, you may only reach the initial stage.
Although you can group the effects, the actual contents of a full immersive experience differ
between users.
Here are some of the common elements:
A full replacement of normal reality with an "alternate universe."
The universe can include visual objects and even seemingly sentient, intelligent, or powerful
entities that sometimes interact with the user.
Regardless of eyes being closed or open there is rapidly changing "kaleidoscopic" imagery.
A feeling of euphoria is often present following an initial period of anxiety.
Some users report laughter, calmness, or a feeling of joy.
Although it's possible to experience significant anxiety and fear during the entire experience.
And other users don't report any discernible feelings during the peak effects.
There's also a dissociation from the body and, when your eyes are closed in particular,
a disconnection from normal reality.
This can mean no longer feeling your body and sometimes at least a partial disconnection
from "self" occurs as well.
Disconnecting from the "self" or your mind may include an absence of thoughts or a temporary
lack of personal memories.
Lastly, another common element is that people report the experience feels as real or more
real than normal reality or dreaming.
Not all of these effects appear for everyone, but they're a general outline of a full DMT
experience.
There's also a pretty typical progression of the experience with a full dose.
Initially there's a "rush" phase during which you may feel disoriented and like you're being
rocketed to a new location.
Your head may feel like it's intensely vibrating.
This can be accompanied by a sound, usually of a high-pitch, such as a whine.
This initial period is often filled with transient anxiety brought on by the intensity of the
effect.
The rush progresses towards a detachment or dissociation from the body and normal reality.
People sometimes remain partly connected to normal reality with their eyes open, depending
on the dose.
The "rush" is followed either by a full breakthrough experience or first by a brief waiting period.
When the waiting period is present, which it isn't for everyone, it may be filled with
colors and a sense that an experience is about to unfold.
Users can feel like they're moving, such as heading down a tunnel.
And the internal feeling and progression is sometimes described like that of a rollercoaster.
When it comes to the contents of a full experience, it's difficult to give a description.
As was previously noted, there are often impressive geometric patterns and incredibly bright or
intense colors.
There can also be non-earth landscapes and environments.
Euphoria is a common feeling, along with a sense of wonder, amazement, and confusion.
A few general categories for the type of experiences someone can have were put forth by Rick Strassman,
who carried out DMT research.
The first is "personal," which are experiences based around personal issues, which might
be difficult to accept.
The second is "transpersonal," which are novel experiences in terms of quality and intensity
but they have some basis in the subject's previous experience.
Mystical and near-death-type experiences may be grouped in this category.
And the third is "invisible worlds," which involve encounters with autonomous, freestanding
realities seemingly inhabited by alien beings capable of interaction.
Strassman reported that around half of volunteers receiving a high dose of DMT reported an "invisible
worlds" experience at least once.
Just to give an idea of the range of things witnessed during the experiences, people have
reported everything from "high-tech machine-like objects" to "a ballroom with crystal chandeliers"
to "circus imagery."
A key component of many experiences is ineffability, or the inability to describe the effects with
language.
Not only can people struggle to impart their experiences onto others, they themselves may
recall just a small portion of what was experienced.
This is often because there's an overwhelming amount of data in the form of feelings or
visual perception.
Entities are clearly an interesting part of the experience.
They don't always appear and many people use DMT without encountering them, but they are
frequently reported.
Again, there's massive variation.
People come back describing the entities as elves, spirits, gods, dwarfs, reptiles, insects,
mantises, stick figures, and sometimes just an unseen but felt "presence."
Those descriptions typically aren't meant to be precise.
For example, if someone describes "elves," that's largely due to it being the best available
term.
It's not because the elves people usually think of are exactly what was seen.
These things may interact in the form of welcoming the user, laughing, or seemingly imparting
some sort of wisdom.
They may also just probe or examine the user.
And sometimes they don't even acknowledge the user.
Although the entities are more often described as benign and even helpful, they can sometimes
be persecutory and antagonistic.
Users tend to have the feeling that these beings are not a part of themselves, but this
may very well just be a feeling.
While people are under the influence, they usually don't move much or at all.
Sometimes deep breathing is present, the user's mouth may be partly open, and there can be
REM-like movements behind the eyelids.
The main acute negative psychological effects are anxiety and confusion.
Paranoia, including feeling like you or others are being controlled by an outside force,
is also sometimes encountered.
These effects normally fade away quickly, but you should definitely be cautious when
it comes to using the drug.
Ayahuaca will be fully explored in a separate video, but since DMT is a key component of
it, I'll briefly mention it.
The term traditionally refers to Banisteriopsis caapi, though it's come to refer to a brew
made up of Caapi and Psychotria viridis, which contains DMT.
Using it orally lengthens the effect to 3 to 4 hours and reduces the peak intensity
and ineffability.
Although it can still be a very intense effect and it may be even more intense in terms of
the emotional and psychological impact.
Some medical applications for DMT have been explored.
Much of the data involves ayahuasca, which complicates matters.
Three areas where DMT or ayahuasca may have some efficacy are depression, anxiety, and
addiction.
But there's relatively little research in all of those cases.
It's worth exploring given the drug's effect and the trend towards efficacy that has been
shown so far.
The endogenous nature of the substance has led to multiple hypotheses about its potential
role, assuming it even has one.
A popular, though minimally supported hypothesis, is that it plays a role in dreaming, near-death
experiences, or naturally arising spiritual experiences.
Other proposals are that it could be an immune system modulator or a tool that helps the
brain survive potentially life-threatening conditions.
Although it was once posited to be the cause of schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis,
that's no longer really supported.
But some people still think it could have an impact on psychiatric illness.
Even in healthy people some proposals are that it could regulate mood and anxiety.
In each of these cases we need a lot more research to figure out what it might be doing.
One last point to round out this section is that DMT differs from other psychedelics in
that it effectively lacks a tolerance.
It's possible to use the drug multiple times per day.
When inhaled, DMT lasts 10 to 15 minutes and begins working in under 30 seconds.
Some effects may appear by 15 seconds, subsequently building to the full effect within a minute
or two.
Orally the duration is 3 to 4 hours and the onset is 30 to 45 minutes.
DMT is the simplest of the common tryptamine hallucinogens.
It is structurally similar to melatonin and serotonin.
It's also similar to other psychedelics, such as 5-MeO-DMT.
The drug is found in other animals and is widespread in the plant kingdom.
Among its sources are Psychotria viridis, Diplopterys cabrerana, and Mimosa tenuiflora.
Other plants have historically been taken intranasally, but DMT is typically a minor
constituent.
Ayahuasca is classically made with Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, the latter providing
the DMT.
Brews sometimes contain other hallucinogenic, stimulating, or otherwise active drugs.
This makes ayahuasca a more complex pharmacological substance.
After decades of research we now have pretty good evidence for the endogenous nature of
DMT.
It's believed to be synthesized beginning with tryptophan, which is used to form tryptamine.
An enzyme called INMT catalyzes the addition of methyl groups to tryptamine.
This leads to n-methyltryptamine and then to DMT.
The most important production sites for the drug are unknown.
INMT is expressed throughout the body, with some high level areas being the lungs, thyroid,
and adrenal gland.
Notable levels are also found in the pineal gland.
Although this doesn't immediately apply to humans, DMT has been detected in rat pineal
gland.
The implication of that finding is unclear and may not be particularly important.
DMT's primary mechanisms are serotonin receptor agonism, Sigma-1 agonism, and trace amine
receptor agonism.
Serotonin receptor agonism is probably the most important factor for the psychedelic
effects.
It binds to many serotonin receptors and is known to be an agonist at 5-HT1a, 5-HT2a,
and 5-HT2c.
5-HT2a is likely an important mediator of the psychedelic activity, but other sites
could play a role.
DMT is known to be a Sigma-1 agonist, but how his contributes is still being worked
out.
This action might play a role in potential neuroprotective effects.
Although a role for Sigma-1 in psychoactivity hasn't been ruled out, there's more support
for physiological effects.
It's also not clear if Sigma-1 is relevant when DMT is at endogenous levels.
DMT has activity at the TAAR1 trace amine site.
This has been hypothesized to play a role in a regulatory action of endogenous DMT on
mood and cognitive functioning.
It could also potentially contribute to low-dose DMT's impact on mood.
Some of the other effects and contributing mechanisms include the following:
DMT has been shown to bind to the serotonin transporter and VMAT2.
And metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 might be an important modulatory site for psychedelic
activity since it influences glutamate release.
Research has found agonists and antagonists at this site can influence DMT's activity.
The drug also leads to a temporary rise in prolactin, growth hormone, and cortisol.
Inhalation is the most common route of administration, followed by oral when taken in an ayahuasca-like
manner.
A light inhalation dose is 10 to 20 mg, a common dose is 20 to 40 mg, and a strong dose
is 40 to 60 mg.
DMT is typically inactive orally, but it can work when combined with MAOIs, such as the
beta-carbolines harmine and harmaline.
There are a few groups for the oral preparations.
Ayahuasca contains Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis.
Pharmahuasca contains DMT on its own along with MAOIs.
And anahuasca, or analog ayahuasca, uses alternative DMT and MAOI plants.
Analyses of ayahuasca preparations have found the average 100 milliliter dose of ayahausca
contains 25 to 35 mg of DMT.
People may use one or more dose.
The DMT content in ayahuasca can vary a bit.
This is why, at least in some cases, a ceremony leader in the Uniao de Vegetal (a syncretic
church that uses ayahuasca) will test a batch before it's given to other members.
DMT has at least been taken for centuries, most prominently in South America and the
Caribbean in the form of snuffs and ayahuasca-like preparations.
There's a record of snuff use dating back millennia, but DMT is typically a minor active
drug in those cases.
DMT's greatest historical use is in the form of ayahuasca, which has long been taken in
regions like Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador.
There are accounts as early as the 1700s of Caapi on its own or potentially in combination
with DMT being used.
Most of the reports seem to just involve Caapi, which could mean it was being taken for lesser
psychoactive reasons or for its emetic and purgative effects.
The ayahuasca vine has been widely used in the Amazon for centuries, and DMT-containing
brews probably stretch back centuries as well.
It's been taken for many reasons, including to receive help from protective spirits, to
receive insight into the causes and cures of disease, to see the future, to send messages
to other groups, and to prepare for war and hunting.
Following the European involvement in the Amazon rubber booms, multiple syncretic ayahuasca-using
religions appeared in Brazil.
They were called Uniao de Vegetal (the UDV), Santo Daime, and Barquinha.
They blended Brazilian cosmological beliefs, Catholic and European traditions, and other
bits of traditional beliefs and knowledge from South America.
Santo Daime was the first to appear in the 1930s.
It was formed by a Brazilian rubber tapper who encountered the drink through contact
with indigenous peoples.
Santo Daime became more active internationally and in urban areas after the 1970s.
Barquinha formed from a split with Santo Daime in 1945.
And the UDV was formed in 1961, also by a rubber tapper.
DMT was first synthesized in 1931 by Richard Manske, a Canadian chemist.
The first definitive isolation of the drug from a plant was reported in 1955.
It came from Anadenanthera peregrina seeds, which were used to prepare a snuff.
However, at least a partial isolation may have occurred earlier in 1946 when a Brazilian
chemist obtained an alkaloid from Mimosa tenuiflora.
That work was followed up in 1959 by American researchers who isolated DMT from Mimosa tenuiflora
root bark with a .57% yield.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the first reports of endogenously detectable psychoactive tryptamines
appeared.
Bufotenin was the first to be reported, but DMT and 5-MeO-DMT followed.
Stephen Szara, a Hungarian chemist, gave the first report of pure DMT's hallucinogenic
effects in 1956.
He had synthesized the drug in his lab.
This led to him giving it to medical colleagues, dozens of doctors, and eventually some psychotic
patients.
Even though psychedelics rose into the public consciousness in the 1960s, ayahuasca was
largely absent.
DMT itself did receive some attention, but it wasn't among the most common psychedelics.
A 1966 article from Timothy Leary, "Programmed Communication During Experiences With DMT,"
described the effects.
The piece brought the drug to the attention of quite a few people.
It included a report from Alan Watts, who was already a popular philosopher by that
time.
Tests in the 1970s confirmed the drug wasn't active orally, even when using as much as
a gram.
Meanwhile, it was shown to be very psychoactive if taken via injection or inhalation.
Experiments began to find that taking it orally with an MAOI could make the drug active.
For example, a report from Jeremy Bigwood said 100 mg of DMT with 86 mg of harmaline
could yield significant effects.
He reported, "DMT-like hallucinations...very similar to...a DMT and harmaline-containing
ayahuasca brew that I had previously experimented with."
Other tests in the 1980s and 1990s found the same.
A threshold of around 20 mg of DMT was determined and the ideal amount was considered 30 to
40 mg.
In discussing pharmahuasca, Jonathan Ott, an ethnobotanist, reported good effects with
30 mg or more of DMT taken with 120 mg of harmine.
One of the greatest popularizers of DMT was Terence McKenna during the 1980s and 1990s.
He frequently discussed his experiences and was enthusiastic about the drug.
In 1992, Brazil legalized the use of ayahausca following a legal challenge from the UDV.
A similar action occurred in the US in 2006 when the Supreme Court ruled the UDV could
use their "hoasca" brew despite it containing a Schedule 1 drug.
This was due to the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which initially allowed the
Native American Church to legally use peyote.
Similar legal cases have appeared in other countries.
During the 1990s, Rick Strassman began investigating DMT and he reignited psychedelic research
in humans, which had been dead in the US for years.
He picked DMT because it was short-acting, naturally occurring, possibly had inadequately
explored roles in humans, and was relatively obscure.
Hundreds of doses were eventually given to dozens of volunteers.
His research and opinions were discussed in the 2000 book DMT: The Spirit Molecule, contributing
to the drug's popularization.
A documentary by the same name was released in 2010, reaching even more people.
During the 2000s and 2010s, interest in the drug increased, partly due to it being discussed
by individuals like Rick Strassman, Joe Rogan, and Graham Hancock.
Multiple documentaries and videos have been released covering DMT and ayahuasca.
This rise in interest led to more people extracting DMT, more people using it, more ayahuasca
ceremonies being held in North America, and more people traveling to South America to
take the brew.
Currently, DMT isn't as popular as LSD or psilocybin, but it has become more common
in the past couple decades.
It is sometimes synthesized, though it's often extracted from plant sources, something that
can be done with minimal chemistry knowledge.
Ayahuasca continues to be used in South America as a "plant teacher" and medicine.
It has spread to many countries around the world and has even received some attention
from popular media sources.
Ayahuasca retreats are regularly held in Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador.
Iquitos, Peru is an especially popular location for ayahuasca.
This kind of drug or spiritual tourism has been connected with some negative effects:
Such as sexual assault, ayahuasca shamans not being adequately paid by promoters, and
people receiving brews that actually contain other hallucinogenic plants.
DMT is Schedule 1 in the US and is typically an illegal drug around the world.
Laws pertaining to plants that contain DMT vary and those plants are often in a grey
area.
They might be legal to possess, but extracting DMT from them will usually be illegal.
The acute negative effects of DMT are fairly minor and it's not much of a concern for healthy
people.
It does put some stress on the cardiovascular system, which should be kept in mind.
The primary acute concerns are psychological since it can be a very intense and stressful
experience, with the potential to be confusing.
Those with ongoing psychiatric disorders would be wise to avoid it.
It does not appear there have been any deaths from DMT alone.
There are some reports of death following ayahuasca use, but they're rare.
In those cases it's also not clear what the exact cause of death was.
Though it is the case you should generally take even greater precautions with ayahuasca,
such as avoiding any other serotonergic drugs.
DMT's long-term safety is unknown.
Some of the best information we have comes from looking at regular users of ayahuasca
who often take the drug every other week.
We don't have nearly enough data from these cases, but it doesn't appear ayahuasca is
correlated with any severe health issues.
Nevertheless, care should still be taken.
Some of the risky combinations include tramadol, stimulants like amphetamine and cocaine, and
other psychedelics.
Other psychedelics typically won't lead to physical health issues in healthy people,
but they could raise the chance of problematic psychological experiences.