What is DMT? What is Ayahuasca?

And, no, the space beings (probably) aren’t real.

A drawing which attempts to convey what is seen during a DMT experience.

DMT (aka N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is a “classic” psychedelic drug/medicine which produces powerful, short-lived visual effects when smoked, and longer, more profoundly immersive experiences when consumed as part of a traditional concoction such as Ayahuasca. This brew has been used by indigenous communities in South America for hundreds of years to assist in healing and divination. DMT has been soaring in popularity both as an interesting, short-lived, smokable hallucinogenic drug and as a critical ingredient in Ayahuasca-themed psychedelic retreats and workshops. There is (as of yet) limited evidence that DMT/Ayahuasca might be helpful for maladies including mood disorders such as depression, trauma, and potentially addiction. There is legitimate concern about the profoundly unregulated nature of many of these retreats.

DMT versus Ayahuasca

Typically, DMT is smoked and can be exceedingly visually stimulating with intricate, colorful hallucinations. The effects are short-lived, lasting about fifteen minutes or so. People report the world dissolving into spectacular arrays of geometric shapes and colors. Fifteen minutes doesn’t sound like a long time, but this is not a reason to treat DMT lightly.  Fifteen minutes can be experienced as an eternity if one is having a bad trip. In truth, as far as these things go, DMT is a fairly weird (if interesting…) drug, and likely isn’t the best choice for psychedelic novices.

Ayahuasca is a traditional brew containing at least two different psychoactive plants. The first is Psychotria viridis which contains DMT and the second is Banisteriopsis caapi which contains a MAOI, a “monoamine oxidase inhibitor”. The reason that at least two different plants or ingredients must be used is that DMT is very poorly absorbed orally on its own (which is why people commonly smoke it), and very short-acting. A second medication is needed to enhance and prolong the effects of DMT so that it can be consumed effectively as a potion. This second medication, a MAOI, inhibits the breakdown of DMT and hence greatly increases the drug levels in the blood, the time the molecule stays in the bloodstream, and, consequently, the psychotropic effects. MAOIs have been used in Western medicine to treat depression but have gone out of favor because they weren’t particularly effective and can be quite dangerous -- for the same reasons they help Ayahuasca to be effective. Namely, they can increase the levels of other drugs, which can be quite dangerous if you are on, for example, a blood thinner or an anti-epileptic, which need to be kept within narrow therapeutic ranges.

There is also an analog of DMT called 5-MEO-DMT, which is found in the toxin of Colorado River toads, and which is thought to be stronger than DMT, but with fewer visual effects.