Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)

This review (2018) examines the biosynthesis routes of DMT alongside its pharmacology, metabolism, adverse effects, and potential use in medicine.

Abstract

“Though relatively obscure, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an important molecule in psychopharmacology as it is the archetype for all indole-containing serotonergic psychedelics. Its structure can be found embedded within those of better-known molecules such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin. Unlike the latter two compounds, DMT is ubiquitous, being produced by a wide variety of plant and animal species. It is one of the principal psychoactive components of ayahuasca, a tisane made from various plant sources that have been used for centuries. Furthermore, DMT is one of the few psychedelic compounds produced endogenously by mammals, and its biological function in human physiology remains a mystery. In this review, we cover the synthesis of DMT as well as its pharmacology, metabolism, adverse effects, and potential use in medicine. Finally, we discuss the history of DMT in chemical neuroscience and why this underappreciated molecule is so important to the field of psychedelic science.“

Authors: Lindsay P. Cameron & David E. Olson

Summary of Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)

Introduction

DMT, a compound found in vines, roots, and shrubs native to Central and South America, has been used in religious ceremonies for centuries. It causes intense hallucinogenic effects in humans at doses above 0.2 mg/kg and has mood-elevating and calming properties at lower doses. Ayahuasca is an Amazonian tisane made by boiling the bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of the Psychotria viridis plant. It contains large amounts of DMT, the principal hallucinogenic component of this mixture.

Ayahuasca is beginning to be appreciated as a robust antidepressant and anxiolytic in both humans and animals, but DMT is a controlled substance in the United States and many other countries. Brazil has become the epicenter of research into the effects of this botanical mixture.

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