N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

Chris Francis-Plowman BSC1008

Dimethyltryptamine is a naturally occuring psychedelic compound from the tryptamine family.

N,N-Dimethyltryptamine is found, produced and used in every single being and animal. Its found in the pineal gland in the center of the brain and its released not only during REM states of sleep but also at incredibly stressful moments such as near death experiences or human death.

Many cultures, indigenous and modern, ingest DMT as a psychedelic drug, in either extraced or synthesized forms. When DMT is inhaled or consumed, depending on the dosage, its effects range from short-lived milder psychedelic states to power immersive experiences.

Structurally, DMT is a cousin to the neurotransmitter serotonin, the hormone melatonin, and other psychedelic tryptamines, bufotenin, and psilocin. It affects receptor sites for serotonin in much of the same way that LSD, psilocybin and mescaline do.

Once the body has contact with DMT there are enzymes called monoamine oxidase that break in down within seconds. Very similar to the way the body handles glucose its quickly in and quickly used. The brain actively transports DMT across the blood brain barrier just as fast as its broken down.

DMT is also the primary psychoactive ingredient in ayahuasca, an Amazonian Amerindian brew used for divinatory and healing purposes. Pharmacologically, ayahuasca combines DMT with an MAOI, an enzyme inhibitor that allows DMT to be orally active.