DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine)

What is DMT?

The compound N, N-dimethyltryptamine, popularly known as DMT, is a fast-acting hallucinogenic drug derived from several plants. Used both recreationally and in religious ceremonies among South American peoples, either on its own or in a brewed drink called ayahuasca, DMT produces intense but short-lived psychedelic experiences, sometimes associated with spiritual awakenings and compared to near-death experiences.

DMT origins

The N, N-dimethyltryptamine compound naturally occurs in dozens of plant species in Mexico, South America, and parts of Asia, similar to the peyote which mescaline is derived from.

Most DMT available for recreational use is extracted from plants, particularly:

• the root bark of the jurema (Mimosa tenuiflora), a bushy tree in Central and South America
• the leaves of chacruna (Psychotria viridis), a flowering shrub in the coffee family
• acacia plants, especially the root bark of the tree Acacia confusa^[2]

DMT can also be synthesized in a laboratory.

It’s also thought that the human body produces its own DMT in the pineal gland of the brain. This theory was popularised by psychiatry professor Rick Strassman, whose research and book, DMT: The Spirit Molecule, popularised the use of DMT outside of indigenous religious practices. Strassman believes the release of this endogenous DMT may be behind people’s accounts of alien abduction, near-death experiences, and spontaneous mystical experiences.^[3]

Dr. Philip Gold, one of the world’s leading researchers of depressive illness, Senior Investigator at the National Institute of Mental Health, and author of Breaking Through Depression: A Guide to the Next Generation of Promising Research and Revolutionary New Treatments had this to say about DMT's effect on the brain;

How is DMT taken?

DMT in a powdered form can be smoked in a pipe, bong, or joint. It can also be vaped when combined with an e-liquid base.

In religious rites, similar to ceremonial rites that use ibogaine, DMT is typically ingested. However, when DMT is orally ingested, a digestive enzyme in the stomach, monoamine oxidase, breaks it down and makes it inactive. An enzyme inhibitor can block this process. When ayahuasca is made, the leaves of the Psychotria viridis, a source of DMT, are brewed with the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, which contains a type of monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).^[5]

Sometimes smokable herbs such as the caapi vine or even parsley are spiked with isolated DMT and smoked in a joint, a form called changa.^[6] How DMT is taken can affect how long the drug remains in the system.

DMT vs. Other hallucinogens

DMT is a psychedelic hallucinogen. Like most others in its class, it acts by binding to serotonin 5-HT2A receptors and modulating the activity of brain circuits involved in sensory perception and thought. This leads to visual and auditory hallucinations, altered states of consciousness, and sometimes ego death, a loss of subjective self-identity.

DMT is distinguished from other hallucinogens by its intense, immersive, but short-lived highs.

What does DMT feel like?

DMT is known for inducing powerful transcendent experiences that feel like profound spiritual awakenings or near-death experiences. While most other psychedelics distort the senses and warp perception, DMT catapults users into entirely simulated alternate realities, interpreted by many as a new realm they’ve entered after death.

Related blog: Psychedelic Compound DMT Increases Connectivity In The Brain, Scans Reveal

If DMT makes you feel like you’ve died or entered a new plane of existence, it’s no coincidence. Research by neuroscientist Christopher Timmermann has shown that DMT produces brain waves similar to those seen when someone’s eyes are open and they’re interacting with the world, even though research participants' eyes were closed, or when they’re dreaming in REM sleep.^[8] He also found that DMT experiences conformed to what we know about near-death experiences, with subjects reporting ego dissolution and mystical feelings.^[9] These "breakthrough experiences” are behind DMT’s potential for treating mental health conditions, including addiction and depression.

How long do you feel the effects of DMT?

DMT is rapidly metabolized by the body, so its effects are transitory. When smoked, inhaled, or injected, DMT takes effect nearly instantly: people report that hallucinations start within 45 seconds. But they don’t last long: as little as five minutes and 45 minutes at most. In one study, injected DMT reached peak concentration in the blood within 10 to 15 minutes and was below detectible levels after an hour.^[10]

However, the exact length of someone's DMT experience depends on the dosage and their body weight.

Ingesting DMT alongside an appropriate MAOI such as in ayahuasca will induce a longer experience: up to four hours. The effects kick in about 30 to 45 minutes after you drink the ayahuasca, depending on whether you have food in your stomach.^[11]

Side effects of DMT

In addition to the desired psychedelic experience, DMT has side effects, some negative.

Is DMT addictive?

There’s no evidence to suggest that DMT causes physical dependence. It doesn’t produce tolerance in users, therefore doesn’t cause withdrawal effects. In fact, DMT has been researched alongside other hallucinogens, as a treatment for addiction.

Initial studies have been positive: hallucinogens are thought to reverse the depressed serotonin levels that accompany addiction. They can also help people break out of entrenched thought patterns.^[12] DMT has such a short period of action it’s preferred over the more long-lasting LSD for therapeutic use.

DMT safety measures

DMT is a Schedule I controlled substance in the US, making it illegal for recreational use. However, Supreme Court, citing religious freedom, has made it legal for members of some churches to consume ayahuasca during religious ceremonies.

If you do decide to take DMT, you should do so in a safe environment. While under the influence of DMT, people can act irrationally, sometimes even causing harm to themselves, such as by jumping out of windows. You should therefore only take DMT under the supervision of someone sober.

DMT shouldn’t be taken alongside other drugs that increase serotonin levels, such as antidepressants. The combination can cause serotonin syndrome, which is potentially fatal and requires emergency medical treatment.

DMT overdoses are rare because the drug is cleared so rapidly from the body and doesn’t affect critical bodily functions as much as some other hallucinogens. However, at very high doses DMT can cause seizures, cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, and death.^[13]

DMT FAQs

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about DMT.