Dimethyltryptamine

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a naturally occurring psychedelic tryptamine that acts primarily as an agonist at serotonin receptors. Its effects are typically intense and short-lived when inhaled.

Serotonin receptor: A cell-surface protein that binds serotonin and alters cellular activity through signaling pathways. DMT produces psychedelic effects chiefly by activating serotonin receptor subtypes.
Richard Evans Schultes: An American ethnobotanist who documented psychoactive plants and Indigenous plant knowledge in the Americas. His Amazonian fieldwork helped document DMT-containing plants and their traditional uses.
Ayahuasca: A psychoactive Amazonian brew commonly combining DMT-containing plants with plants that inhibit monoamine oxidase. Traditional and contemporary ceremonies use it to produce prolonged DMT experiences.
Psilocybin: A psychedelic prodrug converted in the body to psilocin, which activates serotonin receptors. Both are tryptamine psychedelics, but psilocybin’s effects usually last much longer.
5-HT2A receptor: A serotonin receptor subtype that mediates many psychedelic effects through G-protein signaling. Its activation is central to DMT’s characteristic changes in perception and cognition.
Stephen Szára: A Hungarian psychiatrist who investigated DMT’s effects in humans during the 1950s. His early human studies helped establish DMT as a short-acting psychedelic.
Psychedelic therapy: A treatment approach combining psychedelic substances with psychological support in clinical settings. Researchers are investigating whether DMT-assisted sessions could have therapeutic applications.
5-MeO-DMT: A potent psychedelic tryptamine found in some plants and secretions, with pharmacology distinct from DMT. The similar names conceal different receptor profiles and subjective effects.
Monoamine oxidase: An enzyme family that breaks down monoamine neurotransmitters and related compounds. Rapid oxidative breakdown helps make inhaled DMT’s effects brief.
Alexander Shulgin: An American medicinal chemist known for synthesizing and studying psychoactive compounds. His writing and experiments made DMT’s pharmacology accessible to later researchers.

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Psychedelic drugBroader topic: DMT illustrates how route of administration can radically alter a psychedelic drug's duration.