Dimethyltryptamine

Dimethyltryptamine (C₁₃H₁₈N₂ ), also called DMT, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, desoxybufotenine, and 3-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-indole. It is a white, crystalline solid and was first synthesised in 1931.

It is a very powerful yet short-lasting (10-15 minutes) hallucinogen, similar to LSD but with the effects arriving in seconds. On its own, it is inert orally, and must be smoked or injected. However, DMT can be rendered orally active when taken in combination with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) which greatly increases the length of the trip. This is the combination used in the shamanic potion, Ayahuasca.

The effects are similar to other psychedelics, but are of a different order of magnitude. You tend to simply keel over after a large hit, almost as if you are fainting, and loose all sense of place and time, etc. The initial wave of hallucinations bear almost no relation to the actual visual information coming through your eyes: it's very like the cliched 'trip' sequences in films in this respect, and you can do little more than lie back and watch it.

I've never heard of anyone having a bad trip on it (though my experience is pretty limited), it's almost too intense and over too fast - there is no reflective phase like the one on acid (LSD), though on the first occasion there is a sense of 'jesus, what on earth have I done to my self'. However the peak lasts only a few minutes, and what you are seing begins to slowly reassemble itself into the normal world. After 10 or 15 minutes I would be very confident explaining myself to my mother, although much longer trip times have been reported.

DMT is produced naturally in the body (most famously at the time of death), which is why it lasts such a short time - because it is broken down. The MAOI suppreses this process, which allows the drug to take effect if taken orally. However, it also stops the breakdown of various other things, so IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE TRYING IT WITH THE MAOI. There are various foods that should be avoided before and after taking an MAOI, particularly red wine, cheese, caffiene and nicotine. Lists of substances to be avoided should be sought out and adhered to strictly.

Interesting non-scientific writers on DMT include Terence McKenna & Jeremy Narby[?], though many people will take them with several pinches of salt. McKenna writes of his experiences with DMT where he encounters entitys known as Self Transforming Machine Elves[?]. These Machine Elf experiences are said to be shared by many DMT users.

Slang names for DMT include 'Businesman's Lunch' and 'Snakes'

Two similar compounds to DMT known to have psychoactive effects are DET (N,N-diethyltryptamine) and DPT (N,N-dipropyltryptamine). Both produce a similar but longer lasting effect than DMT.