---

Many species can, in theory, serve as the ctive tryptamine component in ayahuasca analogs.

In reality, most contain too little alkaloid to be effective, while many others contain toxic and/or other undesirable alkaloids and require purification to make them safe. Even the species which produce useable amounts of DMT or 5-MeO-DMT have not infrequently been reported to produce them in variable amounts or show fluctuations in alkaloid content based on many factors or even to not produce them at all.

Besides a strong genetic influence, time of day, season, age of material, the available nitrogen, the form of nitrogen, the ambient temperature, the weather, the light intensity and other factors have been quantified and reported piecemeal but much is still not adequately understood.

At least several plants containing DMT and/or 5-MeO-DMT are known to be used for entheogenic purposes other than ayahuasca and have also entered into use as ayahuasca admixtures (at least in modern times).

Plants that could safely serve in this capacity include:

Acacia species
Most require the isolation of purified alkaloid but at least one can be used directly.

Anadenanthera species
Seeds are the source of the snuff cohoba or yopo. Pods can sometimes serve as an ok DMT source.

Desmanthus illinoensis or Desmanthus leptolobus Roots of either can be functional but requires a lot of material. More suited for personal scale isolations than extraction for consumption. Diplopterys cabrerana
Leaves are a potent ayahuasca admixture known as chagra-panga. This is a traditional admixture to some people but considered a foreign introduction to some others.

Mimosa hostilis
Roots used to brew the ancient drink Jurema.

Phalaris
Can be functional but usually requires a lot of material and almost always requires a great deal of intimate familiarity with the plant being harvested from as well as a known exceptional strain being grown under the right conditions.

For those willing to put time into the plant it can be highly servicable but less will often result in disappointment. What is commercially available (whether as loose herbage or as baled hay) is most often so low in alkaloid content as to make it nearly worthless even for extracting.

Psychotria species
Leaves of several are a traditional ayahuasca admixture sometimes known as chacruna. Additional species are claimed but not well documented and at least one appears to have been uncovered by ethnobotanists performing personal bioassays.

Virola species.
At least those species which are used traditionally for their bark resin that forms the basis of the snuffs known as epena (and many other names) These are also highly variable in both their composition and content.

In recent times, Virola has been reported incorporated into ayahuasca as prepared by Mestizos in Peru similarly Yopo snuff prepared from Anadenanthera seeds have been reported to have been successfully incorporated. [See A look at the Myristicaceae for more details than are included here.]

Virola resin and also bark have also appeared in Western circles and are being reported as highly recommended (and commercially available) admixtures.

In many cases it appears that DMT is a minor constituent or is not present at all.


Perhaps the most important words of advice:   Know your material.