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Ayahuasca: alkaloids, plants & analogs
assembled by Keeper of the Trout
Section 3 : Part 2 :
Phalaris : Light Levels

Shading also increases alkaloid content but does so at the expense of plant growth and stimulates 5-MeO-DMT production far more than DMT content. [In strains that produce only DMT this is not an issue.]

Moore et al. 1967 determined that 28% light intensity increased the alkaloid content dramatically (61%) but it also decreased the total yield of plant material dramatically (64%).

Artificial shading applied to growing Phalaris pasture swards, showed marked increases at between 40 and 12% light levels, a low and insignificant increase from 99 to 40% and a decline below 10% light level.

Alkaloid levels were found to be high in shaded plants irrespective of nitrogen levels and did not increase in response to increased available nitrogen (unlike nitrate nitrogen in the plant)

In full light the alkaloid levels increased in direct proportion to the concentrations of nitrogen

12% light levels caused 5-MeO-DMT to rise to a level of 50 mg per 100 gram of dry weight.

At all other times DMT was the predominate alkaloid in the Phalaris they studied (P. tuberosa cv. Australian Commercial).

Frelich & Marten also found that decreasing light levels increases alkaloid levels.