Overload

5-MeO-DMT

Category: Actions

Type

Involuntary and voluntary

Introduction and description

lespedeza bicolor

5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is a powerful naturally occurring tryptamine. It is found in a wide variety of plant species, and a single toad species.

The plants in which 5-MeO-DMT is found, have been used for thousands of years by South American shamans, in a few absolutely key ceremonies. 5-MeO-DMT is also a sacrament of the Church of the Tree of Life. From approximately 1971 to the late 1980s, 5-MeO-DMT was discreetly available to members of this Church, again because it had a very specific purpose. And that purpose is to help with one key stage of the spiritual path - known colloquially as purgatory and on our site as rebirth.

5-MeO-DMT and the spiritual path

Mucuna pruriens

5-MeO-DMT is one of the most effective substances at achieving the rebirth process, possibly the most effective.

Only LSD and Psilocybin rank alongside it, as overload mechanisms, although Ibogaine has proved itself effective as a suppression based mechanism. Neither LSD or Psilocybin, however, seem as consistent in their action. 5-MeO-DMT provokes a more violent rebirth, than Ibogaine, but this may be needed in some cases.

Practically all the observations below describe what people went through during the rebirth process. At lowish doses, all that might be provoked are hallucinations, but at the 'correct' dose - and this is age, weight and temperament dependent - ego death is pretty nearly complete.

Those who use 5-MeO-DMT in a spiritual context only use this drug once. After having been through this midnight of the soul, they then proceed on the spiritual path to the stages of purification. But those who have no understanding of the importance of this drug spiritually often go backwards, continue to mess up their lives, do not relearn and find themselves longing for a repeat of the process to cleanse themselves of the harm they have done by not learning.

In repeating the use of this drug, they risk brain damage. And indeed there is enough evidence to show that repeated use results in brain damage.

In contrast, those who move on to the 'Purification' stage of the spiritual path heal themselves. Since many types of illness are emotionally linked, curing emotional ills often helps in healing physical ills - this is described in Types of Hurt and organs and the section on Healing yourself.

several neurotransmitter receptors involved in the pharmacology of psychedelics, such as serotonin and sigma-1 receptors, have been shown to play crucial roles in numerous immunological processes. This emerging field also offers promising treatment modalities in the therapy of various diseases including autoimmune and chronic inflammatory conditions, infections, and cancer. However, the scarcity of available review literature renders the topic unclear and obscure, mostly posing psychedelics as illicit drugs of abuse and not as physiologically relevant molecules or as possible agents of future pharmacotherapies. In this paper, the immunomodulatory potential of classical serotonergic psychedelics, including N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) will be discussed from a perspective of molecular immunology and pharmacology. ….. novel approaches will be suggested feasible for the treatment of diseases with chronic inflammatory etiology and pathology, such as atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, depression, and Alzheimer's disease. PMID: 26236313

This fact makes what follows that much more tragic

Legal status

In February 2010, the Deputy Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) placed 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), “including its salts, isomers and salts of isomers whenever the existence of such salts, isomers, and salts of isomers is possible", into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). They said:

This action by the DEA Deputy Administrator is based on a scheduling recommendation from the Assistant Secretary for Health of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and a DEA review indicating that 5-MeO-DMT meets the criteria for placement in schedule I of the CSA. This final rule will impose the criminal sanctions and regulatory controls of schedule I substances under the CSA on the manufacture, distribution, dispensing, importation, exportation, and possession of 5-MeO-DMT. PMID: 21171485

And indeed the Department of Health and Human Services had every reason to be concerned, because this drug was being treated as some sort of recreational drug, and repeated use and misuse were resulting in a considerable number of hospital admissions. But how sad that ignorance and a complete lack of spiritual understanding - by the users, not the DHHS - has resulted in this.

Chemical action

5-MeO-DMT is a methoxy derivative of DMT. Its pharmacological action is mainly through serotonin (5-HT) receptors. Specifically, this molecule shows high affinity for the 5-HT₂ and 5-HT_1A subtypes. In effect, almost all its effects are achieved via serotonin imbalance. Taken once, in the correct dosage, it is possible that the ego - a function controlled by serotonin, is subjected to such a barrage of messages it produces initially a high intensity execution of the function and then a temporary knock-out.

During this temporary knock-out it appears the Higher spirit is able to also do repair work, we lose old destructive functions and are given new functions. Thus it is a sort of waking software/functional update, which is as unpleasant as it sounds especially as all this amendment to our systems can be felt. If we continue with this analogy it is also not a bug fix, it is the implementation of a new version of the software which if you see what happens to your computer usually involves a shutdown and a restart.

And this is what this chemical does and that is exactly how it feels – a shut down, a sort of death, and afterwards, a restart as a new you functionally; you are really not sure you are the same person. Often you are not.

Another important point however is that 5-MeO-DMT is O-demethylated by polymorphic cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) to an active metabolite, bufotenin.

Ego busters and anti-psychotics

In a study into the relationship between 5-MeO-DMT and antipsychotics, [Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2014 Mar 20 - The natural hallucinogen 5-MeO-DMT, component of Ayahuasca, disrupts cortical function in rats: reversal by antipsychotic drugs. Riga MS et al PMID: 24650558], researchers identified the fact that a number of anti-psychotics – notably haloperidol, clozapine, risperidone, and the mGlu2/3 agonist LY379268 – reversed the effects of 5-MeO-DMT. Given that the effects of 5-MeO-DMT are actually positive [on a one off basis] from a health point of view, it is interesting to speculate what these drugs are doing to people’s health.

High dose - If the dosage of 5-MeO-DMT given in the experiments was high, then ego death would have resulted [knock out of function] in which case one can theorise that anti-psychotics produce ego inflation.
Moderate dose - If the dosage of 5-MeO-DMT given in the experiments was moderate or low [function stimulation], then ego inflation would have taken place, meaning that anti-psychotics cause ego deflation

Given that a group of drugs act on these receptors this becomes a serious area of study, given the effects. In addition to the anti-psychotics, some migraine and headache treatments, anti-anxiety treatments, Parkinson's disease treatments, anti-emetics, appetite stimulants, and hypertension drugs antagonise these receptors. We could be altering the psyche of numerous people in unexpected and unintended ways using these pharmaceuticals.

Plants and animals containing 5-MeO-DMT

The following list shows some of the plants and animals containing 5-MeO-DMT. The source of the information is also shown in brackets after each plant/animal, linking to the references below. The DMT Nexus site provides a very good comprehensive list of all the plants that have 5-MeO-DMT and this can be found by following this LINK:

not all toads are bufo alvarius ...... do not lick toads

on the off-chance!!

Animals in the family Bufonidae

The Colorado River toad (Incilius alvarius/Bufo Alvarius), also known as the Sonoran Desert toad, is found in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. Its skin and venom contain 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin. See also Smoking toad venom

Plants of the Euodia family

Euodia leptococca (formerly Melicope), 0.2% total alkaloids, 0.07% 5-MeO-DMT; 5-MeO-DMT in leaves and stems, also "5-MeO-DMT-Oxide and a beta-carboline"[Skaltsounis et al 1983].

Plants of the Fabaceae family

Desmodium - Leaves, root, stem and seeds contain DMT and 0.06% 5-MeO-DMT of wet weight (Banerjee & Ghosal 1969).
- D. gangetium,
- D. gyrans,
- D. tiliaefolium,
- D. triflorum
- D. cacemosum also contains 5-MeO-DMT according to Christian Ratsch
Lespedeza bicolor - Leaves and root contain DMT and 5-MeO-DMT (Smith 1977).
mucuna pruriens flower

Mucuna pruriens - Leaves, stem and fruit of this jungle vine contains DMT and 5-MeO-DMT (Ghosal et al 1971).
Phyllodium pulchellum -Found in the Far East – Thailand, China; Eastern Asia: Japan - Ryukyu Islands; Taiwan; the Indian Subcontinent: India; Nepal; Sri Lanka; Indo-China: Cambodia; Laos; Myanmar; Thailand; Vietnam Malesia: Papua New Guinea and Australasia: Australia - Northern Territory. In Australia it has been named ‘Angel's locks’ (as in hair) shrub, in Thai its called Fah nali ngam na. It is described as “one to watch because it has potential to become a weed ie if seeds are set they will come up in their thousands!”Dried plant material produced 0.2% 5-MeO-DMT and small amounts of DMT (Ghosal & Mukherjee 1966), also the GRIN database.

Plants of the Malpighiaceae family

Diplopterys cabrerana is a vine native to the Amazon Basin, spanning the countries of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In the Quechua languages it is called chaliponga or chagropanga; in parts of Ecuador it is known as chacruna—a name otherwise reserved for Psychotria viridis. D. cabrerana and P. viridis are both common admixtures for ayahuasca. Both species are rich sources of N,N-DMT. But, D. cabrerana additionally produces 5-MeO-DMT, the plant stores the alkaloids N,N-DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and N-methyltetrahydro-beta-carboline in its leaves and stems. The leaves also store methyltryptamine and trace amounts of bufotenin [Ratsch – see below]
Banisteriopsis caapi - Common names: Ayahuasca - Soul Vine -- Spirit Vine – Yage. According to Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases, the full list of chemicals of this plant is as follows:
- Banisteriopsis caapi
  
  Chemical Part
- 5-HYDROXY-N,N-DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE Bark
- 5-METHOXY-N,N-DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE Bark
- ACETYL-NORHARMINE Bark
- DIHYDROSHIHUNINE Plant
- HARMALINE Seed
- HARMALINIC-ACID Plant
- HARMALOL Plant
- HARMIC-ACID-METHYL-METHYLESTER Plant
- HARMIC-AMIDE Bark
- HARMINE-N-OXIDE Plant
- HARMINES Bark
- HARMINES Wood
- KETO-TETRAHYDRO-NORHARMINE Bark
- N,N-DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE Bark
- N-METHYLTRYPTAMINE Bark
- SAPONIN Bark
- SHIHUNINE Plant
- TELEPATHINE Plant
- TETRAHYDROHARMINE Leaf

Plants of the Mimosaceae family

Anadenanthera (Piptandenia) colubrina, contorta, excelsa, macrocarpa, peregrine - Black beans from these trees are toasted, pulverized and mixed with ashes or calcined shells to make a snuff called yopo by Indians in the Orinoco basin in Colombia, Venezuela and possibly in southern part of Brasilian Amazon. Yopo is blown into the nostrils through bamboo tubes or snuffed by birdbone tubes. The trees grow in open plain areas, and leaves, bark and seeds contain DMT, 5-MeO-DMT and related compounds (Schultes [1976], [1977]; Pachter et al [1959]; Phytochem 11, 737).

Plants of the Myristicaceae family

Horsfieldia superba - is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and is threatened by habitat loss. It is used in traditional herbal medicine and contains an alkaloid called horsfiline, which has analgesic effects, as well as several other compounds including 5-MeO-DMT and 6-methoxy-2-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline (Jossang et al 1991).
Iryanthera macrophylla - The bark contains 5-MeO-DMT (Holmstedt et al 1980). According to Ratsch, Iryanthera ulei: also has 5-MEO-DMT in the bark
Osteophloem platyspermum: DMT, 5-MeO-DMT in the bark [Ratsch]
Virola - The bark resin of these trees is used to prepare hallucinogenic snuffs in northwestern Brazil by boiling, drying and pulverizing it. Sometimes leaves of a Justicia are added. The snuff acts rapidly and violently, "effects include excitement, numbness of the limbs, twitching of facial muscles, nausea, hallucinations, and finally a deep sleep; macroscopia is frequent and enters into Waika beliefs about the spirits resident in the drug."

Snuffs made from V. theiodora bark contain up to 11% 5-MeO-DMT and DMT. Also leaves, roots and flowers contain DMT. Amazonian Colombia natives roll small pellets of boiled resin in an evaporated filtrate of bark ashes of Gustavia Poeppigiana and ingest them to bring on a rapid intoxication (Smith [1977], Schultes [1977]). Also Ratsch. Sub-species are
- calophylla,
- cariganata
- calophylloidea,
- elongata: in bark and leaves
- melinonii
- multinervia: in bark and leaves
- peruviana: in bark
- rufula: Alkaloids in bark and root, 95% of which is 5-MeO-DMT
- sebifera
- theiodora: in bark, roots, leaves and flowers
- venosa: in roots, leaves

Plants of the Ochnaceae family

Testulea gabonensis is a species of plant found in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. 0.2% 5-MeO-DMT, small quantities of DMT,. DMT in bark and root bark., NMT [Ratsch]

Plants of the Poaceae family

Phalaris aquatica (tuberosa) , arundinacea - Leaves of P. arundinacea and leaves and seedlings of P. aquatica contain DMT, 5-MeO-DMT and related compounds (Smith [1977]).

Plants from the Rutaceae family

Limonia acidissima: [wood apple]

Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales. The most economically important genus in the family is Citrus, which includes the orange (C. sinensis), lemon (C. × limon), grapefruit (C. paradisi), and lime (various, mostly C. aurantifolia, the key lime). All the information about 5-MeO-DMT containing plants came from Christian Ratsch's book

Dictyoloma incanescens - Bark contains 0.04% 5-MeO-DMT (Pachter et al [1959]).
Dutaillyea drupacea: > 0.4 % 5-MeO-DMT in leaves
Dutaillyea oreophila: 5-MeO-DMT in leaves
Evodia rutaecarpa: 5-MeO-DMT in leaves., fruit and roots
Limonia acidissima: 5-MeO-DMT in stems
Melicope leptococca: 0.2% total alkaloids, 0.07% 5-MeO-DMT; 5-MeO-DMT in leaves and stems,. also "5-MeO-DMT-Oxide and a beta-carboline". [also see above under Euodia]
Pilocarpus organensis: 5-MeO-DMT in leaves

Plants of the Umbellularia family

Umbellularia californica is a large hardwood tree native to coastal forests of California and slightly extended into the state of Oregon. It is endemic to the California Floristic Province. It is the sole species in the genus Umbellularia. In Oregon, this tree is known as Oregon myrtle, while in California it is called California bay laurel. It has also been called pepperwood, spicebush, cinnamon bush, peppernut tree, headache tree, mountain laurel, and Balm of Heaven. The tree's pungent leaves have a similar flavor to bay leaves. Ratsch indicates it has 5-MeO-DMT.

Method

Pointers only. Better to use EROWID for the full details and more examples of use.

Well over 350 people have sent in case reports to EROWID, only a small significant sample has been selected for this site.

Wikipedia
When used as a drug in its purified form, 5-MeO-DMT is smoked, insufflated, or injected and is active at a dose of as little as 2 mg. 5-MeO-DMT is also active orally, when taken with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, but according to numerous reports, the combination with MAOI is extremely unpleasant and has a 'strong body load'. According to the researcher Jonathan Ott, 5-MeO-DMT is active orally with doses over 30 mg without aid of an MAOI [sic].
The onset of effects occurs within seconds after smoking/injecting, or minutes after insufflating, and the experience is sometimes described as similar to a near-death experience. Peak effects last for approximately 5–10 minutes when smoked. When insufflated, the peak effects are considerably less intense, but last for 15–25 minutes on average.
Although similar in many respects to its close relatives DMT and bufotenin (5-OH-DMT), the effects are typically not as visual. Some users report experiencing no visual effects from it even at very high doses.
Some report the effects to be unpleasant causing nausea and the feeling of being "sat on by an elephant".

Dangers

prayer helps................

5-MeO-DMT is an ego buster. But what if a person has no problems with their ego - they do not have ego inflation? What if they are talented but unsure, quiet and introverted.

What if they are just a little unhappy with themselves, lacking in confidence or drive? And what if they are young or a girl?

Then like psilocybin, perhaps even more so than psilocybin, this could be a killer mentally and physically. It could lead to paranoia, depression, and brain damage on a major scale......... or worse.

J Anal Toxicol. 2005 Nov-Dec;29(8):838-41. A fatal intoxication following the ingestion of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine in an ayahuasca preparation. - Division of Forensic Toxicology, Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, 1413 Research Blvd., Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA.
A case of a 25-year-old white male who was found dead the morning after consuming herbal extracts containing beta-carbolines and hallucinogenic tryptamines is presented. No anatomic cause of death was found at autopsy. Toxicologic analysis of the heart blood identified

N,N-dimethyltryptamine (0.02 mg/L), - DMT
5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (1.88 mg/L), 5-MeO-DMT
tetrahydroharmine (0.38 mg/L),
harmaline (0.07 mg/L), and
harmine (0.17 mg/L).

….. Detection and quantitation was performed using liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry. The medical examiner ruled that the cause of death was hallucinogenic amine intoxication, and the manner of death was undetermined. PMID: 16356341

How it works

Although there is an effect on receptors in the brain, at least some of the effects may be via the vasoconstriction experienced via serotonin. Vasoconstriction will not only increase the blood pressure - hence the beating hearts of all those in the observations, but may also cause hypoxia - severe hypoxia, which is why some people die - heart failure or brain death. If not brain death then brain damage.

References and further reading

Papers and books

Skaltsounis, A L, Tillequin, F & Koch, M [1983] 'Plantes des Nouvelle-Cal&eacutedonie LXXXIII: Alcaloides des tiges feuill&eacutees de Melicope leptococca' Lloydia 46(5): 732
Banerjee, P K & Ghosal, S [1969] 'Simple indole bases of Desmodium gangeticum' Aust. J Chem. 22: 275-277
Smith, T A [1977] 'Review: Tryptamine and Related Compounds in Plants' Phytochemistry 16: 171-175
Ghosal, S, Singh, S & Bhattacharya, S K [1971] 'Alkaloids of Mucuna pruriens, Chemistry and Pharmacology' Planta Med. 19: 279
Ghosal, S & Mukherjee, B [1966] 'Indole-3-alkylamine Bases of Desmodium pulchellum' J. Org. Chem. 31: 2284
Schultes, R E [1976} 'Indole Alkaloids in Plant Hallucinogens' J of Psychedelic Drugs 8(1): 7-25
Schultes, R E [1977] 'The Botanical and Chemical Distribution of Hallucinogens' J of Psychedelic Drugs 9(3): 247-263
Pachter, I J, Zacharias, D E & Ribeir, O [1959] 'Indole Alkaloids of Acer saccharinum (the Silever Maple), Dictyoloma incanescens, Piptadenia colubrina, and Mimosa hostilis' J Org Chem 24: 1285-7
Jossang, A, Jossang, C, Hadi, H A, Sevenet, T & Bodo, B [1991] 'Horsfiline, an oxindole alkaloid from Horsfieldia superba' J. Organic Chem. 56(23): 6527-6530
Holmstedt, B, Lindgren, J E, et al [1980] 'Indole alkaloids in Amazonian Myristicaceae: Field and laboratory research' Bot. Mus. Leafl., Harvard Univ. 28: 215-234
Christian Ratsch - The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications

Websites

USDA - Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)
EROWID - link to 5-MeO-DMT

Related observations

Psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine modulate innate and adaptive inflammatory responses through the sigma-1 receptor of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells 017412

Prime, Probe, Process 5-MeO-DMT by Lola B 017407

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