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Ilhui A Wicki

Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: ilhui_wicki@hotmail.com.

3 papers in the library · 16 citations · publishing 2024-2025

Papers

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of an innovative psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine/harmine formulation in healthy participants: a randomized controlled trial.

The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology December 28, 2024 Michael J Mueller, Helena D Aicher, Dario A Dornbierer et al. 10 citations

A new pharmaceutical formulation combining pure DMT and harmine produced ayahuasca-like psychological effects lasting 2-3 hours in 31 healthy male volunteers, with consistent drug levels and no serious adverse events. DMT reached peak plasma concentrations of 22.1 ng/mL, while buccal harmine reached 32.5 ng/mL in a sustained-release profile but caused no distinguishable subjective effects on its own. All drug conditions were safe and well tolerated, suggesting the formulation could reduce risks and improve therapeutic outcomes for mental health disorders.

Ayahuasca-inspired DMT/HAR formulation reduces brain differentiation between self and other faces.

NeuroImage June 1, 2025 Dila Suay, Helena D Aicher, Micheal Kometer et al. 4 citations

A psychedelic formulation combining DMT and harmine, inspired by ayahuasca, altered brain responses to faces in 30 healthy men. It increased early visual reactivity (P1 wave) and disrupted face-structural encoding (N170 wave) for all face types. Crucially, it reduced the neural distinction between self and other faces in the P300 wave, while familiar-face processing remained stable. Harmine alone did not produce these effects. The findings suggest psychedelics can reorganize self-related neural dynamics, potentially promoting cognitive flexibility and offering therapeutic benefits for conditions involving rigid self-focus, such as depression and social anxiety.

Enhancing mindfulness and compassion through an ayahuasca-inspired formulation containing N,N-DMT and harmine: A randomized controlled trial in healthy subjects.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) June 19, 2025 Helena D Aicher, Ilhui A Wicki, Daniel Meling et al. 2 citations

A single dose of an ayahuasca-inspired DMT/harmine formulation increased mindfulness and compassion in 31 healthy participants one day after administration. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found significant effects on mindfulness, self-compassion, and compassion with others, with larger effects in participants who reported higher sensitivity to the drug. These results suggest the formulation may have therapeutic potential for enhancing traits relevant to mood disorders, though further research in clinical settings is needed.