Gas chromatographic analysis of dimethyltryptamine and β‐carboline alkaloids in ayahuasca, an amazonian psychoactive plant beverage
Phytochemical Analysis January 12, 2009 Ana Paula Salum Pires, Carolina Dizioli Rodrigues de Oliveira, Sidnei Moura et al. 74 citations
A gas chromatographic method was developed to simultaneously measure the main active alkaloids in ayahuasca preparations: N,N-dimethyltryptamine from Psychotria viridis and the β-carbolines harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine from Banisteriopsis caapi. Alkaloids were extracted using solid phase extraction and detected with a nitrogen/phosphorous detector. The method achieved a lower limit of quantification of 0.02 mg/mL for all analytes, with linear calibration curves from 0.02 to 4.0 mg/mL and precision below 10% relative standard deviation. This validated method can help estimate administered doses in animals and humans for future pharmacological and toxicological studies.