New Insights into the Chemical Composition of Ayahuasca
ACS Omega April 1, 2022 Luisina Castelli Rodríguez, Andrés Mariño López, Guillermo Moyna et al. 28 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychedelic beverage from the Amazon, is made by boiling Banisteriopsis caapi vine with DMT-containing plants. Using NMR and LC-MS/MS, this study analyzed both soluble and insoluble components of ayahuasca samples. For the first time, fructose was detected as a major component, and the alkaloid harmine was found in suspended solids. The major alkaloids identified were DMT, harmine, tetrahydroharmine, harmaline, and harmol. A new quantitative NMR method was developed and validated to simultaneously quantify these alkaloids.