Alkaloids from the entheogenic plant Peganum harmala
Australian Journal of Chemistry July 17, 2023 Daniel G. Anstis, Jessica Liyu, Emma K. Davison et al. 8 citations
The plant Peganum harmala, used in traditional medicine, produces central nervous system symptoms including hallucinations. Its 160 known alkaloids are promising candidates for new entheogenic compounds that could treat mood disorders unresponsive to conventional therapies. However, bioactivity data is scarce, limited to inhibition of monoamine oxidases and cholinesterases in a few cases, with most alkaloids having no reported bioactivity. None of the classic entheogens have been detected in P. harmala, making this alkaloid collection a useful reference for discovering structurally unique entheogens.