Characterizing alkaloid diversity in Psychotria viridis leaf extracts from central Amazonian terra firme forest understory populations
International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Life Science January 1, 2024 Eduardo Tavares
Leaf extracts from five wild populations of Psychotria viridis, a shrub central to Amazonian ethnobotany, contain at least twelve distinct alkaloids, including N,N-dimethyltryptamine, N-methyltryptamine, two beta-carboline derivatives (harmine and harmaline), tetrahydroharmine, and seven minor methylated or hydroxylated tryptamine variants. Total alkaloid content ranged from 1.87 to 4.63 mg/g dry weight across populations. These findings expand the known chemical inventory of P. viridis beyond the commonly reported tryptamines and provide a foundation for quality-control protocols in phytopharmaceutical standardisation.