Pharmañopo-psychonautics: human intranasal, sublingual, intrarectal, pulmonary and oral pharmacology of bufotenine.

Bufotenine (5-HO-DMT), a psychoactive compound found in South American shamanic snuffs made from Anadenanthera seeds, produces visionary effects when administered intranasally, sublingually, intrarectally, or as inhaled vapor. Twenty-five human self-experiments confirmed the 1967 Holmstedt-Lindgren hypothesis: that intranasal potentiation of tryptamines occurs when combined with monoamine-oxidase-inhibiting beta-carbolines from Banisteriopsis caapi. The text reviews phytochemical and psychonautic literature and details bufotenine isolation from Anadenanthera seeds.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Summarized are psychonautic bioassays (human self-experiments) of pharmañopo--crystalline bufotenine (5-HO-DMT; 5-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine; dimethylserotonine), at times combined with harmaline or harmine-via intranasal, sublingual, intrarectal, pulmonary (inhaled vapor) and oral routes. This is done by way of pharmacological modeling of diverse South American shamanic inebriants, principally the snuffs ñopolyopo and cebílhaáj, prepared from seeds of Anadenanthera peregrina var. peregrina and A. colubrina var. Cebil, respectively. Psychoptic (visionary) activity of bufotenine has been established and the 1967 Holmstedt-Lindgren hypothesis of the paricá effect-intranasal potentiation of tryptamines by concomitant administration of monoamine-oxidase-inhibiting (MAOI) beta-carbolines from stems of Banisteriopsis caapi admixed with the snuffs-has been confirmed by 25 psychonautic bioassays. Salient phytochemical and psychonautic literature is reviewed, and isolation of bufotenine from Anadenanthera seeds detailed (with one table and eight references).