Alkaloids from the entheogenic plant Peganum harmala

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Entheogenic natural products (e.g., psylocybin and dimethyltryptamine) are emerging as effective therapeutics to treat debilitating mood disorders that are unresponsive to conventional treatment. The detailed evaluation of psychotropic plants will conceivably lead to the discovery of structurally distinct entheogens that may offer improved or complementary medicinal properties to the classic entheogens. The plant Peganum harmala has a rich history in traditional medicine, with consumption inducing a host of central nervous system (CNS) symptoms, including hallucinations. Given alkaloids are uniquely capable of altering the CNS physiology owing to their ability to cross the blood–brain barrier, the natural product(s) responsible for the entheogenic properties are likely hidden in its structurally diverse alkaloid profile. Herein, an overview of the 160 alkaloids isolated from P. harmala is provided. Remarkably, bioactivity data is scarce, limited to inhibition of monoamine oxidases and cholinesterases in a few cases, with the majority having no reported bioactivity at all. As none of the classic entheogens have been detected in P. harmala, this collection of alkaloids provides a useful reference point in the search of structurally unique entheogens.