DMT Stats & Data
[Cl-].CN(C)CCc1cnc2ccccc12.[H+]FXCHKLOHTIIVJW-UHFFFAOYSA-NPharmacology
DrugBankDescription
An N-methylated indoleamine derivative, a serotonergic hallucinogen found in several plants, especially Prestonia amazonica (Apocynaceae) and in mammalian brain, blood, and urine. It apparently acts as an agonist at some types of serotonin receptors and an antagonist at others.
Mechanism of Action
DMT acts as a non-selective agonist at most or all of the serotonin receptors.
Indication
Some people use this compound as a psychedelic inducing agent.
Receptor Profile
Receptor Actions
History & Culture
DMT has been used as an entheogen in South America for thousands of years, primarily in the form of ayahuasca brews and snuffs. Archaeological evidence suggests snuff use dating back several millennia, though DMT typically served as a minor constituent in these preparations rather than the primary compound. Amazonian tribes have traditionally employed ayahuasca to receive guidance from protective spirits, gain insight into the causes and treatments of illness, perceive future events, communicate with distant groups, prepare for warfare and hunting, and identify enemies and their intentions.
1931–1957
DMT was first synthesized in 1931 by Richard Helmuth Fredrick Manske, a Canadian chemist. The compound's hallucinogenic properties remained unknown for another quarter century until Hungarian chemist and psychiatrist Stephen Szára investigated them in 1956. Szára had initially attempted to acquire LSD from Sandoz Laboratories in Switzerland, but his request was denied on the grounds that such a potent psychotropic substance could prove dangerous in the hands of a communist country. This rejection led him to synthesize DMT in his own laboratory and test it on himself through injection. He subsequently administered it to several medical colleagues before expanding his study to thirty additional participants, predominantly physicians. In 1955, DMT was definitively isolated from a plant source for the first time, extracted from Anadenanthera peregrina seeds used in traditional snuff preparations. Two years later, American chemists identified DMT in leaves of a plant they erroneously named "Prestonia amazonicum." This taxonomic error later influenced writer William Burroughs, who experimented with DMT in Tangier in 1961 under the belief he was using "Prestonia."
1930s–1961
Following the Amazon rubber boom, several syncretic religious movements incorporating ayahuasca emerged in Brazil. These traditions blended indigenous South American practices with Catholic and European influences alongside Brazilian cosmological beliefs. Santo Daime, the first of these movements, was founded in the 1930s by Raimundo Irineu Serra, a Brazilian rubber tapper. Barquinha formed in 1945 through a schism with Santo Daime. The União do Vegetal was established in 1961 by Jose Gabriel da Costa, also a rubber tapper. These religious movements would later become central to legal challenges regarding DMT's controlled status, with the UDV's 2006 U.S. Supreme Court victory establishing important precedent for religious use exemptions.
1960s–2010
During the 1960s in the United States, DMT earned the colloquial name "businessman's trip" due to its rapid onset, intense effects, and relatively brief duration—allowing users to experience the full depth of a psychedelic journey in considerably less time than substances like LSD or psilocybin mushrooms. Ethnobotanist Terence McKenna became instrumental in popularizing DMT during the 1980s and 1990s, particularly advocating for inhalation as the preferred route of administration. He spoke enthusiastically and frequently about his experiences, introducing many to the substance's unique phenomenology. In the 1990s, Rick Strassman, a medical doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital Clinical Research Center, began the first government-approved research on DMT in decades. He selected the compound for study because of its short duration, natural occurrence in humans, potentially unexplored physiological roles, and relative obscurity. His research led to the publication of "DMT: The Spirit Molecule" in 2000 and an accompanying documentary in 2010. Strassman hypothesized that DMT might be produced in the pineal gland and released during dreams, birth, and death—ideas subsequently popularized by McKenna and others, though they remain scientifically unconfirmed.
A distinctive cultural phenomenon surrounding DMT is the remarkably consistent reports of encounters with apparently autonomous entities during the experience. Terence McKenna coined the term "machine elves" for the beings he first encountered after smoking DMT in Berkeley in 1965, also describing them as "fractal elves" or "self-transforming machine elves." In analyzing self-reports from his clinical study participants, Strassman observed striking similarities between descriptions of these entities and figures from ancient religious traditions, including the Ḥayyot haq-Qodesh from Hebrew mysticism, as well as various depictions of angels and demons. He and others have speculated that such hallucinatory experiences may underlie reports of alien abduction and extraterrestrial encounters, suggesting DMT's effects might illuminate the neurological basis of certain mystical and paranormal experiences.
Subjective Effect Notes
cognitive: The head space of DMT is described by most as extremely sober and clear headed in its style when compared to other commonly used psychedelics such as LSD, psilocin or even ayahuasca. It contains a limited amount of typical cognitive effects. DMT in its smokeable form is perhaps the least psychologically intoxicating psychedelic, leading many people to describe it not as a drug induced trip but a genuine experience that is actually happening to them.
Effect Profile
Curated + 1,292 ReportsStrong visuals, headspace, and auditory effects with mild body load
User Experiences
Duration Timeline
BluelightCommunity Effects
TripSitTolerance & Pharmacokinetics
drugs.wikiTolerance Decay
Human studies found minimal to no rapid psychological tolerance after closely spaced IV administrations compared to other psychedelics; subjective effects remained robust, although some biological measures declined across repeated doses. Community reports suggest the ability to redose within a session with little tolerance, but cumulative physiological/psychological load increases. Data quality is mixed; cross-tolerance with other 5‑HT2A psychedelics is presumed but not well quantified.
Cross-Tolerances
Demographics
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reports Over Time
Effect Analysis
Erowid + BluelightEffects aggregated from 1,093 experience reports (1,043 Erowid + 249 Bluelight)
Effect Sentiment Distribution
Confidence Distribution
Positive Effects 70
Adverse Effects 30
Dose-Response Correlation
How effect frequency changes across dose levels
View data table
| Effect | Light (n=11) | Common (n=56) | Strong (n=71) | Heavy (n=60) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Distortions | 63.6% | 82.1% | 83.1% | 81.7% |
| Color Enhancement | 54.5% | 60.7% | 67.6% | 76.7% |
| Anxiety | 72.7% | 62.5% | 46.5% | 48.3% |
| Empathy | 45.5% | 50.0% | 40.8% | 41.7% |
| Euphoria | 36.4% | 32.1% | 36.6% | 45.0% |
| Confusion | 36.4% | 25.0% | 35.2% | 43.3% |
| Closed-Eye Visuals | 27.3% | 41.1% | 40.8% | 41.7% |
| Music Enhancement | 36.4% | 41.1% | 29.6% | 35.0% |
| Dissociation | 0% | 23.2% | 26.8% | 38.3% |
| Stimulation | 36.4% | 33.9% | 31.0% | 36.7% |
| Auditory Effects | 36.4% | 30.4% | 35.2% | 25.0% |
| Tactile Enhancement | 36.4% | 30.4% | 21.1% | 26.7% |
| Introspection | 0% | 19.6% | 33.8% | 26.7% |
| Focus Enhancement | 27.3% | 30.4% | 31.0% | 30.0% |
| Time Distortion | 27.3% | 12.5% | 14.1% | 20.0% |
Subjective Effect Ontology
Experience ReportsStructured effect tags extracted from 1,292 Erowid & Bluelight experience reports using a controlled vocabulary of 220+ canonical effects across 15 domains.
Auditory
Cognitive
Emotional
Motor
Selfhood
Somatic
Tactile
Temporal
Visual
Dose–Effect Mapping
Experience ReportsHow reported effects shift across dose tiers, based on 1043 experience reports.
| Effect | Light (n=11) | Common (n=56) | Strong (n=71) | Heavy (n=60) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| visual distortions | ↑ | ||||
| color enhancement | ↑ | ||||
| anxiety | ↓ | ||||
| empathy | → | ||||
| euphoria | ↑ | ||||
| confusion | ↑ | ||||
| closed-eye visuals | ↑ | ||||
| music enhancement | → | ||||
| dissociation | — | ↑ | |||
| stimulation | → | ||||
| auditory effects | ↓ | ||||
| tactile enhancement | ↓ | ||||
| introspection | — | ↑ | |||
| focus enhancement | → | ||||
| time distortion | ↓ | ||||
| body high | ↓ | ||||
| open-eye visuals | ↓ | ||||
| increased heart rate | ↓ | ||||
| ego dissolution | — | ↓ | |||
| memory suppression | — | ↑ |
Showing top 20 of 34 effects
Risk Escalation
Sentiment AnalysisAverage frequency of positive vs adverse effects across dose tiers
View effect breakdown
Adverse Effects
| Effect | Light (n=11) | Common (n=56) | Strong (n=71) | Heavy (n=60) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | -33% | ||||
| Confusion | +18% | ||||
| Increased Heart Rate | -63% | ||||
| Memory Suppression | — | +24% | |||
| Motor Impairment | — | -43% | |||
| Muscle Tension | — | -62% | |||
| Nausea | — | -7% | |||
| Headache | — | — | — | 0% | |
| Jaw Clenching | — | — | +16% | ||
| Appetite Suppression | — | — | — | 0% | |
| Psychosis | — | — | — | 0% | |
| Thought Loops | — | — | -8% | ||
| Sweating | — | — | +17% | ||
| Pupil Dilation | — | — | — | 0% |
Positive Effects
| Effect | Light (n=11) | Common (n=56) | Strong (n=71) | Heavy (n=60) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color Enhancement | +40% | ||||
| Empathy | -8% | ||||
| Euphoria | +23% | ||||
| Music Enhancement | -3% | ||||
| Stimulation | 0% | ||||
| Tactile Enhancement | -26% | ||||
| Introspection | — | +36% | |||
| Focus Enhancement | 9% | ||||
| Body High | -17% | ||||
| Creativity Enhancement | — | +53% | |||
| Pain Relief | — | — | — | 0% |
Dosage Distribution
Dose distribution from experience reports
Smoked
Insufflated
Real-World Dose Distribution
62K DosesFrom 1008 individual dose entries
Smoked (n=423)
Oral (n=54)
Intravenous (n=9)
Insufflated (n=15)
Common Combinations
Most co-occurring substances in experience reports
Form / Preparation
Most common forms and preparations reported
Body-Weight Dosing
Dose relative to body weight from reports with weight data
Smoked
Insufflated
Oral
Redose Patterns
Redosing behavior across 554 reports
Legal Status
| Country | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Legal (religious use of ayahuasca) | Brazilian law was adjusted in 1996 to permit the religious use of ayahuasca following a legal challenge from the União do Vegetal church. This exemption applies specifically to traditional ceremonial contexts. Synthetic DMT remains controlled. |
| Canada | Schedule III | Listed as a Schedule III controlled substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. This scheduling carries criminal penalties for unauthorized possession and trafficking. |
| New Zealand | Class A | Controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. Class A drugs carry the highest penalties under New Zealand drug legislation. |
| United Kingdom | Class A | Controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Class A substances carry the most severe penalties for possession, production, and distribution. |
| United States | Schedule I | Controlled under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Classified as having high abuse potential with no accepted medical use. However, in 2006 the Supreme Court ruled that the União do Vegetal (UDV) church could use their ayahuasca brew for religious purposes despite DMT's Schedule I status, based on the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. |
Harm Reduction
drugs.wiki- Test and verify substance identity: DMT is an indole and typically reacts positive with indole-sensitive reagents (e.g., Ehrlich), but reagent color alone cannot prove purity; formal drug checking is preferred. Mislabeling between N,N-DMT and 5-MeO-DMT has led to overdoses due to very different potency and effects profiles.
- Vaporization technique matters: use heat, not direct flame; pre-measure with a mg-accurate scale; expect that melted residue can linger in glassware and cause unexpected extra milligrams later. Sit or lie down before the last inhalation to avoid falls due to rapid incapacitation.
- Cardiovascular effects (transient hypertension/tachycardia) are common at psychoactive doses; screen for uncontrolled hypertension, significant cardiac disease, or recent stimulant use; avoid combining with vasopressors or strong stimulants.
- Oral DMT requires MAO-A inhibition; this markedly increases duration/intensity and interaction risks. Avoid serotonergic medications (SSRIs/SNRIs/TCAs), tramadol, meperidine, DXM, and stimulant drugs for an adequate washout period when MAOIs are involved. Some foods high in tyramine can pose added risk with prescription/strong MAOIs.
- Mental health cautions: strong psychedelics can precipitate or exacerbate psychosis or mania in vulnerable individuals; those with personal/family history of psychotic or bipolar disorders should avoid or proceed only with clinical oversight.
- Sitter and environment: due to near-instant onset, a sober sitter should remove hot devices and protect from falls. Use in a quiet, seated/lying setting with minimal obstacles.
- Avoid redosing loops: acute tolerance is minimal with DMT compared to LSD/psilocybin; however, repeated back-to-back inhalations can stack cardiovascular/psychological load without providing integration time.
- Changa (DMT on MAOI-containing herbs) typically requires slightly lower DMT doses and lasts longer than freebase alone; interaction cautions of harmalas apply.
- Pulmonary irritation is common with hot or combusted vapor; lower-temperature vaporization and cooling the vapor (e.g., water piece) can reduce airway discomfort; individuals with reactive airway disease should be cautious.
- Distinguish N,N-DMT from 5-MeO-DMT: 5-MeO-DMT is active at much lower doses and carries higher risk of severe adverse reactions, particularly with MAOIs. Never assume marketed “DMT” is N,N-DMT; verify before dosing.
- Drug checking services (where available) can detect adulterants and misrepresentation; several European services have reported misdeclared tryptamine products, underscoring the need for verification before use.
References
Data Sources
Cited References
- Chacruna - DMT and serotonin syndrome risks
- dos Santos et al. - Ayahuasca risks review (2016)
- Mind Foundation - Psychedelic-Antidepressant Interactions
- Nichols DE - Psychedelics review (2016)
- PMC: Drug-drug interactions involving classic psychedelics
- PubChem: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (CID 6089)
- Spiers et al. - Continuous DMT infusion study (2024)
- Spirit Pharmacist - Healing States or Serotonin Toxicity
- Strassman RJ - Dose-response study in humans (1994)
- Timmermann et al. - DMT models near-death experience (2018)
Drugs.wiki References
- PubChem Compound CID 6089 (DMT)
- Erowid DMT – Dosage (smoked/vaporized)
- Erowid DMT – Effects/Duration (smoked) and Changa note
- Erowid DMT – Basics (onset, sitter, rapid duration)
- Erowid Ayahuasca – Effects/Duration (oral DMT + MAOI)
- TripSit Wiki – DMT (oral dosing with harmalas; smoked ranges; vaporization cautions)
- Erowid MAOI Vault – Summary of Interactions (SSRIs, stimulants, potentiation)
- Erowid MAOI Vault – Drugs to Avoid (SSRIs, MDMA, DXM, etc.)
- Erowid Syrian Rue (P. harmala) – Basics/Contraindications
- Erowid Online Books – Ayahuasca Analogues (harmala/DMT technique tips; vaporization cautions)
- Erowid Essential Psychedelic Guide – DMT (practical vaporization harm-reduction)
- Strassman 1996 overview (Erowid reference abstract: tolerance study)
- Strassman & Qualls 1994 (DrugBank article entry; human IV DMT dose–response, CV effects)
- Erowid 5‑MeO‑DMT is Not ‘DMT’ (mislabeling warning)
- Saferparty.ch – Example warnings/mislabeling; tryptamine misdeclarations (NMT; admixtures)