N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (N,N-DMT)

N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (N,N-DMT; CAS 61-50-7; molecular formula C12H16N2; molecular weight 188.27) is an endogenous and exogenous tryptamine alkaloid identified in many plants (notably Mimosa hostilis and Psychotria viridis) and at trace concentrations in mammalian tissue. The compound is the principal psychoactive constituent of ayahuasca brews, where harmala beta-carbolines provide MAO-A inhibition that allows oral DMT activity. Pharmacologically, DMT is a high-affinity full agonist at 5-HT2A (Ki approximately 75 nM), 5-HT1A, and 5-HT2C receptors with secondary activity at sigma-1, TAAR1, and other targets. Plasma half-life is extremely short (approximately 15 minutes) owing to rapid MAO-A degradation; oral administration without MAO inhibition is essentially inactive. Behavioral effects include intense visual imagery, altered sense of time, and (at higher doses) sense of communicating with autonomous entities. Approximately 30 active research and clinical trials of DMT and analogs are underway as of 2024 for depression and other psychiatric indications. Schedule I in the US under the CSA. Used as the canonical classical psychedelic in academic neuroscience.