Diversity of DMT-Containing Plants

DMT is a unique psychedelic drug in that it can be found in so many naturally-occurring organisms. Whereas mescaline is predominantly found only in cacti and psilocybin is only found in mushrooms, DMT can be uncovered in many different things that occur all over the earth.

Although DMT is found in a variety of different places, it is generally found in plants. An analogue of DMT, known as 5-MeO-DMT can be found in certain species of toad, but the structural form of dimethyltryptamine is only found in plants. Due to the fact that many of these plants are indigenous to South America, DMT has seen a long history of use in South American medicine and rituals. Furthermore, the use of certain concoctions such as ayahuasca brews in the Amazon reveal that native people discovered at one point that DMT is inert when taken orally by itself. It requires a substance known as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) in order to release its psychedelic qualities in the human body when consumed.

In terms of DMT-containing trees, there are several. The acacia is a genus of shrub or small tree that has about 1300 different species worldwide. Most of these species are native to Australia, though others have adapted to tropical regions of Asia and the Americas. Many different species of acacia contain DMT in either their leaves (the majority), the stems, or in the bark. A South American tree known as anadenanthera is known to contain an analogue of DMT that is also found in the Colorade River Toad in its seed pods. The mimosa shrub which is native to Mexico and Central America produces DMT in its bark. The psychotria viridis is one of the most commonly-used shrubs used to create South American ayahuasca brews. Finally, the genus virola of trees that is indigenous to South America has several species that contain DMT in their fleshy, inner bark. All of these trees have been documented as having been used as a component in DMT-infused brews and snuffs.

Trees are not the only sources of DMT. Flowers, reeds, and vines also play host to the powerful psychedelic chemical. The arundo donax reed is native to the Mediterranean but has since become an invasive species in North and South America. The tall reed that grows in wet regions like river banks is known to contain DMT in its flowers and its roots. The bundle flower, a short flowering weed that resembles a fern produces DMT in its thin bark. Finally, the Diplopterys cabrerana, a species of jungle vine, produces DMT in its leaves and flowers and is also known to be a primary component in ayahuasca brews.

DMT is a very powerful chemical, a trait that is equally miraculous to the range and diversity of DMT-containing plants. Although the United States has made DMT a controlled substance, it is unlikely that its rich history of use worldwide is likely to wither away any time in the near future.