Pharmahuasca
Pharmaceutical version of the traditional Ayahuasca entheogen
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Pharmahuasca is a pharmaceutical version of ayahuasca, a psychoactive decoction used by indigenous cultures in South America as part of traditional medicine and shamanism. Traditional ayahuasca is made by brewing the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)-containing Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a dimethyltryptamine (DMT)-containing plant, such as Psychotria viridis. Pharmahuasca refers to a similar combination that uses a synthetically produced or pharmaceutical MAOI, such as moclobemide, instead of a plant.
Use and effects
DMT and harmaline or harmine are typically used as components of pharmahuasca.[1] One study tested a formulation of 100 mg buccal harmine with 100 mg intranasal DMT, which produced an effect lasting 2 to 3 hours.[1] As a rule, the fewer the β-carbolines, the less nausea; the more DMT, the more spectacular the visions.[citation needed] The constituents are put into separate gelatin capsules. The capsules with harmaline/harmine are swallowed first and the capsules containing DMT are taken 15 to 20 minutes later. A synthetic MAOI can be used in place of harmaline and harmine, although caution must be taken when choosing an MAOI.[2] The use of moclobemide, a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase-A (RIMA), has been recorded and is safer than older irreversible MAOIs (such as isocarboxazid) due to its significantly shorter and more selective effects (although it still exhibits a wide range of dangerous drug-drug interactions).[3][4]
| Compound | Chemical name | Dose (hallucinogen) | Potency | Dose (MAOI) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harman | 1-Methyl-β-carboline | >250 mg | Unknown | >250 mg | Unknown |
| Harmine | 7-Methoxyharman | >300 mg | ≤50% | 140–250 mg | 6–8 hours |
| Harmaline | 7-Methoxy-3,4-dihydroharman | 150–400 mg | 100% | 70–150 mg | 5–8 hours |
| Tetrahydroharmine | 7-Methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroharman | ≥300 mg | ~33% | Unknown | Unknown |
| 6-Methoxyharmalan | 6-Methoxy-3,4-dihydroharman | ~100 mg | ~150% | Unknown | Unknown |
| 6-MeO-THH | 6-Methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroharman | ≥100 mg | ~50% | Unknown | Unknown |
| P. harmala seeds | – | ≥5–28 ga | – | 3–5 ga | Unknown |
| Footnotes: a = P. harmala seeds in ground form. They contain 2–7% harmala alkaloids, with 1 teaspoon ≈ 3 g ≈ 60–180 mg alkaloids; 1 tablespoon ≈ 9 g ≈ 200–600 mg alkaloids; and 1 large (OO) gelatin capsule ≈ 0.7 g ≈ 15–45 mg alkaloids. For comparison, B. caapi contains 0.05–1.95% (average 0.45%) harmala alkaloids. Note: Harmine and other β-carbolines have also been tested by non-oral routes such as sublingual, subcutaneous injection, intramuscular injection, and intravenous injection. Refs: See template page. | |||||
Interactions
See also
External links
- Erowid: Ayahuasca
- A General Introduction to Ayahuasca Archived 2015-10-13 at the Wayback Machine