THE AYAHUASCA’S PSYCHEDELIC COMPONENT DMT POTENTIATES NEURITOGENESIS IN PC12 CELLS

Ayahuasca, a psychedelic beverage from the Amazon rainforest traditionally used for medicinal, spiritual, and cultural purposes, is prepared by boiling the vine Banisteriopsis caapi (containing β-carboline alkaloids) and Psychotria viridis (containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine, DMT). Recent research in the context of a renewed interest in psychedelic studies suggests that ayahuasca may have therapeutic potential for treating depression and substance use disorders, among other conditions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic beverage originally from the Amazon rainforest used in different shamanic settings for a variety of medicinal, spiritual, and cultural purposes. It is prepared by decoction of the vine Banisteriopsis caapi, source of β-carboline alkaloids, and, Psychotria viridis containing the classic psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). As part of the “renaissance of psychedelic studies”, several recent reports highlight its potential therapeutic applications for the treatment of depression and substance use disorders, among others.