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Your body makes it. DMT is produced endogenously in the mammalian brain. The enzyme INMT converts tryptamine into DMT in the lungs, brain, liver, and blood.
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Plants make it too. Found in Psychotria viridis, Mimosa hostilis, Acacia species, and dozens more. It's the active ingredient in ayahuasca, one of humanity's oldest ceremonial brews.
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It acts on sigma-1 receptors. Beyond serotonin, DMT binds to sigma-1 receptors — involved in cellular stress response, neuroprotection, and neuroplasticity. This might explain its therapeutic potential.
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The pineal gland mystery. Rick Strassman's hypothesis that the pineal produces DMT at birth and death remains unproven but tantalizing. What we do know: rat pineal glands produce DMT. The human question is still open.
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MAO breaks it down instantly. Monoamine oxidase in your gut destroys DMT on contact. That's why ayahuasca combines it with MAO inhibitors. When smoked, it bypasses the gut entirely.
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5,000+ years of human use. Archaeological evidence from the Sora River valley in Bolivia shows snuff-tray kits containing DMT residues dating to 1000 BCE. This isn't new.
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Clinical research is accelerating. Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins, and others are studying DMT for treatment-resistant depression. Extended-state DMT (DMTx) trials are underway.
