DMT is a hallucinogenic tryptamine drug that occurs naturally in some plants and animals. It is commonly referred to as the spirit molecule because of its powerful and unmatched hallucinogenic effects.DMT occurs in two unique forms: 5-Methoxy-N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), and N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (N,N-DMT).
Have you ever wondered if the two are the same thing? In this article, we shall be making a side-by-side comparison of the two molecules.
How They Work: 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
Both N,N-DMT, and 5-MeO-DMT interact with serotonin receptors that are located in the brain. 5-MeO-DMT is a non-selective serotonin agonist. While N,N-DMT also interacts with serotonin receptors, research has shown that some of its effects are mediated through glutamate, dopamine, and acetylcholine receptors. It is not clear if its analog, 5-MeO-DMT, has a similar effect on those receptors.
Structure: 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
Both 5-MeO-DMT and N,N-DMT are tryptamine molecules. However, 5-MeO-DMT has a few extra atoms that make its structure slightly longer. This difference affects how the two molecules interact with receptors in the body and consequently influences the response that they each produce. While N,N-DMT has powerful visual effects, 5-MeO-DMT acts more on the brain to trigger powerful hallucinations.
Origin: 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
N,N-DMT occurs in nature in some plants and animals. This includes underwater corals and the tissues of several mammals, including humans 5-Meo-DMT develops in several plants and animals as well, but it does not happen naturally in humans. It is found in high amounts in the venom of a toad species native to the Colorado River - the Bufo Alvarius. Both 5-MeO-DMT and N,N-DMT can be manufactured synthetically in a lab.
Consumption: 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
Since 5-MeO-DMT and N,N-DMT can be found in vines and leaves of trees; they can both be boiled. The produced liquid is then drunk as tea or smoked in powder form. Ayahuasca and changa are both plants that have N,N-DMT as an active ingredient. Some people call them psychoactive since they can be employed to take users on a hallucinogenic trip. Let's take a closer look at them:
What Is Ayahuasca?
Ayahuasca is made in a brew, and it is commonly consumed as a tea during religious festivals that a shaman leads. Amazonian tribes and other religious communities of South America, such as the Santo Daime, consider it a sacred beverage. It helps believers go on a “trip” and experience feelings of euphoria and mind-altering psychedelic effects.
What Is Changa?
Simply put, changa refers to a smokable herb powder used during spiritual celebrations in parts of Australia. According to many within the psychedelic community, “true” changa contains the ayahuasca vine. But, unlike ayahuasca, changa also contains other herbs, such as jurema preta and Syrian rue.
What About 5-MeO-DMT
5-MeO-DMT, found in toad venom, can be extracted from the toad's glands and dehydrated into a paste. Then, this paste is smoked, with users experiencing a trip within 30 seconds that lasts for four to six hours.
The High: 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
While both DMT molecules have powerful hallucinogenic properties, N,N-DMT’s effects tend to be more visual than cerebral.DMT, in general, produces hallucinations that have been termed as “near-death” experiences. Users have described feeling like they have been transported out of the physical realm into a mystical existence. This forms the basis for the religious use of the compound.
N, N-DMT High
An N, N-DMT high feels like taking a journey through an endless tunnel that is filled with bright lights and asymmetrical fractals that fly around at lightning speed. The hallucinations are incredibly visual, but the user may be able to maintain them through coherence.
5-MeO-DMT High
On the other hand, a 5-MeO-DMT high will push the user to lose all sense of self. Reality fades to give way to a mystical and transformative experience. Here, the user may experience ego death, defined as a complete loss of self-identity.
The Phenomenon of Near-Death Experience (NDE) On DMT
This user experienced the phenomenon of Near Death Experience (NDE) and explained it as “like being awake and having no sense of personal identity.” Additionally, she experienced a quiver during her trip, like when she was giving birth, and concluded that she felt “a little bit more confident about what it is like to die.”
Uses of 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
There are many uses of 5-MeO-DMT and N,N-DMT, from religious to recreational and therapeutic use. Even though both drugs can be used for the same reasons, some fundamental differences exist between them. Let's take a more detailed look:
Religious Use: 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
Ayahuasca is a plant brew used by the ancient Amazonian tribes during religious festivals. It is prepared from two plants: Psychotria Viridis and Banisteriopsis Caapi. N, N-DMT is the active ingredient in the first plant, while the second plant contains compounds known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). MAOIs increase the bioavailability of DMT in the body and make it usable. A shaman (traditional healer) prepares the brew and serves it to those who have attended the religious festival.One study showed that 5-MeO-DMT is also used in religious exploration. Traditionally, 5-MeO-DMT has been used in the Americas for thousands of years. The use of the substance can be traced back 3,000 years when, in the form of crushed seeds, it was employed in spiritual ceremonies in Venezuela, Brazil, and Columbia.What’s more, ancient paraphernalia of the compound found in northern Chile dates to the 8th century. Further, the use of 5-MeO-DMT was first recorded by Friar Ramón Pané in the late 1400s. The friar observed that inhalation of cohoba through reeds was used to help sick people purge and communicate with spirits.
Recreational Use: 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
Both 5-MeO-DMT and N,N-DMT are psychedelics and can therefore be used for recreational properties.Although recreational use of DMT is still not yet widely documented, an Australian study found that most recreational users smoked N,N-DMT and tried ayahuasca out of curiosity while others used them to chase the hallucinogenic effects and the possible psychotherapeutic benefits. Another recent study in the U.S showed that though numbers were low, increasingly more people were beginning to use N,N-DMT recreationally. Both studies seem to agree that users of DMT saw an increase in psycho-spiritual insight and experienced intense psychedelic effects. We can also conclude that users seek the NDE caused by the use of DMT as a way to experience something outwardly. Likewise, scientists find DMT remarkable as it enables us “to study and thus better understand the psychology and biology of dying.”
Therapeutic Use: 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
Research on the therapeutic potential of DMT is still in its infancy. However, preliminary research is pointing towards potential benefits in the management of several psychiatric conditions.One study showed that N, N-DMT (in ayahuasca) might relieve low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress - precipitating factors for some chronic conditions. This study highlighted a bio-psycho-socio-spiritual angle brought about by the ayahuasca that is essential for restorative healing. Ayahuasca has also been implicated in the management of anxiety, depression, and substance dependence. The therapeutic potential of 5-MeO-DMT has not been well elucidated. However, one 2019 study showed that it might have a role to play in managing depression and anxiety.
Addiction: 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT
There is no evidence indicating that either compound is addictive. However, DMT can trigger cross-tolerance to other psychedelics such as LSD. This means that as one develops tolerance to DMT, they may require more LSD to achieve the high that they used to get from a lower dose.
Conclusion
5-MeO-DMT and N,N-DMT are structural analogs, but 5-MeO-DMT has extra atoms in its chain. Both compounds exist in nature in some plants and animals. Unlike N,N-DMT, 5-MeO-DMT is not found in humans.N,N-DMT causes intense visual hallucinations, perhaps stronger than 5-MeO-DMT. In every case, though, both contain potent cerebral hallucinations that can culminate in a powerful NDE.N,N-DMT is the active ingredient in ayahuasca, a local brew used during religious festivals in the Amazonian region. This practice still exists today, and thousands of people travel each year worldwide to take part in the ayahuasca ritual. This makes DMT a highly sought-after psychedelic in the 21st century.
