Pharmepéna-Psychonautics: Human Intranasal, Sublingual and Oral Pharmacology of 5-Methoxy-N, N-Dimethyl-Tryptamine

Abstract

Summarized are psychonautic bioassays (human self-experiments) of pharmepéna—crystalline 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT; O-Me-bufotenine), at times combined with crystalline β-carbolines (harmaline or harmine). These substances were administered via intranasal, sublingual and oral routes, by way of pharmacological modeling of diverse South American shamanic inebriants (principally the snuffs epéna/nyakwana, prepared from barks of diverse species of Virola.) Intranasal, sublingual and oral psychoactivity of 5-MeO-DMT, and the 1967 Holmstedt–Lindgren hypothesis of the paricá-effect—intranasal potentiation of tryptamines by concomitant administration of monoamine-oxidase-inhibiting (MAOI) β-carbolines from stems of Banisteriopsis caapi admixed with the snuffs—have been confirmed by some 17 psychonautic bioassays. Salient phytochemical and psychonautic literature is reviewed.

Keywords:

• harmaline
• harmine
• MAOI; 5-methoxy-DMT
• shamanic snuffs
• tryptamines