Overcoming the clinical challenges of traditional ayahuasca: a first-in-human trial exploring novel routes of administration of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and harmine.

ABSTRACT: Recently, the Amazonian plant medicine "ayahuasca"-containing the psychedelic compound N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and numerous β-carboline alkaloids, such as harmine-has been suggested to exhibit beneficial effects in patients with affective and other mental health disorders. Although ayahuasca ingestion is considered safe, its pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and tolerability profile pose some challenges and may limit the clinical applicability in vulnerable patient populations. While overdosing and the admixture of intolerable plant constituents may explain some of the common adverse reactions, the peroral route of administration may represent another relevant source of gastro-intestinal intolerabilities and unpredictable pharmacokinetics across users. To overcome these challenges, th

SUBMITTER: Dornbierer DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10711279 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature