Explain the key points about the drugs dimethyltryptamine (DMT), Harmine, and Mescaline

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is obtained chiefly from the resin of the bark of trees and nuts native to the West Indies as well as Central and South America.

Answer: An oral administration does not produce psychoactive effects. This drug's effects are similar to those of LSD An inhaled 30 mg dose of DMT produces physiological changes within ten seconds, with hallucinogenic effects peaking around ten to fifteen minutes later. Paranoia, anxiety, and panic also can result at this time, but most symptoms are over in about an hour.

Among native tribes in the western Amazon region of South America, the bark of the Banisteriopsis vine yields the powerful drug harmine. A drink containing harmine, called ayahuasca, is frequently used by local shamans for healing rites. It is chemically similar to serotonin, like LSD and the other hallucinogens examined so far.

Its psychological effects, however, are somewhat different. Harmine makes the individual withdraw into a trance, and the hallucinatory images are experienced within the context of a dreamlike state. Reports among shamans refer to a sense of suspension in space or flying, falling into one's body, or experiencing one's own death.

Mescaline is derived from the peyote plant, a spineless cactus with a small, greenish crown that grows above ground and a long carrot-like root. This cactus is found over a wide area, from the southwestern United States to northern regions of South America. An effective dose of mescaline from peyote is 200 mg, equivalent to about five buttons. Peak response to the drug takes place thirty minutes to two hours after consumption. Mescaline is still used today as part of religious worship among many American Indians in the United States and Canada.

The psychological and physiological effects of mescaline are highly similar to those of LSD. Peyote buttons taste extremely bitter and can cause vomiting, headaches, and, unless the stomach is empty, distressing levels of nausea.