Disclaimer: We do not condone the use of any illegal and/or controlled substances. This article was written for educational purposes and was not created with the motive to suggest consuming 5-MEO-DMT or any other illegal substances. Please read with caution and use the information below responsibly. Viewer discretion is advised.
What is 5-MEO-DMT
We have all heard of DMT (or should have), the so called Spirit Molecule that opens gateways and trap doors in our minds to different dimensions and perspectives.
If we modify this molecule ever so slightly and add a methoxyl group (MeO) then we end up with 5-MEO-DMT. This one is sometimes referred to as the God Molecule. It can also readjust reality. Lets have a closer look at this fascinating molecule.
DMT and the Family
DMT is a compound that occurs naturally in our bodies – it is actually really just a different shaped form of the amino acid tryptamine.
This is an incredibly powerful psychedelic substance that can be consumed in a number of ways – by smoking/inhalation, injection and if it is mixed with Mono Amine oxidase inhibitors, it can be consumed orally. Mona Amine oxidase inhibitors block mono amine oxidase enzymes that break down substances such as DMT.
From a chemical perspective, we can imagine a chemical foundation molecule as being a bit like the chassis of a car. As an example, Toyota use the same chassis on a number of different car models – the cars however look and behave very differently based on what has been attached to the chassis.
In the same case, with a base molecule, such as DMT, we can stick functional groups – new added molecules that we react to the DMT chassis, that confer different properties on the new model.
In the case of 5-MEO-DMT we have stuck a methoxyl group onto the position 5 on the DMT molecule. This changes the shape of the DMT molecule, and by changing the shape of the molecule, we also influence how this molecule reacts with the receptors it binds to in the body.
What is 5-MEO-DMT?
5-MEO-DMT is, as we have just discussed, a modified version of tryptamine, which in its modified form is DMT, and then has the little methoxy group stuck onto it. Now this creates a whole lot of complications in terms of how it sticks to receptors in the body.
5-MEO-DMT has been found in a toad species (The Colorado River Toad) – many toads produce various unpleasant tasting compounds to deter predators.
Many of us have seen a dog try and eat a toad, and a few hours later the dog is foaming at the mouth and rolling around on the ground enjoying life on a different plane.
In my area, the local Cape Toad, although not in any way known to produce 5-MEO-DMT definitely produces something that is mind altering. I know this because when I was a 6 year old, my friend Marc felt sorry for a cold toad in the rain in winter and put it in his mouth to keep it warm.
He was rushed to the hospital in a “schizophrenic” state! And thus begun a journey of psychedelic adventures for Marc that appears to still be very much on the go 39 years later.
On a more viable level, sucking on toads is not an ideal way to gain inspiration for most of us, hence there are now methods to extract 5-MEO-DMT from various plant sources, or to synthesize it.
This chemical, in pure form, is available for scientific analysis and chemical work should one wish to perform such tests.
What can we expect to experience from 5-MEO-DMT?
One of my friends had post traumatic stress disorder from his youth when he was a soldier and involved in some horrible activites in Angola involving Cubans, MIG aircraft, and being bombed and having to kill a lot of people.
These events have haunted him for decades leading to an alcohol problem and his life not turning out as he wished. His 5-MEO-DMT experience consisted of two guided journeys.
His explanation was that this allowed him to see the interconnectedness of everything, and actually apologize to the life energies he had taken. The result – he was able to sleep again without nightmares and he has not touched a drop of alcohol in three years.
He also had one guided Ayahuasca experience which he felt allowed him to make less progress than the 5-MEO-DMT experiences. Ayahuasca is a DMT/MAO inhibiter concoction.
DMT is typically a very visual experience – while 5-MEO-DMT is less visual and more holistic.
Current Research on 5-MEO-DMT
If you read many blogs of 5-MEO-DMT, they cite one or two studies that show some effects of treatment of depression/PTSD/anxiety etc with 5-MEO-DMT.
However, it appears that in recent years a host of new papers have been published showing a number of interesting effects of this molecule.
If you wish to see an overview of the current scientific literature, PUBmed is always a good place to start. You will see that this search for 5-MEO-DMT shows at least 60 papers published since 2018 dealing with the molecule, and the vast majority of these papers are 2021 or 2022 editions.
In other words there is a lot of very current research coming out. This is a particularly current and interesting paper. You can see that the general feeling among researchers is that 5-MEO-DMT has a number of advantages in treatments – firstly, the experience is relatively short in Earth time (as with all psychedelics, what may feel like 10 000 years in your mind is really just a few minutes in reality).
This is beneficial however as it lends itself to guided treatments – it is a big ask for somebody to trip sit you through an 18-20 hours LSD experience – but for a professional to be there for the half an hour or so of the 5-MEO-DMT treatment is more manageable.
This can even be commercialised as a “treatment slot” much like when you visit a psychologist for a 45 minute session.
A word of caution
All powerful psychedelics are powerful tools that must be approached intentionally. These are not Disneyland rides where you go to see bright lights and weird things.
With any psychedelic, I enter the experience having first meditated about the areas I need answers and where I think I need work.
Often the experience veers way of course from what you set out to uncover, but letting your mind know, beforehand, that this is a voyage of discovery not a theme park ride helps a lot.
