Other · 2026
Review of ayahuasca, DMT and 5-MeO-DMT as possible treatments for mental disorders
- Original title
- Ayahuasca and Its Main Component N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) for the Treatment of Mental Disorders: Mechanisms of Action, Clinical Studies, and Tools to Explore the Human Mind.
- Authors
- Melani A, Papini G, Bonaso M, et al.
- Journal
- Biomedicines, 2026
- Molecules
- DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, Ayahuasca
- Conditions
- Depression, Treatment-resistant depression
- Evidence grade
- Low
- Source
- Read the original paper
The question
What is currently known about how ayahuasca and its main psychoactive ingredient DMT work in the brain, and how far has clinical testing progressed for mental health conditions?
What they did
The authors reviewed published work on ayahuasca, DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and the related compound 5-MeO-DMT. They covered how these substances act in the brain and what human trials have been done so far. No new patients were studied; this is a summary of other research.
What they found
Ayahuasca is a brew made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and Psychotria viridis leaves. Its effects come mainly from DMT, while beta-carbolines in the vine block the enzyme MAO-A, which would otherwise break DMT down, so the brew works when taken by mouth. On its own, DMT or 5-MeO-DMT is given by other routes such as inhalation, nasal spray or injection into a vein. DMT acts mainly as a partial activator of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, while 5-MeO-DMT binds more strongly to the 5-HT1A receptor. The authors count four phase II studies with 5-MeO-DMT and one with DMT in treatment-resistant depression, plus two phase II studies with DMT fumarate in major depressive disorder, and describe evidence for other mental disorders as preliminary.
The fine print
This is a narrative review, not a systematic review or pooled analysis, so the authors’ selection of studies and their optimistic framing are not checked against a formal method. The abstract gives no participant numbers, effect sizes, follow-up lengths or safety data from the trials it counts. Phase II studies are early-stage and are not designed to confirm that a treatment works. This summary is based on the abstract alone.
What it means
Research on DMT-containing substances for depression is moving into early clinical trials, but the number of studies is still small and the evidence remains preliminary.
Evidence grade: Low. This is a narrative review that summarizes existing work rather than testing anything new, and it reports that the underlying clinical trial evidence is still limited and early-stage.
This summary is based on the study’s published abstract.