Influence of Environmental Factors and Cultural Methods on the Content of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in Psychotria viridis (Rubiaceae)
This phytopharmacological field study (2018) investigated environmental factors responsible for the greatest contribution to DMT variation in Psychotria Viridis in Brazil and identified that seasonality, altitude, latitude, and biome type (amongst other factors) contributed up to a 38.5% variation in DMT concentration.
Authors
- Cavalcante, A. D.
- Cardoso, G. A.
- De Oliveira, F. L. P.
Published
Abstract
Introduction
Psychotria viridis is one of the species that produces N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Its decoction together with other species, such as Banisteriopsis caapi, produces ayahuasca, a beverage used for ritualistic and medicinal purposes. The goal of this study was to understand how environmental factors and cultivation methods influenced the content of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in P. viridis.
Methods
Over all four seasons, leaf samples were collected from 25 different locations in 14 Brazilian states, and Federal District.Results/Discussion: Environmental parameters, micro and macronutrients, plant characteristics, information on farming methods were correlated with N, N-dimethyltryptamine content, determined by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Greatest effects on the N,N-dimethyltryptamine amount were associated with seasonality, altitude, latitude and biome type. A positive correlation between N and Mg content and N,N-dimethyltryptamine levels was statistically established. By regression analysis, the adequate foliar nutrient levels that would result in the concentration of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in cultivated plants similar to that of Amazonian P. viridis were equated.
Research Summary of 'Influence of Environmental Factors and Cultural Methods on the Content of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in Psychotria viridis (Rubiaceae)'
Introduction
Ayahuasca is a traditional decoction used across many South American indigenous groups and has been incorporated into several Brazilian syncretic religions. Its psychoactive properties derive from a combination of harmala alkaloids in Banisteriopsis caapi and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in Psychotria viridis. Because P. viridis has been domesticated and is now cultivated across diverse Brazilian biomes that differ markedly from its native Amazonian environment, there is concern that environmental conditions and cultural practices could alter the plant's secondary‑metabolite profile, including DMT content. Cavalcante and colleagues set out to quantify how environmental variables (season, altitude, latitude, rainfall, biome) and cultivation practices (irrigation, soil acidity correction, fertilisation, pest incidence, flowering, crop vitality) relate to leaf DMT concentration in P. viridis. The study aimed both to identify the main drivers of DMT variation across Brazil and to use regression models to estimate foliar nutrient levels that would yield DMT concentrations comparable to Amazonian plants, thereby informing cultivation strategies for religious and medicinal uses.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- APA Citation
Cavalcante, A., Cardoso, G., de Oliveira, F., Bearzoti, E., Okuma, A., Duarte, L., & Vieira-Filho, S. (2017). Influence of Environmental Factors and Cultural Methods on the Content of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in Psychotria viridis (Rubiaceae). Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society. https://doi.org/10.21577/0103-5053.20170221
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