Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic hallucinogens or serotonergic hallucinogens, the term psychedelic is sometimes used more broadly to include various types of hallucinogens, such as those which are atypical or adjacent to psychedelia like salvia and MDMA, respectively.
5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine), also known as O-methylbufotenin or mebufotenin, is a naturally occurring psychedelic of the tryptamine family. It is found in a wide variety of plant species, and is also secreted by the glands of at least one toad species, the Colorado River toad. It may occur naturally in humans as well. Like its close relatives dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and bufotenin (5-HO-DMT), it has been used as an entheogen in South America. Slang terms include Five-methoxy, the power, bufo, and toad venom.
Psilocin, also known as 4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (4-OH-DMT), is a substituted tryptamine alkaloid and a serotonergic psychedelic. It is present in most psychedelic mushrooms together with its phosphorylated counterpart psilocybin. Psilocin is a Schedule I drug under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Acting on the serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, psilocin's psychedelic effects are directly correlated with the drug's occupancy at these receptor sites. The subjective mind-altering effects of psilocin are highly variable and are said to resemble those of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT).
Baeocystin, also known as norpsilocybin or 4-phosphoryloxy-N-methyltryptamine (4-PO-NMT), is a zwitterionic alkaloid and analog of psilocybin. It is found as a minor compound in most psilocybin mushrooms together with psilocybin, norbaeocystin, aeruginascin, and psilocin. Baeocystin is an N-demethylated derivative of psilocybin, and a phosphorylated derivative of 4-HO-NMT (4-hydroxy-N-methyltryptamine). The structures at right illustrate baeocystin in its zwitterionic form.
Norbaeocystin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxytryptamine (4-PO-T), is a psilocybin mushroom alkaloid and analog of psilocybin. It is found as a minor compound in most psilocybin mushrooms together with psilocin, psilocybin, aeruginascin, and baeocystin, from which it is a derivative.
5-MeO-DET or 5-methoxy-N,N-diethyltryptamine is a hallucinogenic tryptamine.
4-HO-MiPT is a synthetic substituted aromatic compound and a lesser-known psychedelic tryptamine. It is thought to be a serotonergic psychedelic, similar to magic mushrooms, LSD and mescaline. Its molecular structure and pharmacological effects somewhat resemble those of the tryptamine psilocin, which is the primary psychoactive chemical in magic mushrooms.
N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine (MiPT) is a psychedelic tryptamine, closely related to DMT, DiPT and miprocin. It was first synthesized by David Repke in 1984 and was subsequently evaluated and described in Alexander Shulgin's 1997 book TiHKAL.
Aeruginascin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N,N-trimethyltryptamine (4-PO-TMT), is an indoleamine derivative which occurs naturally within the mushrooms Inocybe aeruginascens, Pholiotina cyanopus, and Psilocybe cubensis.
Bufotenidine, also known as 5-hydroxy-N,N,N-trimethyltryptammonium (5-HTQ), is a toxin related to bufotenin, serotonin, and other tryptamines which is found in the venom of a variety of toads. It acts as a selective serotonin 5-HT3 receptor agonist, and has been used in scientific research to study the function of the serotonin 5-HT3 receptor, though this use has been limited by the fact that, as a quaternary amine, it is unable to readily cross the blood-brain-barrier and hence is peripherally selective.
5-Methoxy-7,N,N-trimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-7,N,N-TMT, 5-MeO-7-TMT), is a tryptamine derivative which acts as a partial agonist at the 5-HT2 serotonin receptors, with an EC50 of 63.9 nM and an efficacy of 66.2% at 5-HT2A (vs 5-HT), and weaker activity at 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C. In animal tests, both 7,N,N-TMT and 5-MeO-7,N,N-TMT produced behavioural responses similar to those of psychedelic drugs such as DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, but compounds with larger 7-position substituents such as 7-ethyl-DMT and 7-bromo-DMT did not produce psychedelic-appropriate responding despite high 5-HT2 receptor binding affinity, suggesting these may be antagonists or weak partial agonists for the 5-HT2 receptors. The related compound 7-MeO-MiPT (cf. 5-MeO-MiPT) was also found to be inactive, suggesting that the 7-position has poor tolerance for bulky groups at this position, at least if agonist activity is desired.
7,N,N-trimethyltryptamine (7-methyl-DMT, 7-TMT), is a tryptamine derivative which acts as an agonist of 5-HT2 receptors. In animal tests, both 7-TMT and its 5-methoxy derivative 5-MeO-7-TMT produced behavioural responses similar to those of psychedelic drugs such as DMT, but the larger 7-ethyl and 7-bromo derivatives of DMT did not produce psychedelic responses despite having higher 5-HT2 receptor affinity in vitro (cf. DOBU, DOAM). 7-TMT also weakly inhibits reuptake of serotonin but with little effect on dopamine or noradrenaline reuptake.
Substituted tryptamines, or simply tryptamines, also known as serotonin analogues (i.e., 5-hydroxytryptamine analogues), are organic compounds which may be thought of as being derived from tryptamine itself. The molecular structures of all tryptamines contain an indole ring, joined to an amino (NH2) group via an ethyl (−CH2–CH2−) sidechain. In substituted tryptamines, the indole ring, sidechain, and/or amino group are modified by substituting another group for one of the hydrogen (H) atoms.
4-acetoxy-MET (4-acetoxy-N-methyl-N-ethyltryptamine), also known as 4-AcO-MET or metacetin, is a hallucinogenic tryptamine. It is the acetate ester of 4-HO-MET, and a homologue of 4-AcO-DMT. It is a novel compound with very little history of human use. It is sometimes sold as a research chemical by online retailers.
The head-twitch response (HTR), also sometimes known as wet dog shakes (WDS) in rats, is a rapid side-to-side head movement that occurs in mice and rats when the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor is activated. Serotonergic psychedelics, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), induce the HTR, and so the HTR is widely used as an animal behavioral model of hallucinogen effects and to discover new psychedelic drugs. HTR-like effects are also induced by psychedelics in other animal species, for instance cats and stump-tailed macaque monkeys. Other related behaviors to head twitches induced by serotonergic agents include limb jerks and body scratches. The only other behavioral paradigms for assessment of psychedelic-like effects in animals are drug discrimination (DD), prepulse inhibition (PPI), and time perception.
4-Propionoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine is a synthetic psychedelic drug from the tryptamine family with psychedelic effects, and is believed to act as a prodrug for psilocin. It produces a head-twitch response in mice. It has been sold online as a designer drug since May 2019. It was first identified as a new psychoactive substance in Sweden, in July 2019. A number of related derivatives have been synthesized as prodrugs of psilocin for medical applications.
Norpsilocin, also known as 4-hydroxy-N-methyltryptamine (4-HO-NMT), is a tryptamine alkaloid recently discovered in 2017 in the psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis. It is hypothesized to be a dephosphorylated metabolite of baeocystin.
6-MeO-DMT, or 6-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, also known as 6-OMe-DMT, is a serotonergic drug of the tryptamine family. It is the 6-methoxy derivative of the serotonergic psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and is a positional isomer of the serotonergic psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT.
4-Hydroxytryptamine, also known as N,N-didesmethylpsilocin, is a naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid. It is closely related chemically to the neurotransmitter serotonin, the psychedelic psilocin, and is the active form of the tryptamine alkaloid norbaeocystin.
