The First DMT Studies for Depression

The ethnobotanist Terence McKenna describes DMT as “the most powerful psychedelic known to science and man.”

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First Clinical DMT Study

A pharmaceutical company called Small Pharma focuses on depression and mental health. They have recently gained approval to begin clinical trials using the psychedelic drug DMT (nicknamed by Rick Strassman as “the spirit molecule”). It is considered the most potent psychedelic there is.

The ethnobotanist Terence McKenna describes DMT as “the most powerful psychedelic known to science and man.”

Psychiatrists in the United States have done small studies with DMT, and Small Pharma says this is considered the world’s first patient clinical trial.

CEO of Small Pharma, Peter Rands, explained: “DMT gives a psychedelic experience in 15 minutes and has distinctive properties that offer itself to clinical use.

Researchers hope to help recreate the once stigmatized drugs as effective medical treatments by having evidence-based research and creating psychedelic pharmaceuticals. Then, it can be combined with current healthcare systems to give access to the millions who suffer from depression.

DMT Study Breakthroughs

This might be a pharmaceutical industry breakthrough, although it is not the first time DMT was thought to have psychological benefits.

For decades, it has been pushed as a cure for depression and PTSD and DMT is known for its spiritual properties. One research shows that 50% of those taking DMT later say they believe in God.

Other research shows that those who’ve taken DMT and other psychedelics may enjoy a long-lasting connection to nature. Meanwhile, a study that gave DMT to mice showed that it gave them less anxiety.

DMT is a naturally occurring molecule found in thousands of plants and can exist in the brains and bodies of various animals, including humans.

A Brief History of Psychedelics 

Taking DMT for human use returns to traditional religious ceremonies commenced by Indigenous communities throughout South America.

DMT has always been known to play a therapeutic role, so it is not surprising that the transcendental experience DMT offers would appeal to a drug company that focuses on mental health.

With the fast-growing research on the uses of ketamine for treating depression and MDMA for treating PTSD, it seems that monitoring bodies are progressively interested in drug-based therapies.