Tryptamines
A chemical family that includes psilocin, DMT, and 5-MeO-DMT. A shared family does not mean identical effects or risks.
Fellowship of the Golden Grove · Learn
Psychedelics
A grounded guide to altered states.
Explore the language, substances, and traditions often gathered under the word “psychedelic.” Understanding their differences is part of approaching this subject with curiosity, discernment, and care.
Start with the language
What is a psychedelic?
A psychedelic is a psychoactive substance that can substantially change perception, emotion, thought, and the sense of self. In scientific use, classic psychedelics primarily produce these effects through serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. Examples include psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and mescaline. Scientific definition ↗
In everyday conversation, “psychedelics” is sometimes used more broadly. MDMA, ketamine, and ibogaine are often included in that discussion, although they work differently. Kambo belongs in a separate category: it is a toxic frog secretion used in some rituals, not a classic psychedelic.
Lysergamides
LSD belongs to this chemical family. Its effects can be long-lasting even though the physical amount of drug is very small.
Phenethylamines
A broad chemical family that includes mescaline and 2C-B. Not every phenethylamine is a psychedelic.
These are chemical categories, not levels of safety. Read about classic psychedelic pharmacology ↗
Know the differences
A guide to the substances
Psilocybin mushrooms and LSD are familiar examples. This guide also covers less commonly encountered substances and traditional preparations. The forms and routes below describe reported use; they are not dosing or preparation instructions.
Classic psychedelic · Tryptamine
Psilocybin mushrooms
Certain mushroom species contain psilocybin, which the body converts to psilocin. Experiences may involve changes in perception, emotion, and sense of self.
- Common forms
- Fresh or dried mushrooms, ground mushroom capsules, teas, and products marketed as edibles.
- Reported routes
- Oral ingestion.
- What deserves care
- Potency varies. Poisonous look-alikes and inaccurately labeled edibles create additional risks; appearance alone cannot establish identity or contents.
Classic psychedelic · Lysergamide
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide is a laboratory-made psychedelic derived from lysergic-acid chemistry associated with ergot fungi. It can alter sensory perception, thought, and time perception.
- Common forms
- Blotter paper, liquid solutions, and small tablets.
- Reported routes
- Usually taken by mouth; blotter may be held in the mouth before swallowing.
- What deserves care
- Effects can be prolonged. A tab’s appearance does not establish its contents or strength.
Plant preparation · DMT + MAO inhibitors
Ayahuasca
An Amazonian brew used in distinct Indigenous and religious traditions. It commonly combines a DMT-containing plant with Banisteriopsis caapi vine, whose compounds inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO).
- Common forms
- A liquid plant brew; ingredients and concentrations vary.
- Reported routes
- Drunk orally.
- What deserves care
- MAO inhibition creates serious medication and substance-interaction concerns. Vomiting, cardiovascular changes, and psychological distress can occur. A ceremonial setting does not remove these risks.
Classic psychedelic · Tryptamine
DMT
N,N-dimethyltryptamine occurs in various plants and can also be synthesized. It is the DMT component of many ayahuasca preparations, but an inhaled DMT experience differs substantially from drinking ayahuasca.
- Common forms
- Crystalline or powdered material and products marketed as vape preparations.
- Reported routes
- Often vaporized and inhaled outside research settings; injection is used in some clinical research.
- What deserves care
- Rapid, intense changes in awareness can occur. DMT, ayahuasca, and 5-MeO-DMT are not interchangeable.
Classic psychedelic · Phenethylamine
Mescaline
Mescaline is the active compound found in several cacti, including peyote and San Pedro. It can also be made synthetically. A compound and the plant containing it are different things.
- Common forms
- Cactus preparations or isolated material, including capsules.
- Reported routes
- Usually oral.
- What deserves care
- Nausea and prolonged effects can occur; a cactus’s size does not reliably reveal its potency.
Mescaline-containing cactus
San Pedro / Huachuma
San Pedro commonly refers to Echinopsis pachanoi (also called Trichocereus pachanoi), a columnar cactus associated with Andean traditions.
- Common forms
- Cactus-derived liquid preparations or dried plant material.
- Reported routes
- Oral.
- What deserves care
- Mescaline content varies. San Pedro is a plant source, not a separate active drug from mescaline. Respect the communities whose traditions inform its use.
Mescaline-containing cactus
Peyote
Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a slow-growing cactus with profound significance in Indigenous religious traditions, including the Native American Church.
- Common forms
- Fresh or dried cactus buttons and liquid preparations.
- Reported routes
- Oral.
- What deserves care
- Conservation, Indigenous access, and cultural sovereignty matter. Peyote is a mescaline source, not a synonym for every mescaline preparation.
Synthetic psychedelic · Phenethylamine
2C-B
2C-B is a synthetic hallucinogen with perceptual and stimulant-like effects. It is chemically related to the broader phenethylamine family, which includes mescaline.
- Common forms
- Tablets, capsules, or powders sold under that name.
- Reported routes
- Oral use and intranasal use are reported; intranasal use can cause rapid effects and painful irritation.
- What deserves care
- “Tusi,” “tucibi,” and “pink cocaine” often refer to mixtures containing other drugs, rather than actual 2C-B. Color and branding cannot identify a substance.
Serotonergic psychedelic · Tryptamine
5-MeO-DMT
A distinct compound from N,N-DMT. It occurs in some plants and Sonoran Desert toad secretions, and can be synthesized.
- Common forms
- Synthetic preparations or animal-derived secretions.
- Reported routes
- Inhaled and intranasal routes are reported.
- What deserves care
- It can cause profound impairment; combining it with MAO inhibitors can be fatal. Toad-derived products raise animal-welfare and conservation concerns. This is not kambo.
Related, but distinct
Beyond classic psychedelics
These substances appear in conversations about altered states, mental health, or spiritual practice. They should not be treated as interchangeable with psilocybin or LSD.
Atypical psychedelic · Multiple brain targets
Iboga / Ibogaine
Iboga is the Tabernanthe iboga shrub, associated with Bwiti traditions in Central Africa. Ibogaine is one of its psychoactive alkaloids. Whole root bark and isolated ibogaine are not equivalent preparations.
- Common forms
- Root bark, extracts, or isolated ibogaine, sometimes in capsules.
- Reported routes
- Typically oral.
- What deserves care
- Ibogaine has been associated with fatal heart-rhythm disturbances. It requires specialist medical assessment and monitoring; it is not a do-it-yourself treatment for withdrawal or addiction.
Empathogen / Entactogen
MDMA
A synthetic psychoactive drug often discussed alongside psychedelics because of its effects on emotional openness and connection. Its pharmacology differs from classic psychedelics.
- Common forms
- Tablets, capsules, powders, or crystals sold as MDMA, ecstasy, or molly.
- Reported routes
- Commonly oral.
- What deserves care
- Overheating, cardiovascular stress, and dangerous interactions can occur. A familiar logo or street name does not establish purity.
Dissociative anesthetic
Ketamine
A medicine that can produce detachment from the body or surroundings. It acts differently from classic serotonergic psychedelics.
- Common forms
- Clinical injectable solutions and prescribed preparations; powders also circulate outside medical care.
- Reported routes
- Clinician-administered injection or infusion, prescribed oral/sublingual preparations, and nonmedical intranasal use are reported.
- What deserves care
- Impairment, dependence, and bladder or urinary damage are concerns, especially with repeated nonmedical use. Medical administration is distinct from unsupervised use.
Frog secretion · Not a classic psychedelic
Kambo
Kambo is a secretion from the Amazonian frog Phyllomedusa bicolor, used in some traditional purging rituals. It is different from the toad secretions associated with 5-MeO-DMT.
- Form & reported route
- A dried secretion applied to deliberately broken skin in some rituals. This route can cause serious poisoning.
- What deserves care
- Severe vomiting, fainting, swelling, seizures, and deaths have been reported. “Purging” is not proof of detoxification or healing, and claimed medical benefits lack established clinical evidence.
Form is not the same as route
How substances are encountered
Form means the physical preparation: a mushroom, brew, capsule, blotter, powder, or solution. Route means how it enters the body. Route can change onset, intensity, duration, and risk; one form cannot safely be substituted for another based on appearance.
Oral
Swallowed material, drinks, capsules, or edibles. Examples include mushroom preparations, ayahuasca, and mescaline preparations.
Through the mouth lining
Sublingual means under the tongue; buccal means against the cheek. Some prescribed medicines use these routes. This differs from simply swallowing a product.
Inhaled
Vapor or smoke enters the lungs. DMT and 5-MeO-DMT are sometimes encountered this way, with potentially abrupt changes in awareness.
Intranasal
Absorbed through the nose. Powders and medical nasal formulations are not equivalent, and nasal use can injure tissue.
Clinical injection / infusion
Some medical or research protocols use injection or infusion with professional monitoring. These are clinical procedures, not home-use methods.
Applied to broken skin
Associated here with kambo. Introducing a toxic secretion through damaged skin is a poisoning risk, not a general psychedelic administration method.
Examples and route references are linked in the substance profiles above.
Knowledge is part of care
Context matters as much as vocabulary
- Personal health and medications matter. Psychiatric history, heart conditions, pregnancy, and drug interactions can change risk. Review these with a qualified clinician; do not stop prescribed medication on your own to take a substance.
- Natural does not mean safe. Plant, fungal, animal-derived, and synthetic substances can all cause harm. A ceremonial setting or spiritual intention does not remove physical or psychological risks.
- Labels are not laboratory results. A product’s color, capsule, packaging, or street name cannot establish identity, purity, or strength. Mixing substances adds uncertainty.
- Clinical research is a specific setting. Findings from screened, monitored participants do not establish that unsupervised use is safe or effective. Experiences and outcomes vary.
What should I know about traditions and ecology?
Ayahuasca, huachuma, peyote, and iboga belong to distinct living traditions. Learning about them calls for respect for Indigenous knowledge, community consent, cultural sovereignty, and ecological stewardship. A modern retreat or commercial product is not automatically representative of those traditions.
Peyote conservation and Indigenous access deserve particular care; animal-derived secretions also raise welfare concerns.
Does “psychedelic” mean legal or medically approved?
No. Classification, legality, medical approval, and spiritual meaning are separate questions. Laws differ by substance, location, and activity. The presence of a substance in this educational guide does not establish permission to possess, supply, or use it.
DEA: federal controlled substance schedules ↗When is it a medical emergency?
In case of a medical emergency, contact 911. Trouble breathing, collapse, seizures, chest pain, or severe overheating need urgent medical attention. Do not assume a serious symptom is simply part of a ceremony or “purge.” Tell responders what may have been taken.
Educational overview · Sources checked October 26, 2026. Sources are linked alongside the relevant information. This page does not provide individualized medical advice.
