Ever since McKenna blew the lid on the bizarre intensity of the DMT flash, explorers of psychedelic territories have been itching to SEE for themselves if what he says is true. Alchemists, botanists, and visionaries from around the globe have rigorously attempted all matters and methods - plane extraction, chemical synthesis, and even animal extraction (i.e. "toad-licking") - for acquiring such a single elusive pinch of dimethyltryptamine freebase (DMT). Some diligent seekers have found extreme success, but many others with fewer resources have found only frustration and failure - or at best a weak synthesis of DMT's more potent yet less visionary analogue, 5-MeO-DMT.

Another popular route to this "Holy Grail" of visionary experiences is orally active DMT, also known as ayahuasca - a combination of DMT and an MAO- inhibitor taken in a potion or capsule. An MAO-inhibitor blocks enzymes in your stomach which would normally metabolize the DMT in just a matter of seconds. The inhibitor allows DMT to remain in your system longer - another 40 minutes to four hours longer (your mileage may vary).

An MAO-inhibitor is quite easy to come by. Many prescription medications for depression are MAO-inhibitors, and there are many plants which contain the MAO-inhibitors harmine and harmaline. The shamen of the Amazon use a vine called yage' (Banisteriopsis cappi - which contains both harmine and harmaline) to make ayahuasca, bur those of us who don't live in the rain forest generally use the seeds from a shrub called Syrian Rue (Peganam harmala) - a rich source of both harmine and harmaline. Syrian Rue is legal to obtain in the US, and many mail order botanical houses sell Syrian Rue, as do many Middle Eastern or Pakistani Grocers The crushed seed is often used as a red fabric dye.

Yet the question still remains, where to find the DMT to brew with the Rue. There are many good plant candidates which contain DMT - such as Psychotria viridis and a few hearty strains of Phalaris grass - but plane cultivation and extraction can be a tricky process. A better candidate for your ayahuasca mixture may be the more commonly available DMT analogues psilocin and psilocybin, the active ingredients of your friendly neighborhood magic mushroom.

Taking a few grams of Syrian Rue forty minutes prior to ingesting psiloc(yb)in mushrooms will effectively double the potency of the mushrooms. The presence of the MAO-inhibitor potentiates the mushroom trip in a synergistic way and produces stare of consciousness which, in my opinion, more closely resembles the DMT state than your average mush- room trip (if there is such a thing as an "average" mushroom trip). I have found Psilocybe cubensis to be extremely reactive to the presence of an MAO-inhibitor, but this biochemical transformation should work magic with any species of Psilocybe mushroom - which, despite prohibition, are still widely available through home cultivation, cattle pastures, and woods and lawns around the globe.

Once you have obtained the two elements of your mushroom ayahuasca - or shroomahuasca - you have a variety of ways to prepare them. The first- thing you'll want to do is grind three or four tablespoons of Syrian Rue seeds into a fine powder. They are very tough, a mortar and pestle probably wont cut it, bur a cheap coffee grinder- or a blender should work just fine. Once ground, you can mix the Rue powder with juice, take it m a capsule, or use a simple water-extraction technique (lust like making tea or coffee). If making in a capsule or mixing with juice, the minimum effective dose is generally about 2.5 to 6 grams of Rue - about the amount that would fit into two gelatin capsules or half a bottle cap. A tea made with rue is foul tasting and will cause a gag reflex and/or queasiness. Eating whole seeds has also been known to cause intestinal discomfort. To prevent discomfort, take ground seeds in capsules or in a crude harmaline extract before ingesting.

Take two tablespoons ground Rue and bring to boil with 3 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Let boil for 5 minutes. Let cool and then filter the grounds through a coffee filter, paper towel, or cheesecloth. Keep the liquid pour off separate from the grounds. You can boil and filter the grounds with water and lemon juice two more: times to get a higher yield of harm(al)ine. You can also wrap ground seeds in a coffee filter. staple it. shut, and boil it like a teabag for a half hour.

After boiling and filtering the grounds, set them aside. Take the murky brown pour-off. bring it to a slow boil and let boil for 20 to 30 minutes. The water will boil off, leaving a very sticky brown resin. It. smells like a rich coffee or unsweetened chocolate, and tastes quite bitter. It is water-soluble, so it- cleans up easily.

This resin is a crude harm(al)ine extract. When cooled and dried, the resin can be scraped and molded like clay. The resin can also be rolled into a ball and smoked for mid hypnotic effect.

For oral ingestion, a ball of resin extract- roughly the size of an aspirin tablet is more than adequate to potentiate organic tryptamines tie. DMT, psilocin, psilocybin, and their many analogues) for ayahuusca- like effects. "Remember, with the addition of Syrian Rue, your mushroom trip will be twice as strong and ten-times wierder. Be sure to adjust your normal dosage!

Syrian Rue on it's own can induce a variety of psychoactive states - from subtle to mildly hypnotic. The most common response to Rue ingestion is a feeling of mild, non-focused well-being or contentedness. Other MAO-inhibitors have been widely prescribed as anti-depressants, so this reaction is no surprise. Ocher high-dosage effects include some closed-eye geometric visuals, dizziness, restlessnes and sluggishness.

As a smoke, Rue is pleasant tasting- earthy and woody - and can potentiate a mushroom trip "on the fly." Rapid changes in states of consciousness will be noticed. Please experiment carefully.

The harmaline + mushroom "trip" will come on in 10 to 30 minutes. and hit peak intensity at about 2 hours and 20 minutes after ingestion. If taking with more than 3- grams dried mushrooms, expect extremely intense audiovisual hallucinations colored with a Very dominant and ancient middle-eastern consciousness (the Rue). It can be alternately loving and ferocious. Approach with caution and humility. Expect full loss of volition at higher doses. Effects plateau for about 1 1/2 hours and taper off slowly bur completely by hour 6. Avoid large or "heroic" doses in unsafe or public places.

MAO-inhibitors can react adversely with some foods and medications. You should NEVER take an MAO-inhibitor with an SSRI (selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor) such as Prozac, or with any prescription or over-the-counter antihistamines, cold-medications or cough syrups. If you are regularly taking other over-the-counter or prescription medications, please consult your physician or your favorite pharmaceutical reference manual (such as the PDR) for any adverse MAOI interactions. Adverse reactions with prescription and over the counter medications can lead to a sharp rise in blood pressure and death.

It is also recommended that you avoid foods containing the amino acid tyramine - such as cheeses, bananas, fish (espesclally bad or spoiling), soy and broad beans, chocolates, coffees, avocados, and alcohol - while caking an MAOI This dietary precaution is primarily fur people taking an MAOI on a daily basis.

For further information on Peganum harmala, ayahuasca, and ayahuasca analogues, see Pharmacotheon, or Ayahuasca Analogues by Jonathan Ott.