Psychedelic therapy Netherlands

DMT, psilocybin and MAO inhibitors

We regularly get questions about what the best psychedelic ceremony is for depression, addictions, anxiety or for a spiritual journey. Is ayahuasca better suited than a truffle ceremony and what is that psilohuasca or psiloflora? We are going to explain the differences in this blog. The similarities between the different ceremonies is the use of psychedelics of the tryptamine class in combination with or without MAO inhibitors. For example, ayahuasca contains the tryptamine DMT + the MAOi Banisteriopsis Caapi (MAO inhibitor) and no MAOi is used in truffle ceremonies because it is not necessary for truffles, but it is possible. Here is a handy overview of the ingredients used.

	Ayahuasca	Psilohuasca	Psiloflora	Truffle
MAO inhibitor	Banisteriopsis Caapi	Banisteriopsis Caapi	Passiflora incarnate	no
Active tryptamine	n,n-DMT	4HO-DMT	4HO-DMT	4HO-DMT
Source tryptamine	M. Hostilis	Mushroom/truffle	Mushroom/truffle	Mushroom/truffle
Need diet	Strict	Strict	Yes	no

MAO inhibitors are necessary with ayahuasca

MAOi are used in ayahuasca, psilohuasca and psiloflora. With ayahusca and psilohuasca, the Banisteriopsis Caapi is usually used and this is a strong MAO inhibitor. MAO inhibitors disable the MAO enzyme. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine are broken down by the enzyme MonoAmino-Oxidase. The psychedelic tryptamines are also broken down by MAO enzymes. If there is a MAOi Banisteriopsis Caapi, the enzyme MAO no longer works and the tryptamines and neurotransnitters present remain active for longer. Especially with ayahuasca, the MAOi is necessary since DMT is broken down very quickly and is therefore not active orally. Psilocybin from truffles is broken down much more slowly by MAO and therefore an MAOi is not necessary. If an MAOi is used with truffles, the trip can be extended and less of the truffles or magic mushrooms is needed.

MAO inhibitors pose additional risks

The use of MAO inhibitors disable regulatory enzymes. Unfortunately, in addition to the benefits of a longer psychedelic session, it also has a number of disadvantages and possible dangers. For example, MAO also breaks down tyramine, a monoamine that can increase in content when MAOi is used and can increase blood pressure to such an extent that it becomes a danger. To limit the danger of tyramine, a strict diet is necessary. Other disadvantages of using the Banisteriopsis Caapi as a MAO inhibitor is that it can also increase dopamine and other neurotransmitters, while psychedelic journeys increasingly only need to stimulate the seronergic receptors. There are also adverse drug interactions and the Banisteriopsis Caapi causes a very high degree of physical discomfort during the first two hours of the ceremony.

Read more about the diet with psilohuasca or ayahuasca here

Truffles are safer

The safest psychedelics and perhaps drugs in themselves is the magic truffle. Since the confirmation of the illegality of DMT and ayahuasca, this magic truffle is increasingly being combined with the MAOi of ayahuasca, the Banisteriopsis Caapi, which we call psilohuasca. This combination is quite new and has not been well researched. There are also additional risks associated with the use of the strong MAOi Banisteriopsis Caapi, while it is not necessary to add a strong MAOi to the psilocybin of truffles. Psilocybin is orally active. It is safer to take a higher dose of truffles than a lower dose in combination with an MAOi such as Banisteriopsis Caapi. So if you want a longer and deeper trip, then increasing the dose is better than adding the Banisteriopsis Caapi.

Psiloflora as an alternative

With psiloflora, the psilocybin-containing truffle is combined with the passiflora incarnata (passion flower). The reason why adding the passion flower to the truffles is that this mix adds a number of beautiful properties to the psychedelic truffles without too much increasing the risk of complications such as with strong MAO inhibitors (ayahuasca, psilohuasca, etc.).

The combination of the psilocybin and the Passiflora incarnata gives the following benefits:

• Calming effect
• Deeper trip (triplevel 5)
• Longer trip (up to 8 hours)
• Bright trip
• More visual trip

In addition to the improving effect of a psychedelic trip, the Passiflora incarnata is also sometimes used without psychedelics against ADHD, nervousness, nervous heart complaints, Parkinson's disease, seizures, muscle cramps, hysteria, hypertension, PMS, epilepsy, skin disorders, hemorrhoids, burns, asthma, whooping cough, bronchitis, infections and as a pain reliever for many ailments. Also for problems associated with menopause. It is also used as a means to reduce the effects of alcoholism, to make it easier to stop drinking and is also used for delirium tremens.

Read here more about Passiflora incarnata

What is the best choice now

Every ceremony is different and what is best depends on personal preference. In trip therapy, the truffle ceremony is preferred and if you want to taste a MAOi inhibitor in a safe way while using psychedelics, the psiloflora is the best choice in our opinion. Our advice here is a consideration between the effect and the low risks. Ultimately, it is about safety and the result.

Who is it suitable for?

Due to the extended duration of the psychedelic effects in the psiloflora ceremony, it is advisable to already have some experience with psychedelics. If you have no experience with psychedelics, you can still participate, but then the advice is to take less of the psilocybin tea and if it is desired to take a second psilocybin tea an hour after taking it. If fear plays a major role, it is advisable to start with a low dose or medium dose truffle ceremony. How experienced someone is with psychedelics naturally plays a role in choosing a ceremony.

See below our advice on suitability to participate in the truffle and/or psiloflora ceremonies.

Truffle ceremony	trip level	Length of time (h)	Fitness
low dose	1-2	2-3	Beginner
medium dose	3-4	3-5	Beginner
High dose	4-5	4-6	Some experience
hero dose	5	5-8	More experienced
Psiloflora*	4-5	5-8	Some experience
Extended psiloflora**	4-5	8-10	Some experience

Knowing more?

Do you want to know more about the terms or ceremonies used? Then use the links below to read more about the topics.

MAO inhibitor |Tyramine | Ayahuasca | Psilohuasca | DMT | Psilocybin | Psilocin | Psiloflora