Scientists have now engineered tobacco plants to produce five psychedelic compounds that are normally found in ayahuasca, magic mushrooms, and toads.

“This combination of five psychedelics — I don’t think anyone has ever tried something like it,” said Asaph Aharoni, senior author and principal investigator.

Some are saying that this could be a more sustainable method of generating tryptamines, which can be useful as treatments for conditions like depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and PTSD.

Indigenous cultures around the world have cultivated tryptamines for thousands of years for spiritual purposes, but because these compounds are in high demand, many natural sources are facing ecological distress.

For example, the Sonoran Desert toad population is rapidly declining due to poaching and over-harvesting, and there are various reports of people having to travel further and further into the jungle in order to harvest the Ayahuasca vine.

Scientists have produced synthetic versions of some tryptamines, but their methods often involve complicated processing and hazardous reactants that generate chemical waste.

So that’s why researchers are wanting to help alleviate these problems, which is what led to this study; entitled “Complete biosynthesis of psychedelic tryptamines from three kingdoms in plants”

“Over-harvesting endangers the natural availability of these species for native peoples and Indigenous groups,” said Paula Berman, a postdoctoral researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science who co-led the study.

“We have so much respect for the knowledge that they provide us, and we just want to add to this knowledge and to be able to produce these in a more sustainable way.”

I for one certainly appreciate the effort, and it’s interesting to see science develop in this area.

Sources:

• Science Advances: Complete biosynthesis of psychedelic tryptamines from three kingdoms in plants
• 404 Media: Scientists Create Plant That Produces Ayahuasca, Shrooms, and Toad Psychedelics All At Once