This powerful psychedelic is surprisingly easy to make. The simplest method is to extract it from DMT-containing plants, but it can also be synthesized from commercially available ingredients with a rudimentary understanding of chemistry and access to fairly basic lab equipment.

In this guide, we’ll cover three distinct methods for making two kinds “DMT.”

We’ll cover the natural extraction method (beginner level), synthesizing 5-MeO-DMT Hamilton Morris style (intermediate level), and cover a method for making N,N,DMT (advanced level).

What is DMT?

DMT stands for dimethyltryptamine — it’s one of the simplest psychedelics from a molecular level — but among the most profound in terms of the experience it produces. There are a few different kinds of DMT, but the most common are N,N,DMT and 5-MeO-DMT.

Other forms exist as well but produce a very different experience — such as 4-AcO-DMT (more similar to psilocybin than DMT), 5-Bromo-DMT (very mild psychoactive effects), and 4-OH-DMT (the chemical name for psilocin). These compounds are technically a form of DMT, but are considered an entirely different class than N,N,DMT or 5-MeO-DMT.

The most common method of using DMT is in the form of ayahuasca (N,N,DMT) or the Bufo alvarius toad (5-MeO-DMT). Both are traditional sources of DMT used by shamans to occasion mystical experiences for the sake of healing and self-exploration.

DMT can also be smoked or vaped — inducing a powerful but short-lived psychedelic experience.

Studies have shown that DMT is able to reliably induce mystical experiences that offer value towards dislodging deep psychological traumas, confronting personal truths, and healing mental illness. DMT is being explored as a treatment for existential anxiety, depression, addiction, anxiety, migraine headaches, and much more.