Up Late and Reply of Dr. Strassman

I have been reading around trying to find a relationship with some plants that help dream recall and lucid dreaming and serotonin or choline. I found some good references but its getting late and I have been unable to find any info.

I did happen to find a lot of information on l-Tryptophan and its relationship to many different types of DMT found in the human body. It seems that 5-HP, and MAOI's cause the creation of DMT inside of the brain. It is still unknown where DMT is located, but it would seem that the pineal gland still is a good place to have DMT made. Though there may not be a build up of DMT in the body, making it hard to locate, there may be a buildup of a combination of chemicals that once released and mixed together in the cerebrospinal fluid of the brain molds the DMT and displaces it into the brain evenly.

I am also posting my e-mail conversation with Dr. Strassman to maybe explain some questions:

After reading your book I had a question about the types of chemicals
that you talked about that existed in the pineal gland that you said
have the possibility to create DMT such as the methyltransferaes and
beta-carbolines. I was wondering how you found this information. I
also wanted to know the relationship of melatonin and DMT. I have
asked my friend the same questions and though he is not a chemists he
described to me that the melatonin may increase along with all the
other chemicals that you talked about in the pineal gland causing a
possible increase of DMT during night hours. I still don't see the
relationship of melatonin in the pineal besides to put the person to
sleep since in your studies you have showed that melatonin has little
to no psychedelic effects.

I have not read any new information on studies done to find out if the
theories of the pineal gland producing DMT being true. It seems that
in 28 years since your study, someone would have done something since
then into finding out the facts of the pineal gland. If you have any
journals that show these types of studies it would be helpful for my
research.

Pinoline is a beta-carboline Jace Callaway described finding in pineal. Methytransferases exist in pineal, particularly hydroxy-indole-N-methyltransferase, which is the enzyme finalizing melatonin production. It's in the literature.

Melatonin increases at night, in darkness. We don't know anything about a pineal-DMT connection. The evidence I marshal is circumstantial. I didn't make that clear enough in my book.

Melatonin is not psychedelic, correct.

Not quite 28 years - I wrapped up my psychedelic research in 1995, published my earlier melatonin data in the late 80's.


Here is my references I used for the night:

Here are the plant references:

Bouncing Bear Botanicals. (2008). Calea zacatechichi (Dream Herb, Leaf of God). Retrieved on Sept 28, 2008 from http://www.bouncingbearbotanicals.com/dream-herb-p-100.html

Mayagoitia, L., J. Diaz, C.M. Contreras. (1986). Psychopharmacologic Analysis of an Alleged Oneirogenic Plant: Calea zacatechichi. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 18:229-243. Retrieved on Sept 28, 2008 from http://leda.lycaeum.org/?ID=16295

Psychoactiveherbs (2008). African Dream Root, Silene capensis (Ubulawu). Retrieved on Sept 28, 2008 from http://psychoactiveherbs.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=161_158

Sobiecki, J.F. (2008). A Review of Plants Used in Divination in South Afreica. Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, Rand Afrikaans University, South Africa. Retrieved on Sept 28, 2008 from http://www.wits.ac.za/izangoma/visionsynthesis26.pdf

http://sleep-disorders.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_drugs_and_herbs_affect_dreams

Here are addition references on endogenous psychedelics:

http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/185/3/523
http://everything2.com/title/tryptamine
http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:ZnTEcIEf_7kJ:psychicdeli.googlepages.com/Sacramentalplantsandpsi-Brazil2008.doc+Endogenous+psychedelics&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us&client=firefox-a
http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v04n2/04230cal.html