MAPS: Tannine as MAOI

["Perf. Fungi E." <pfe@xxxxxxxxxx>]

To all,

At the psychoactivity conference in Amsterdam of 1998, Jonathan Ott 
stated that a rootbark tea of Mimosa hostilis (Mimosa tenuiflora) is 
psychoactive by itself. His statement is confirmed in the spring 
issue of the Entheogen Review: the consumption of Mimosa-tea provides 
the psychonaut of a DMT-like experience of a two hours duration.

In Amsterdam, Jonathan Ott told us that the tannines in the barktea 
may be the explanation for this. Tannines are known to inhabit 
enzymes in general, and it may be that they form a temporary shield 
for the DMT molecules. Only when the body has destroyed the tannines, 
MAO can deactivate the DMT.

To my knowledge no further bioassays or other research on this 
subject is published. But if I am right, the 'tannine' idea can 
simply be tested by a bioassay of a combination of pure DMT with 
tannine. I hope that someone will ever do this (and publishes the 
results at MAPS-forum).

If it really works it may even be an alternative explanation of the 
kykeon in the Eleusian mysteries. Tannines are very common in the 
plant world, and DMT also is. Can it be that the Greeks used some 
kind of ayahuasca borealis?

Rene

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