Research library / Observational study
A single inhalation of vapor from dried toad secretion containing 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) in a naturalistic setting is related to sustained enhancement of satisfaction with life, mindfulness-related capacities, and a decrement of psychopathological symptoms
Uthaug MV, Lancelotta R, van Oorsouw K, et al. Psychopharmacology 2019;236(9):2653-2666
Researchers assessed 42 people who inhaled vapour from dried Sonoran Desert toad secretion, which contains 5-MeO-DMT, at ceremonies in several European locations. Participants filled in questionnaires and did thinking tasks before the session, within a day afterwards, and four weeks later. Life satisfaction and a type of creative thinking improved straight away and stayed up at four weeks. Mindfulness rose, and depression, anxiety and stress fell, with these changes clear by four weeks. People who reported a stronger loss of sense of self during the experience tended to show bigger benefits. With no comparison group, self-selected participants and an unmeasured dose, the study cannot show the toad secretion caused these changes. It suggests the area is worth controlled research.
What it found
- Satisfaction with life and convergent thinking rose right after the session and stayed higher at 4 weeks
- Mindfulness rose, reaching significance at 4 weeks
- Depression, anxiety and stress ratings fell, reaching significance at 4 weeks
- Stronger ego dissolution or oceanic boundlessness was linked to greater life satisfaction and lower depression and stress