Psychedelic substances have been used by indigenous cultures in ritual contexts for thousands of years to induce altered states of consciousness. Examples include psilocybin-containing mushrooms among the Aztecs or ayahuasca in the Amazon region, a plant brew that makes the active ingredient DMT orally effective by combining it with MAO-inhibiting components. 5-Methoxy-DMT, a particularly potent DMT derivative found in the glandular secretions of the Sonoran Desert toad (or Colorado toad), was also probably used in northern Mexican rituals.
