A new study suggests that the chemical harmine found in ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic brew made from a plant that grows in the Amazon, may have efficacy in the treatment of diabetes. The study, published in Nature Medicine, is highlighted by Newsweek in its March 13, 2015, on-line issue (Chemical in Ayahuasca Has Potential to Treat Diabetes).

In the study, scientists screened 100,000 drugs with the aim of discovering compounds that could regenerate insulin producing cells—also known as beta islets—that are diminished in people with type I and type II diabetes. Of all the compounds screened, only harmine demonstrated an ability to regenerate these cells. After identifying harmine as a potential candidate, the scientists implanted beta islet cells into mice and then administered harmine to them. Mice administered harmine exhibited a 3-fold increase in the number of beta cells and had greatly improved blood sugar levels.

 

The study's authors wrote that harmine's psychoactive characteristics may make it unsuitable for therapeutic use. They suggest that further studies be conducted to determine harmine analogs or similar substances that can cause beta cells to proliferate at levels relevant for diabetes treatment without causing unwanted psychoactive effects.

 

Cerilliant provides numerous DEA-exempt, certified solution standards of a variety of naturally occurring and synthetic hallucinogens including plant based drugs such as escaline, harmine, mitragynine, and salvinorin A and salvinorin B; tryptamines such as bufotenine, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), psilocybin, and 5-MeO DALT; dissociatives such as benocyclidine, ketamine, methoxetamine, and 3-MeO-PCP; LSD and its derivatives such as iso-LSD and LAMPA; and NBOMe analogs.

 

Cerilliant certified solution standards offer significant benefits to the laboratory such as increased efficiency, convenience of use with Snap-N-Shoot® or Snap-N-Spike® capability, and retest/expiration dates supported by real time stability data. Our multiple ISO accreditations ensure that Cerilliant products and services meet the highest industry standards accepted across international borders. Click on the link below to view our hallucinogen reference standards: