ArticleScientific reports2017
The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen Ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro.
Article in Scientific reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 74 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
74 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 168 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of psychedelics on neurogenesis and broader neuroplasticity: a systematic review.Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2024Pooled it
- The effects of ketamine and classic hallucinogens on neurotrophic and inflammatory markers in unipolar treatment-resistant depression: a systematic review of clinical trials.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review Unraveling the Biological Underpinnings of Psychedelics.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Ayahuasca and Dimethyltryptamine Adverse Events and Toxicity Analysis: A Systematic Thematic Review.International journal of toxicologyPooled it
- The pharmacological interaction of compounds in ayahuasca: a systematic review.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999)Pooled it
- Ayahuasca-assisted meaning reconstruction therapy as an early resource for bereavement: a non-randomized clinical trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.Psychological medicine · 2019Trial
- Ayahuasca Impairs Fear Memory Reconsolidation and Promotes Rapid Structural Plasticity in the Hippocampus and Prelimbic Cortex.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Article
- Registered Clinical Trials of Ayahuasca and DMT: A Scoping Review.Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2026Article
- Exploring Colombian medicinal flora used in indigenous and campesino health systems for neuropsychiatric disorders and neuropharmacological potential: an ethnopharmacological review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Exploring New Frontiers in Pharmacological Treatment of Depression: A Review on Recent Advances.Current medicinal chemistry · 2026Review
- Effects of selected alkaloids on postnatal neurogenesis - in vivo and in vitro studies - literature review.Psychopharmacology · 2025Review
- Long-term ayahuasca use is associated with preserved global cognitive function and improved memory: a cross-sectional study with ritual users.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2025Observational
- Psychedelic-Induced Neural Plasticity: A Comprehensive Review and a Discussion of Clinical Implications.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Unveiling the Complexities of Medications, Substance Abuse, and Plants for Recreational and Narcotic Purposes: An In-Depth Analysis.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Anti-inflammatory effects ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Psychoactive Plant Database: a phytochemical resource for neurological drug discovery.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Traditional Indigenous-Amazonian Therapy Involving Ceremonial Tobacco Drinking as Medicine: A Transdisciplinary Multi-Epistemic Observational Study.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2024Observational
- Ayahuasca: pharmacology, safety, and therapeutic effects.CNS spectrums · 2024Review
- Neurobiological research on N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and its potentiation by monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition: from ayahuasca to synthetic combinations of DMT and MAO inhibitors.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2024Review
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Banisteriopsis caapi is the basic ingredient of ayahuasca, a psychotropic plant tea used in the Amazon for ritual and medicinal purposes, and by interested individuals worldwide. Animal studies and recent clinical research suggests that B. caapi preparations show antidepressant activity, a therapeutic effect that has been linked to hippocampal neurogenesis. Here we report that harmine, tetrahydroharmine and harmaline, the three main alkaloids present in B. caapi, and the harmine metabolite harmol, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro. In neurospheres prepared from progenitor cells obtained from the subventricular and the subgranular zones of adult mice brains, all compounds stimulated neural stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation into adult neurons. These findings suggest that modulation of brain plasticity could be a major contribution to the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca. They also expand the potential application of B. caapi alkaloids to other brain disorders that may benefit from stimulation of endogenous neural precursor niches.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.