The Goddess Jurema and the Devil of Science Against the Dragon of Anxiety
摘要
This chapter presents the work done since 2021 at the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil with inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) for treatment-resistant depression. The psychedelic compound is in this case extracted from the tree black jurema, jurema-preta in Portuguese (Mimosa tenuiflora), obtained from a farm that belongs to the father of Dráulio de Araújo, physicist, neuroscientist, and lead investigator in experiments that have also tested DMT-containing ayahuasca for the treatment of depression. The author Marcelo Leite tells his own experiences as a volunteer in the pilot phase of the clinical trial, describing subjective effects during the 10-min trip mediated by the conscience-altering substance, and why it has potential as an antidepressive medicine. Brief profiles of researchers taking part in the study are also presented, as well as their results already published in peer-reviewed journals.