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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Hannah Devlin Science correspondent

Psychedelic drug DMT to be trialled on UK volunteers to tackle alcohol misuse

Alcohol Addiction UCL Greg Cooper Brain University College London
A glass with a reddish liquid placed alongside a pice of Banisteriopsis caapi, the vine from which the brew is made
DMT is the active ingredient in ayahuasca (pictured), a hallucinogenic brew used for thousands of years by shamans in South America. Photograph: Michal Moravcik/Alamy

A powerful psychedelic that is used in healing ceremonies by Indigenous groups in the Amazon is being trialled as a pioneering approach to reduce problematic alcohol consumption.

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is the active ingredient in ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic brew that has been used for thousands of years by shamans in South America. Scientists based at University College London are testing whether a one-off dose of the drug could help hazardous drinkers who want to reduce their alcohol intake.

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