Up front and honestly: neither ayahuasca nor DMT is legal in the Netherlands, and we sell neither. This is an educational, cultural piece. The comparison is interesting because both revolve around the same compound, and yet they lead to very different experiences.
What is ayahuasca?
Ayahuasca is a traditional brew from the Amazon region, where it has been used in a ceremonial context for a very long time. It is made by combining a DMT-containing plant with a vine that contains substances which briefly change the way the body handles DMT. As a result the DMT works orally, whereas it would otherwise be broken down in your digestive system.
Why does DMT work through the mouth here?
Normally your body breaks down DMT quickly when you ingest it. The vine in ayahuasca inhibits that breakdown process, an effect known as MAO inhibition. Because of this the DMT stays active, and an experience arises that lasts hours instead of minutes. It is precisely that inhibition that also makes ayahuasca risky in combination with certain medications and foods, something you can read about in our piece on psychedelics and medication.
How different is the experience?
Smoked DMT is extremely short and intense: somewhere else in an instant, and back again after a few minutes. Ayahuasca is the opposite: a long, undulating journey often lasting several hours, in a ceremonial setting, and regularly with physical aspects such as nausea or vomiting, which in the tradition is seen as part of the process. Same compound, a completely different pace and framing.
Tradition and caution
Ayahuasca is traditionally used under guidance and within a carefully held framework, precisely because the experience is so profound and long. The MAO inhibition also makes the combination with medication or certain foods genuinely dangerous. So it is not something to simply experiment with on your own.
Is it legal?
In the Netherlands ayahuasca is not freely permitted, and we do not sell it. What is legal are magic truffles. You can read the basics about DMT itself in what is DMT.
This article is educational and cultural, not medical advice and not an encouragement to use substances that are prohibited in the Netherlands.