Jump to content

Changa (drug)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Changaa.
Changa
Changa blend
Source plant(s)Mimosa tenuiflora, Psychotria viridis, Diplopterys cabrerana, Acacia spp.; Banisteriopsis caapi; Peganum harmala
Active ingredientsDimethyltryptamine (DMT); Harmala alkaloids
Changa smoking blend (left) and DMT freebase (right).

Changa (/ˈtʃæŋɡɑː/) is a blend of the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT) mixed with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) which is used by smoking. The addition of MAOIs extends the DMT experience in duration and intensity when compared with smoking DMT freebase alone.[1] Typically, extracts from DMT-containing plants are combined with a blend of different MAOI-containing herbs, such as the ayahuasca vine, and/or leaf or harmala alkaloids from Peganum harmala ("Syrian rue") to create a mix that is 25 to 50% DMT.[2][3]

History

[edit]

Changa was named and developed by Australian Julian Palmer in 2003 and 2004.[4][5] From the mid-2000s, Palmer promoted the blend internationally, introducing it at festivals and gatherings across Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.[4][6] The 2008 Boom Festival in Portugal is often cited as a key moment in changa's spread beyond Australia.[4][7]

Etymology

[edit]

The name "Changa" is attributed to Palmer, who has said it came to him during an ayahuasca session.[4][8]

The intended pronunciation is /ˈtʃæŋɡɑː/ (CHANG-ah), though regional variations exist.[9]

Composition

[edit]

Changa consists of two primary components: dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), typically derived from plant sources such as Banisteriopsis caapi or Peganum harmala (Syrian rue).[4] DMT-containing plants used in changa include Mimosa tenuiflora (formerly Mimosa hostilis), Psychotria viridis (chacruna), Diplopterys cabrerana (chaliponga), and Acacia species such as Acacia acuminata.[10][11]

Blend compositions vary widely, with DMT concentrations typically ranging from 25 to 50 percent.[12] Doses vary substantially from one sample to the next depending on ingredients and ratios.[9]

Palmer's "classic" formulation consists of:[9]

Palmer has noted that while many herbs can be used, the MAOI component "activates" other herbs in the blend, and new additions may have unpredictable effects.[9]

Properties and effects

[edit]

Changa has a duration of 15 to 30 minutes.[13] This is in contrast to ayahuasca, which usually lasts for 3 to 5 hours.[13]

[edit]

Australian Electronic dance music (EDM) trio Pnau titled their November 2017 album Changa in homage to the substance.[14] It reached a peak of number 11 on the ARIA charts.

The 2022 Australian film Everything in Between opens with a scene in which the protagonist smokes what is implied to be changa, leading into a hallucinogenic experience.[15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Changa - DMT-Nexus Wiki". wiki.dmt-nexus.me.
  2. ^ St. John, Graham (2015). Mystery School in Hyperspace: A Cultural History of DMT. Berkeley, USA: Evolver Editions. ISBN 978-1583947326.
  3. ^ Cusack, Carole; Norman, Alex (2012). Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production. Leiden, Netherlands: BRILL. ISBN 9789004221871.
  4. ^ a b c d e St John, Graham (2017). "Aussiewaska: A Cultural History of Changa and Ayahuasca Analogues in Australia". In Labate, Beatriz; Cavnar, Clancy; Gearin, Alex (eds.). The World Ayahuasca Diaspora: Reinventions and Controversies. Routledge. pp. 143–164. ISBN 978-1-4724-6663-1.
  5. ^ Berger, Markus (2017). Changa: Die rauchbare Evolution des Ayahuasca. Nachtschatten Verlag. pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-3037883563.
  6. ^ Palmer, Julian (2014). Articulations: On the Utilisation and Meanings of Psychedelics. Julian Palmerisms. ISBN 9780992552800.
  7. ^ Gomes Batista, Henrique (2 May 2019). "CHANGA, A NOVA DROGA QUE ACENDEU O ALERTA DA POLÍCIA". Época. Rio de Janeiro. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  8. ^ Revell, Jack (11 November 2020). "Meet the Man Who Brought DMT to the Masses". Vice. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d Palmer, Julian (23 September 2019). "7 Things Many People Don't Know About Changa". julianpalmerism.com.
  10. ^ Leite, Marcelo (2026). "Changa and DMT Crystals, Engines of Cosmopolitan Neo-Shamanism". The Psychedelic Science of the Jurema Tree. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. p. 121–146. doi:10.1007/978-3-032-22705-8_6. ISBN 978-3-032-22704-1. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  11. ^ The World Ayahuasca Diaspora: Reinventions and Controversies. Routledge. 1 September 2016. doi:10.4324/9781315551425-14. ISBN 978-1-315-55142-5. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  12. ^ St John, Graham (2015). Mystery School in Hyperspace: A Cultural History of DMT. Berkeley: Evolver Editions. ISBN 978-1583947326.
  13. ^ a b Ona, Genís; Troncoso, Sebastián (2019). "Long-lasting analgesic effect of the psychedelic drug changa : A case report". Journal of Psychedelic Studies. 3 (1): 7–13. doi:10.1556/2054.2019.001. ISSN 2559-9283. Retrieved 3 June 2026. Changa is a smoking mixture that contains N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT; generally extracted from Mimosa hostilis) and β-carbolines (extracted from Banisteriopsis caapi or Peganum harmala). The mechanisms of action for these compounds are quite similar to those found in the ayahuasca beverage (McKenna & Riba, 2015), with possible differences in constituents if P. harmala is used instead of B. caapi. In the case of P. harmala, as mentioned below, ground seeds were used in the case reported. The compounds found in seeds of this plant are β-carbolines (harmaline, harmine, harmalol, tetrahydroharmine, and harmol; Herraiz, González, Ancín-Azpilicueta, Arán, & Guillén, 2010) and quinazolines (mainly vasicine; Herraiz, Guillén, Arán, & Salgado, 2017). The psychoactive effects of ayahuasca usually last between 3 and 5 hr (McKenna & Riba, 2015), but the effects of smoked changa last about 15–30 min (Ott, 1994).
  14. ^ McGrane, Danielle (2017-11-09). "Pnau release drug-inspired album". The West Australian. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
  15. ^ "Everything in Between – HEAVY Cinema review". HEAVY Cinema. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Changa_(drug)&oldid=1357563406"