The Seeker’s Guide to Changa

"Smokable Ayahuasca"

Part 1: The Basics of Changa

Part 2: How to Make Changa

Part 3: The Changa Experience

Frequently Asked Questions

Although psychonauts have long been experimenting with smoking mixtures of DMT extracts with various plants, changa explicitly aims to recreate the popular ayahuasca recipe of P. viridis and B. caapi. 

When the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) in B. caapi combine with the DMT in P. viridis in ayahuasca brews, it allows the psychedelic DMT to be active for much longer in the body. Although there’s no conclusive evidence that this same symbiosis would take place in a smoked version of ayahuasca, it’s theoretically possible – and many swear by it.

Julian Palmer was the first person to really popularize this “smokable ayahuasca” blend, coining the term “changa.” The idea was to find a pleasant mid-ground between the long-lasting ayahuasca DMT experience, and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it smoked crystal DMT experience. 

A mid-ground could be desirable because ayahuasca ceremonies can last many hours, and often involve unpleasant purging – while on the other side, smoking pure crystal DMT only lasts a few minutes, and can lack some of the more spiritual components of the unique ayahuasca blend.

By extracting and concentrating DMT from plants, and then mixing it with the ingredients of ayahuasca, Palmer hoped that changa would be a powerful yet accessible DMT experience that retained some of the qualities of ayahuasca.

When you drink ayahuasca, the combination of DMT with MAOIs stops your body from destroying DMT, therefore making the psychedelic experience last longer. We think the same thing happens with changa. Even though we don’t yet have conclusive evidence of this, there are thousands of anecdotal reports! 

People suggest that the combination of DMT with MAOIs in changa helps the psychedelic effects of the DMT come on a lot slower, and last longer, than just smoking pure DMT. We also know that MAOIs have their own psychedelic effects when ingested or smoked, so they’ll undoubtedly be contributing to the changa experience.

As there are hundreds of changa recipes out there, and practically endless ways that you could combine DMT with MAOIs, many people include other psychoactive plants in their changa blends. A universe of pharmacological possibilities remains to be discovered!

For more in-depth information about creating changa from scratch, including step-by-step instructions, click here to receive our free PDF guide!

The basic changa recipe is to extract DMT from a DMT-containing plant, then dissolve that extract into a mixture of plants that includes MAOIs. 

So the most simple changa recipe is to dissolve 250mg of pure DMT crystal in a small volume of isopropyl alcohol (as little as you can), then add that DMT-alcohol solution to 1g of dried B. caapi vine (or other plant that contains MAOIs), and let the mixture dry so that all the DMT moves into the dried plants while the alcohol evaporates.

From this starting point, you can change anything you want! You can alter the concentration of DMT if you’d prefer it stronger or weaker, and use all sorts of other plants in place of, or in addition to, the B. caapi. 

Other plants that contain MAOIs include Peganum harmala (Syrian rue), passionflower, and some Acacia trees.

You can extract DMT from a large number of plants, including Psychotria viridis, Mimosa hostilis, some Acacia trees, and Anadenanthera seeds.

In addition to the DMT and MAOIs, you can add all sorts of herbs to the changa mix to make it taste nicer, or to explore other sedative or psychoactive properties. We’ll share a couple of the most popular mixes below!

For any changa recipes, you need to dissolve your DMT in alcohol first. The best alcohols to use are isopropyl alcohol or pure acetone. You don’t want any additives in your alcohol so that they evaporate cleanly. You’ll want to add your DMT to the alcohol in a shallow dish, and use as little alcohol as possible – probably around 10ml of solvent for 250mg of DMT.

Once the DMT is fully dissolved in the alcohol, you can add your dried plant mix directly to the DMT-alcohol solution, mix it thoroughly so the plant is soaked, and then allow the alcohol to fully evaporate. This might take a few days, depending on how much alcohol you’ve used. When it’s totally dry, it’s ready to smoke.

The “original” changa recipe, endorsed by Julian Palmer, includes an interesting mix of plants! To make a gram of this mixture, combine these dried plants, finely ground:

• 300mg B. caapi (the main source of MAOIs)
• 200mg passionflower (also contains MAOIs)
• 200mg mullein (thought to reduce the harshness of the smoke)
• 200mg peppermint (for flavor and to reduce the harshness)

Then, add 250mg of your dissolved DMT solution to this plant mixture and allow to dry. 

Finally, add 50mg of calendula (used in some herbal smoking blends) and 50mg of blue lotus (which has mild sedative properties) into the now dried smoking mixture, to complete the recipe.

To check that everything has worked, weigh your final mixture. If you added 250mg of DMT to 1g of plant material, it should now weigh 1.25g.

Here’s an alternative recipe for changa – this one is colloquially known as “Electric Sheep.” First, mix together these dried gound-up plants:

• 330mg B. caapi (the main source of MAOIs)
• 330mg Calea zacatechichi (sedative and euphoric properties)

Then add 250mg of your dissolved DMT solution and wait for it to completely dry.

Finally, add 330mg of blue lotus – adding this last preserves its color and texture. Then it’s ready to smoke!

To store any changa blend, make sure it’s completely dry, and in an airtight container. For long-term storage, keep it somewhere dry and dark, where there are minimal temperature fluctuations.

If you’re really keen on making a great tasting blend, you can also pre-infuse the alcohol you will use to dissolve your DMT into the mix. Infusing this alcohol with pleasantly-tasting herbs and plants, like lavender or mint, can impart some of their flavors to the final mix.

Here are some more changa recipes for you to try:

• The best classic changa recipes
• The most fragrant and flavorful changa recipes
• Otherworldly changa recipes

The name was created by Julian Palmer, when he devised the smoking mixture. It is purely slang, and has no inherent meaning – and as Julian Palmer suggests, it is a uniquely Australian colloquialism.

Changa can be smoked in a pipe, bong, or joint. It's a smoking mixture made to be smokable in pretty much any form. It doesn't require special methods, such that are required for smoking pure DMT. As with any psychoactive substance, start off with a low dose until you are comfortable with it. Smoke in a familiar environment with a sober sitter to look after you.

DMT is illegal in most countries, so changa will likely be illegal in those places too. However, many of the plant ingredients of changa are legal in much of the world. If in doubt, always check your local laws. You may be able to create a legal version of changa that adheres to your local laws.

Some people suggest that you have to use a concentrated extraction of MAOIs to add to your smoking mix, to give you an effective changa blend. However this is not necessary, and Julian Palmer himself states that you just need to make sure your smoking mix has enough MAOI-containing plants in it.

Yes, smoking changa can be a much less intense experience than smoking pure DMT. This is because the MAOIs in the smoking blend help to elongate and dilute the DMT experience. It is also easier to smoke changa, because you do not need to worry about burning the pure DMT crystal.