5-MeO-DMT—short for 5-Methoxy-N,N-Dimethyltryptamine—looks just like DMT on both a macro and micro level, with a few extra atoms attached (which is what “5-MeO” in the name tells us). That slight change makes all the difference, though.

Like DMT, 5-MeO-DMT also appears in many plants and animals—including the venom of a particular toad—but has not been found in humans. While the DMT experience tends to be highly visual, 5-MeO-DMT is more like a perspective shift. Some have said it’s something like a near-death experience.

5-MeO-DMT has a traditional, shamanic use as well, in the form of a powerful “yopo,” or powder blown forcefully into the nose. Being somewhat more obscure than DMT, the potential of 5-MeO-DMT for healing substance addiction is less well known, but some progressive treatment centers have found it extremely useful.